FFmpeg
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{{Infobox_Software | name = FFmpeg | screenshot = Image:MPEG.png | logo= | caption = Usage workflow | developer = FFmpeg team | operating_system = Cross-platform | genre = Multimedia framework | license = LGPL | website = www.ffmpeg.org | }} FFmpeg is a set of free computer programs that can record, convert and stream digital audio and video. It includes libavcodec, a leading audio/video codec library. FFmpeg is developed under Linux, but it can compile under most operating systems, including Windows. The project was started by Gerard Lantau, an alterego of Fabrice Bellard, and is now maintained by Michael Niedermayer. Notable is that most FFmpeg developers are part of either the MPlayer, xine or VideoLAN project as well.
The project is made of several components:
- ffmpeg is a command line tool to convert one video file format to another. It also supports grabbing and encoding in real time from a TV card.
- ffserver is an HTTP (RTSP is being developed) multimedia streaming server for live broadcasts. Time shifting of live broadcast is also supported.
- ffplay is a simple media player based on SDL and on the FFmpeg libraries.
- libavcodec is a library containing all the ffmpeg audio/video encoders and decoders. Most codecs were developed from scratch to ensure best performance and high code reusability.
- libavformat is a library containing demuxers and muxers for audio/video container formats.
- libavutil is a helper library containing routines common to different parts of FFmpeg.
FFmpeg is released under GNU Lesser General Public License or GNU General Public License (depending on which sub-libraries one would include). The project is hosted at MPlayerHQ and makes formal releases every now and then. That means CVS version is the preferred one.
FFmpeg have reverse-engineered and reimplemented, among others:
- The Sorenson 3 Codec used by many QuickTime movies.
- Advanced Streaming Format
- Windows Media Audio
- Windows Media Video (and thereby also the associated DivX hack)
- QDesign Music Codec 2, used by many QuickTime movies prior to QuickTime 7.
See also
- Comparison of media players
- MPlayer and MEncoder (use libavcodec and libavformat)
- ffdshow (uses libavcodec)
- xine (uses libavcodec)
- VLC media player (uses libavcodec)