1) Introduction
---------------
ffmpeg is a hyper fast realtime audio/video encoder, a streaming
server and a generic audio and video file converter.
It can grab from a standard Video4Linux video source and convert it
into several file formats based on DCT/motion compensation
encoding. Sound is compressed in MPEG audio layer 2 or using an AC3
compatible stream.
What makes ffmpeg interesting ?
- Innovative streaming technology : multiformat, real time encoding,
simple configuration.
- Simple and efficient video encoder: outputs MPEG1, H263, Real
Video(tm), MPEG4, DIVX and MJPEG compatible bitstreams using the
same encoder core.
- Real time encoding (25 fps in 352x288 on a K6 500) using the
video4linux API.
- Generates I and P frames, which means it is far better than a MJPEG
encoder.
- Hyper fast MPEG audio layer 2 compression (50 times faster than
realtime on a K6 500).
- Hyper fast AC3 compatible encoder.
- simple and very small portable C source code, easy to understand and
to modify. It be may the smallest decent MPEG encoder :-)
- optional non real time higher quality encoding (different motion
estimators available).
- Audio and Video decoders are in development.
ffmpeg is made of two programs:
* ffmpeg: soft VCR which encodes in real time to several formats. It
can also encode from any supported input file format to any input
supported format.
* ffserver: high performance live broadcast streaming server based on
the ffmpeg core encoders.
2) Documentation
----------------
* Read doc/ffmpeg.txt and doc/ffserver.txt to learn the basic features.
* Read doc/TODO to know what are the know bugs and missing features.
* Read doc/README.dev if you want to contribute or use the codec or
format libraries.
3) Licensing:
------------
* See the file COPYING. ffmpeg and the associated library EXCEPT
liba52 are licensed under the Lesser GNU General Public
License. liba52 is distributed under the GNU General Public License.
* This code should be patent free since it is very simple. I took care
to use the same video encoder/decoder core for all formats to show
that they really are mostly the same.
Fabrice Bellard.
