Use FFmpeg instead of Libav

Bug #1263278 reported by Ma Hsiao-chun
168
This bug affects 37 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
libav (Debian)
Fix Released
Unknown
libav (Ubuntu)
Won't Fix
Undecided
Dimitri John Ledkov

Bug Description

Libav is supposed to be a drop-in replacement of FFmpeg.
However, it isn't.
For example, many software uses libswresample, it is simply missing in Libav.
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12651816/libswresample-in-recent-ubuntu-version
https://github.com/hrydgard/ppsspp/issues/2322

BTW, the mindset of Libav is annoying at best.
http://blog.pkh.me/p/13-the-ffmpeg-libav-situation.html
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9477115/who-can-tell-me-the-difference-and-relation-between-ffmpeg-libav-and-avconv

So I hope that Ubuntu can switch back to FFmpeg; let more software build.
Debian's political preference, e.g., Iceweasel, shouldn't affect a lot of Ubuntu users out there.

description: updated
Changed in libav (Debian):
status: Unknown → New
Revision history for this message
Reinhard Tartler (siretart) wrote : Re: [Bug 1263278] [NEW] Use FFmpeg instead of Libav

On Sat, Dec 21, 2013 at 12:29 AM, Ma Xiaojun <email address hidden> wrote:
> Libav is supposed to be a drop-in replacement of FFmpeg.
It is not even supposed to be a replacement, it is the more continuous
successor what once was FFmpeg.

> For example, many software uses libswresample, it is simply missing in Libav.
They can easily be ported to libavresample.

BTW, neither libraries existed at the time the two projects split apart.

> So I hope that Ubuntu can switch back to FFmpeg; let more software build.

This would break a lot of software, produce more work for ubuntu
developers, and would cause less software to build.

Revision history for this message
Ma Hsiao-chun (mahsiaochun) wrote :

> They can easily be ported to libavresample.

With FFmpeg we can have both libswresample and libavresample.
Asking everyone to use libavresample is a waste of resource and there is no gain at all.

> This would break a lot of software, produce more work for ubuntu developers, and would cause less software to build.

Can you name a software that only builds with Libav?
It's the switching to Libav that breaks enough out-of-repository software.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in libav (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Michael Murphy (mmstick) wrote :

There are so many bugs with libav that it's not even funny. Last month I tried switching my encoding tools to libav just to see how it would function, and it was a catastrophic failure. I also have a lot of issues with any media player that uses libav for playback since it tends to segfault.

Revision history for this message
Brandon Snider (brandonsnider) wrote :

You should really back up the statement -- "there are so many bugs" -- with actual bug reports rather than personal anecdotes. Just because something happens on your system doesn't mean everybody else sees it too.

Revision history for this message
Timothy Gu (timothy-gu) wrote :

Also please look at how Gentoo manages the 2 projects' concurrent use.

Revision history for this message
Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox) wrote :

In the past, ffmpeg was maintained in Debian. Later Debian maintainers switched to maintaining libav. Whilst it is possible to offer both stacks, nobody has step up to maintain ffmpeg stack in Debian. Ubuntu also does not have capacity to maintain ffmpeg stack at this time. If you wish to see a supported ffmpeg stack in both Debian and Ubuntu, please become a developer and start maintaining it in Debian. So far such group of people did not produce such work. Until the situation changes, Ubuntu is going to provide the only packaged and available stack - libav.

Changed in libav (Ubuntu):
assignee: nobody → Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox)
status: Confirmed → Won't Fix
Revision history for this message
Yuv (yuv) wrote :

Use cases:
- transcode camcorder videos into something I can share with family and friends over the internet
- sometimes improve them (e.g. deshacking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYE3KAl8RAQ&feature=youtu.be)
- automatically build thumbnails and navigation tree of my home videos collection for viewing on different flavours of home media players, ranging from HTPC to tablets
- transcode my archived audio collection to support newer media players

avconv/libav has been doing an OK job, but has not improved over the past two years. So I gave ffmpeg a try and it is so much better. Moreover, at some point in the Fall of 2013 avconv had a regression and would not properly transcode my live lecture recordings (plain WAV) to AAC.

Reading about the fork and the circumstances that lead to the current situation, all I can say is that:
(1) competition is good
(2) variety is the spice of life
(3) I wish both projects well
(4) I, as a user, made a choice, and I wish that the debian/ubuntu maintainers of the libav project would respect that user choice.

Lucky me, there is an easy solution:

https://launchpad.net/~jon-severinsson/+archive/ffmpeg

# Replace avconv with the real ffmpeg
# www.askubuntu.com/a/373509/165265
#
sudo apt-get purge libav-tools
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jon-severinsson/ffmpeg
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg
sudo apt-get install frei0r-plugins # recommended
sudo apt-get --purge autoremove

Revision history for this message
Aleve Sicofante (sicofante) wrote :

Reports of the libav fork languishing to death and the original ffmpeg actually being frequently updated are all over the place. Ubuntu can -and should- use the proper ffmpeg, regardless of what Debian decides.

Revision history for this message
David Favor (davidfavor) wrote :

Ugh... Still no ffmpeg...

libav is missing all sorts of code available in ffmpeg.

Revision history for this message
Jesse Glick (jesse-glick) wrote :

#1339980: ffmpeg seems to be required in order for DVDStyler to process MP4 video.

Changed in libav (Debian):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Timothy Gu (timothy-gu) wrote :

FYI, Debian has accepted ffmpeg to experimental. It is expected to go into Ubuntu as well after the migration from experimental to unstable.

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