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Fails on some files (gets stuck forever while capturing the first frame).

Happens often with Matroska. 1.0.7a introduced a workaround (-Wo) with ffmpeg’s argument order that worked with other file types.

/dev/shm isn’t really intended as an alternate temporary location, and VCS’ temporary files can easily grow too large for it too.

As a possible alternative offer a first-run choice of temp-dir (maybe suggesting /dev/shm).

References:
http://wiki.debian.org/ReleaseGoals/RunDirectory#Why_put_.2BAC8-dev.2BAC8-shm_and_.2BAC8-tmp_under_.2BAC8-run.3F http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9745281/tmp-vs-dev-shm-for-temp-file-storage-on-linux

When the resulting contact sheet is too thin, the meta-information header is cramped and fields overlap.

Originally reported by Dougn Redhammer

Original report by Dougn Redhammer

vcs hangs with some RM files.

Tracing shows it gets stuck in mplayer_identify.

MPlayer can play the files fine from the terminal. Although it exits with «MPlayer interrupted by signal 11 in module: uninit_vcodec».

I can reproduce the abrupt termination, it happens when using Real’s native decoder (w64codecs, /usr/lib/codecs/drvc.so). Using FFMpeg’s decoder (MPlayer’s -vc ffrv30) MPlayer exits normally.

I can’t reproduce the hang either way.

The available configuration options need a serious review and renaming. Old names will be accepted with warnings for either two releases or six months.

Also, should provide a sample configuration file so that the syntax and options are clearer.

As reported by Dirk Reiners (paraphrased)

Files incorrectly reporting too short length (unlike too long), pass the safe_length_measure check ⇒ This prevents correcting length.

See http://libav.org/, Jan 27 2012.
Also http://libav.org/index.html#fftools_rename for changes to the syntax.

Must change to avprobe/ffprobe and/or avconv.

Reported by Paul:

Hey,
I'm using VCS via Homebrew Install (https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/vcs#default) and since the last update of imagemagick (?) I get dozens of error messages:
convert: Expected operator at '.mean*100' @ error/fx.c/GetOperator/2408

Confirmed to happen on ImageMagick 7.1 on Linux, the contact sheet is generated but blank frame evasion is skipped

Reported by KW in comments: https://outlyer.net/2019-11-26:vcs-1-13-4-released/#comment-51875

With the new script I'm getting issues the following error:
No compatible version of getopt in path, can't continue.
Enhanced getopt (i.e. GNU getopt) is required

Added by Darko in comments: https://outlyer.net/2019-11-26:vcs-1-13-4-released/#comment-52719

The homebrew's version of vcs has this at line 186:
declare GETOPT=/opt/homebrew/opt/gnu-getopt/bin/getopt
While Toni's just uses whatever is on path:
declare GETOPT=getopt
… which on macOS is non-gnu version of getopt.

Added by X in comments: https://outlyer.net/2019-11-26:vcs-1-13-4-released/#comment-53401

The issue is on line 186. Brew version has this:
declare GETOPT=/usr/local/opt/gnu-getopt/bin/getopt
The trunk version has:
declare GETOPT=getopt
When I backport the most important change you did in the trunk version ('`fx:image.mean` > `fx:mean`') then indeed the error messages on '.mean*100' are gone.

Originally suggested by Dogn Redhammer

Originally reported by Phil Grundig

Version of ffmpeg: ffmpeg (CVS-060515)

Originally reported by Phil Grundig

Version of mplayer: mplayer (1.0pre8cvs)

Originally requested by Phil Grundig

See vcs:devel:transcode

Originally reported by Tomasz Strózik

Example given:

$ find $DIR \(-name "*.avi" -o -name "*.wmv" -o -name "*.mpg" -o -name "*.mp4" \) -exec vcs -dt -ds -n 12 -c2 -H 200 --jpeg --quiet {} \;

Works on avi, mpg and mp4 but fails on wmv with
Failed to capture frame (at second xxx.000)

Processing the same file directly works:

$ vcs -dt -ds -n 12 -c2 -H 200 --jpeg --quiet File.wmv

Timestamps could use some tweaking: e.g. centering on their background and rounded corners

Introduce new names in 1.12 ( FS#120 )

Remove old names in 1.13 or 1.14 (this)

No need for description

When a frame evasion is tried and given up, the chosen timestamp should be the original instead of the last attempt

No need for description

Request by Chris Hills

http://outlyer.net/2014-05-18:vcs-1_13_2-released/comment-page-1/#comment-17238:

Thanks Toni. I was hoping I could simply run `$ vcs-1.13.2.bash -? **/*.mp4` to create contact sheets for all videos in all subfolders, but it sounds like I’ll have to use a wrapper script. Would you consider adding this in a future release for a donation?

My reply:

I guess you’re using zsh-ish globbing there.
That’s not something I use so I didn’t even think of the case where recursing could be so simple.

It was a bit of an overlook on my part not to have the option to output to the same directory as the video, probably because recursion always required a wrapper in my head.

I.e. create file sample#.avi

Run vcs on sample#.avi -> sample#.avi.png is created.
Run vcs again. sample#.avi-1.png should be created, but sed generates an error.

HDR isn’t well supported as reported by remlap and ThaDr.

Their comments:

https://outlyer.net/2017-05-26:vcs-1-13-3-released/#comment-30901

Hi I am trying to thumbnail some HDR content is there anyway to insert ffmpeg filters in
-vf zscale=t=linear:npl=100,format=gbrpf32le,zscale=p=bt709,tonemap=tonemap=mobius:desat=0,zscale=t=bt709:m=bt709:r=tv,format=yuv420p

Thanks

https://outlyer.net/2017-05-26:vcs-1-13-3-released/#comment-32413:

I’m also trying to do some HDR content and pass the -vf info to ffmpeg. I can’t get it to work even using a wrapper script.

It always comes up with awk errors, starting with “unterminated regexp”.

Is there any chance of updating vcs to support manual passing of those -vf arguments to ffmpeg?

HDR content is very common nowadays…

https://outlyer.net/2017-05-26:vcs-1-13-3-released/#comment-32423

I’m using vcs 1.13.2 on ubuntu and ended up doing it by adding the line:

-vf ‘zscale=t=linear:npl=100,format=gbrpf32le,zscale=p=bt709,tonemap=tonemap=hable:desat=0,zscale=t=bt709:m=bt709:r=tv,format=yuv420p’ \

at line 2203, in the ffmpeg_capture() function where it sets the ffmpeg command line options.

Couldn’t work out how to do it with a wrapper script.

Asked by Bob on the blog

Would it be possible to somehow specify to only screenshot half of the video image (for 180 side-by-side VR videos)?

Or would this require new features to be added to the VCS?

Originally requested by Dougn Redhammer

E.g. with ImageMagick’s -stroke and -strokewidth