Re: [gentoo-user] convert wmv to mp4?

[Michael Mol <mikemol@gmail.com>]

On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 2:31 PM, Stroller <stroller@stellar.eclipse.co.uk> wrote:
>
> On 1 May 2012, at 18:51, Michael Mol wrote:
>>> …
>>> I am certainly able to play back .wmv files here without win32codecs installed. Admittedly, I'm using xbmc to do that, and haven't recently tested using VLC or mplayer, but I would avoid installing that package unless I was sure I needed it.
>>
>> …
>> WMV, mp4, WAV, etc. are all names given to container formats. WMV
>> might contain h264 internally, or it might contain one of the
>> "Microsoft Video" codecs, …
>
> Actually, WMV appears not to be a container format - but a family of codecs.
>
> Apparently the .wmv files we see distributed on the net are most always WMV codec video contained in a ASF container.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.wmv

Ah, right, my mistake.

>
> I don't believe I've ever encountered a .wmv file containing h264. One probably wouldn't actually notice, in normal use, if one did receive such a file, assuming it worked when one clicked on it.
>
> However I find it extremely unlikely to imagine anyone putting h264 in a .wmv file (or an ASF container). We all commonly put h264 in .mp4 or .mkv containers.

You've never been deep into AMVs, I take it. If a codec can be shoved
into a container, I've probably had a sample of it at one time or
another.

>
>> Sometimes that's because of patent issues, sometimes that's because
>> there aren't enough useful samples, and sometimes that's because
>> nobody cares about a codec nobody's seriously used since 1997.
>
> I'm pretty sure we're able to play back WMV7, WMV9 / AC-1 videos without these binary decoders. It's probably not very useful to talk about codecs "nobody's seriously used since 1997." I *am* pretty sure that upstream mplayer *do* generally say "don't bother with the win32codecs".

Actually, a lot of upstream hacks on stuff for reasons ranging from
completeness to plain and simple fun. Check out multimedia.cx, follow
the blogs.

> The goal here to to get Mark's video playing, and he's given no indication it's some old file he found on a 1998 system.

Sure. But when I give an explanation, I give background. Give a fire,
teach to make a fire...Gentoo tends to be far more about teaching to
make fires than simply providing them. Though sometimes it uses you
for kindling.

-- 
:wq