[MPlayer-dev-eng] Streaming MEncoder directly into MPlayer...

[Gaster, Benedict]

Hello!

We are have ported and optimized the XviD encoder/decoder for the SuperH
SH-5 core using the SIMD instructions on to a version a SH-5 Linux and
have built MPlayer/Mencoder to use these codecs. We can now decode
OpenDivX and XviD MPEG4 streams from interlaced AVI files and it is also
possible to encode from any V4L device into an MPEG4 AVI file. However,
for MPlayer to correctly play the AVI file it seems that the headers
must be patched one whole stream has been encoded... MPlayer reports the
following messages if this is not the case:

  Detected AVI file format!
  ** warning: this is no extended AVI header..
  ** warning: this is no extended AVI header..
  ** warning: this is no extended AVI header..

  .
  .
  .

  ** warning: this is no extended AVI header..
  Requested video stream id overflow (256 > 256)

Having looked over the code briefly it seems that MEncoder will only
produce AVI files, which require fixing up at the end to work correctly
in MPlayer, does anyone know of a way to pipe the streaming output of
mencoder into MPlayer without having to wait for the end of the stream?

As SH-5 Linux is a new target for MPlayer a number of small changes were
required for configure to correctly complete and we were hoping that
these patches could be merged into the main development. Would this be
possible?

Thanks for any help.

Ben.

Benedict R. Gaster
SuperH
2430 Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4AQ, UK