[MPlayer-users] How to get a remote avi section with mplayer (via HTTP) ??

[The Wanderer]

Abel Campos wrote:

> Hi all! I would like to get a section of a remote AVI file (via
> HTTP), and save it in a local file using 'mplayer' in command line,
> but I don`t know how to do it (if it is possible).
> 
> I can play a section of the remote avi file specifying the begin time
> using the -ss option, but not the end time.
> $ mplayer http://<url>/<file>.avi -ss <seek_seconds>
> 
> In other way, I can save the entire file in a local file
> $ mplayer http://<url>/<file>.avi -dumpstream -dumpfile <localfile>.avi
> 
> but what i need is just a section (without having to wait the entire
> file to download).
> 
> I have tried the -ss and -dumpstream options together, but the -ss
> option seems to be ignored.

Yes, of course it is - -dumpstream instructs MPlayer to dump the entire
input stream without modification. Leaving parts of it out would
constitute modification.

> Any idea??

What you want to do cannot be done with MPlayer. The closest you can get
would be to use MEncoder with '-oac copy -ovc copy', but even that might
have its limitations (seeking precision, for instance).

-- 
       The Wanderer

Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.

Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.