https://linuxaudio.org/

Audio/Video Data Formats

Containers:

• multiple autio or video streams in one container
• video tracks usually sliced: I frames, P frames, and B frames.
  • I frame == full frames
  • P frame == predicted frames
  • B frame == bidirectional frams
• video frames may consist of multiple macro blocks.
• examples: OGG, AVI, MOV, MPEG, DV, XCF, etc.

Codecs:

• video: theora, dirac, xvid, mjpeg, dv, tiff, mpeg2, mpeg4, H.264, etc.
• audio: vorbis, mp2, mp3, speex, etc

Transmission protocols

• examples: file, pipe, http, tcp, udp, mms, rtp, rtsp, rtmp, etc.

  ffmpeg –formats mencoder -ovc help mplayer -vc help

Authoring Tools

Acquisition

mplayer --dumpfile

digital video dvgrab

gstreamer pitivi

Video editing

• cinelerra - incomplete, crashes regularly
• blender
• avidemux - simple editor
• lives - live VJ, basic editing, and effects
• ardour - xjadeo
• openmovieeditor - supports plugins
• kine - home movie editor
• pitivi - gstreamer based
• lumiera - cinerlerra 3
• ardour - development version

Unix way - small is beautiful

extract audio:

mplayer example.avi -dumpaudio -dumpfile example.mp3

merge files:

etc.

Off-line editing - doesn’t affect original media.

• decision list to point out where edits go.

subtitles

color correction

• cinepaint (branch of GIMP) - 16 bits per color.
• IEC Calibration very important.

transcoding

• winFF (ffmpeg)
• dvd::rip (transcode)
• ogmrip
• avidemux
• VLC
• aciprip (mencoder)
• mandvd (mencoder)
• qjadeo (mencoder)
• ffmpeg command line

dvd authoring

• dvdauthor (XML), qdvdauthor (GUI), etc.
• mandvd (GUI)
• dvdmaker (CLI)
• videotrans
• mkisofs, growisofs

starting from home

• easiest to use custom distribution
• low latency, real time kernel
• ubuntustudio, 64studio, jacklab, CCRMA, artistX, MUSIX (live cd)
• dyne.org, dyne:bolic, puredyne - different distributions based on same thing

Conclusions

Most open source utilities are very good, transcoding can be better quality then commercial products, may not be as easy to learn to use as commercial products. Still a long way to go.

Need good quality video, actors, etc. Won’t be able to improve these with editing.

Cameras often have very small CCDs, make image very sharp and in focus.

No USB2 standard audio protocol.