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Learn to Produce Videos with FFmpeg: In Thirty Minutes or Less Paperback – June 1, 2017

by Jan Lee Ozer (Author)

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This title was superseded by the 2018 Edition of the same name, which is now available on Amazon and other online booksellers. If you purchased this version, send proof of purchase to janozer@gmail.com and I'll send you a free PDF copy of the update ($29.95 value). Note that the changes in the book are concentrated, with new sections on Bento4 in Chapters 10 and 12, and several new sections on live transcoding and AV1 encoding in Chapter 14. Otherwise, most of the book is the same, so having a physical copy of the old edition and a PDF of the new should not be a hassle. Note that if you wait and buy a physical copy of the new edition, you won't get a PDF copy.

This focused 120-page book teaches readers how to use FFmpeg to create full adaptive bitrate ladders and package them into HLS or DASH formats. The book also includes a primer on terms and technologies related to streaming and recommended settings for all parameters detailed in the book.

Initial chapters focus on installing FFmpeg on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, and basics of command-line programming. Then the technology primer, and individual chapters on bitrate control, resolution, frame rate, I-, B-, P- and reference-frame settings. These are followed by chapters on H.264 and HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), which includes instruction on Apple tools Media File Segmenter, Variant Playlist Creator, and Media Stream Validator. Also covered is encoding for DASH with MP4Box. Next up are chapters on encoding HEVC with x265, and producing VP9, with the final chapter covering miscellaneous operations like concatenating multiple files, or computing PSNR with FFmpeg.

A downloadable zipped file includes all (Windows) batch files used in the book, which you can easily adapt for your own use, and a detailed Table of Contents and Index will help you find what you need. All these contents ensure that you'll be able to Learn to Produce Videos with FFmpeg in 30 Minutes or Less.

(Note: the email in the book for the downloadable files is incorrect. Please email the request to jozer@mindspring.com. Sorry for any inconvenience).

Print length

130 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Doceo Publishing
Publication date

June 1, 2017
Dimensions

7.5 x 0.35 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0998453013
ISBN-13

978-0998453019
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doceo Publishing (June 1, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0998453013
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0998453019
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.35 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,965,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,065 in Digital Video Production (Books)

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Jan Ozer

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Ozer is a leading expert on H.264, H.265, and VP9 encoding for live and on-demand production. In his consulting practice, Ozer helps streaming publishers produce highly optimized and deliverable streams and to choose encoders, transcoders, and workflows that optimize cost, efficiency and flexibility. Ozer is a contributing editor to Streaming Media Magazine, where he reviews codecs, on-premise and cloud encoders, and ancillary tools like QoE and QoS monitoring services. Skilled in video production and editing, Ozer also produces live events for streaming or on-demand and disc-based distribution.

Ozer blogs at http://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/ and is the author of over 20 streaming and video-related books, including Video Encoding by the Numbers: Eliminate the Guesswork from your Streaming Video, and Learn to Produce Videos with FFmpeg: In Thirty Minutes or Less. His books have consistently garnered five-star reviews on Amazon and have been adopted as textbooks by multiple colleges and universities.

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A "must buy" in your journey of learning about encoding and streaming video files.

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

I would consider this book a must buy if you are starting out in your journey of learning about encoding and streaming video files. I actually finished reading the entire book and have reread many chapters again. I found the author’s writing style easy to read and understand, and there are many supportive screenshots and illustrations. I found the quality of the printing and binding of the book to be very good, and liked the way the topics are laid out and covered (they build on each other as you work through the book). Sources are well credited and linked. The book presents many years of knowledge learned from the author in working, writing, lecturing in this field.

I have a background with creating and encoding closed captions within TV broadcast files, but have a very limited knowledge of streaming files. I had lightbulb moments at least once in every chapter with the things I learned.

One of the main overarching themes throughout the book is streaming is all about efficiencies in bitrate or data rate. The data pipe to the customer playing the streaming video is often limited and even changing through time. There are many different strategies to maximize the quality and size of the encoded video. Encoding strategies that work best for non-streamed files are often not the best for adaptive bitrate streamed files. Strategies that work best for a LIVE stream are not necessarily best for VOD (video on demand) files.

I had contacted the author and got the batch files (see bottom of page 10 in the book for directions), but decided to just read the book first. I am on a Macintosh computer at work, and if I set FFMPEG up--it would be on our Windows server, and I decided not to invest time on the Macintosh side of things. (I have since set up FFmpeg on the Windows server, and using Microsoft Remote Desktop on my Macintosh--I am running through many of the examples.)

This strategy was helpful for me because I decided to concentrate on understanding the concepts first and didn't get bogged down in running the batch files. The book filled in a lot of details I was missing on streaming. (If you find yourself getting bogged down, just read the book first and then go back and do the examples.)

One area of great interest to me is the creation of HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) adaptive bitrate streaming files developed by Apple from start to finish for the web. On page 88 it says as of June 2017, FFmpeg cannot create a master playlist file, which is the last of three steps in creating HLS files for the web. The book goes on to describe using a free third party software Bento4 to create this file. I googled this, and found the following in an online forum, “Update January 2018 You can now create master playlists directly with FFmpeg using master_pl_name and var_stream_map.” I hope in future editions of this book, that this information is updated to also include using FFmpeg to create the master playlist file.

I reached out to the author and he pointed me to a newer online article “An FFmpeg Script to Render and Package a Complete HLS Presentation” he wrote on this very topic. He also helped me figure out why the example was giving me an error in trying to run it in a DOS batch file. Apparently if a DOS batch file includes a “%” or “&” one must use double %% every place there is a single % (also &&) this is called “escape characters”.

I was hoping to find in the book a single "recipe card" of program instructions that I could use with FFMPEG to produce HLS files for the program I create closed captions.
While I didn’t find for my specific situation code that I could just copy and paste into FFmpeg, the author has been most helpful in leading me to the material I need for more study.

When I purchased this book, I thought when I finished reading it, it would be the end of my journey; but I realized it is only the beginning--and that is ok. Encoding files is a very detailed subject that takes a lot of learning, and this book is a great help to me. I also found that the author has a website Streaming Learning Center (read the free blog articles) and offers this material and more in many different formats. You can purchase a printed book, a PDF book, take an online video course, etc. Depending on your learning style, you may prefer one method over another. By the way, I love both a printed book to read and markup, and also a PDF version for word searching. It would be great to see a bundled offer for this, and maybe even a bundle of all three formats (printed book, PDF, online course) for one price.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ian Kennedy

Concise and accessible, Jan covers the basics of ABR encoding with FFmpeg.

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

Who this book is for:

1) The decision maker who may be skeptical about using FFmpeg in a production environment compared to a turn-key commercial solution.
2) The video-adjacent engineer who has been asked by the decision maker to evaluate FFmpeg for use in a streaming encoding pipeline and needs to ramp up fast on the basics.

I built automation around FFmpeg for a large streaming media service and had this book existed then it would have saved me a lot of time. You can spend days trolling around Stack Overflow and various other forums and still not have all you need to get started. That's what this book covers.

I think the author could go further with advanced topics in a followup volume:

- Using FFmpeg as the heart of a distributed encoding solution for UHD content.
- Advanced audio mixing and re-sampling
- HDR encoding in detail
- Advanced filtering
- Using statistics from filters like IDET and FIELDMATCH to detected combing, mixed film/video and telecined content.
- Using it with cloud hosting and delviery providers like Azure Media Services
- When it makes sense to use other tools. IE: Mediainfo may be a better choice for media attribute detection.
- Issues with codec IP and when using a licensed solution may be the wise choice.
- Scripting FFmpeg via code (C#, python, etc).
- Using named pipes to use FFmpeg with 3rd party/commercial tools like UHDKIT.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Derrick Freeman

Learning how to create your ABR encoding ladders for H.264, VP9, and HEVC

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2019

Verified Purchase

Jan’s book, “Learn to Produce Video with FFmpeg in 30 Minutes or Less” is a must-have book for anyone new to encoding with FFmpeg or anyone that is an intermediate user of the tool. This resource is the essential book in the marketplace to help you get up-to-speed with basic and advanced encoding with FFmpeg. Where the book shines is in the great details it shares for creating Bash scripts for adaptive bitrate streaming for H.264, VP9, and HEVC. What’s extremely important about Jan’s book is also the great detail it provides about what the various encoding options specifically for VP9 and HEVC and what they do. Since these two topics are hard to find and understand from on-line resources and guides, this resource is invaluable. If you want to save yourself countless hours in learning how to create your ABR encoding ladders for H.264, VP9, and HEVC, make sure you purchase this book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Matthew White

Concise overview for working with FFmpeg

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

I was looking for a solid introduction to working with FFmepg to manipulate video content, primarily for streaming, and this book met my needs superbly. In no time I was able understand the basic switches and to start using FFmpeg to process video content. FFmpeg has a myriad of options and parameters and this book does not attempt to cover them all. You’ll likely find that you still need to rely on other references (e.g., Internet or otherwise etc.), however this book will provide you with a solid grounding of the basic usage from which you can build.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

steward

A convenient reference for getting started. Author email no longer valid.

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

1. If you bought "Video Encoding by the Numbers: Eliminate the Guesswork from your Streaming Video" then you do not need this book. "Learn to produce..." is a subset "by the Numbers"..

2. There are some missing examples, and a promise to send electronic materials. I tried the emails and several variations but they all bounced. So the print book is all I got.

Everything here as already available on the net. But this is much easier. Worth the price just to have it all in one place.
Easy to read and understand. Does not go into depth on all ffmpeg options, just covers what most of us need to do.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Little Green Viper

What the...?

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

The first 47 pages are a book called "Castile Soapmaking," by Anne L. Watson.

I have no idea at all why the book was in there. I ripped it out, and the rest of the book is fine.

Wierdest damn thing I've ever seen.

Helpful

Pierdavide Marcolongo

The Video Streaming Bible

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2020

An easy-to-read and practical journey through video streaming, plus plenty of tips on encoding both for both professional users and beginners. The author makes the topic interesting and engaging.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Sark

Easy Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2021

Verified Purchase

Had this bought for me as an Xmas present last year. Very concise and easy to read in an afternoon. It should be noted, that whilst this deals with all forms of encoding, it does not go into the complexities of filters etc.

If your new to ffmpeg, this book should be your first choice before wasting endless hours on the web. If you already know the basics, this is still a very worthwhile purchase, particularly for those intending on working with streaming media. Whilst my personnel interest is output for TV, this has still proved to be an invaluable purchase.

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