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Originally committed as revision 6 to svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk

README

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+FFmpeg - (c) 2000,2001 Gerard Lantau.
+
+1) Introduction
+---------------
+
+ffmpeg is a hyper fast realtime audio/video encoder, a streaming
+server and a generic audio and video file converter. 
+
+It can grab from a standard Video4Linux video source and convert it
+into several file formats based on DCT/motion compensation
+encoding. Sound is compressed in MPEG audio layer 2 or using an AC3
+compatible stream.
+
+What makes ffmpeg interesting ?
+
+- Innovative streaming technology : multiformat, real time encoding,
+  simple configuration.
+
+- Simple and efficient video encoder: outputs MPEG1, H263, Real
+  Video(tm), MPEG4, DIVX and MJPEG compatible bitstreams using the
+  same encoder core.
+
+- Real time encoding (25 fps in 352x288 on a K6 500) using the
+  video4linux API.
+
+- Generates I and P frames, which means it is far better than a MJPEG
+  encoder.
+
+- Hyper fast MPEG audio layer 2 compression (50 times faster than
+  realtime on a K6 500).
+
+- Hyper fast AC3 compatible encoder.
+
+- simple and very small portable C source code, easy to understand and
+  to modify. It be may the smallest decent MPEG encoder :-)
+
+- optional non real time higher quality encoding (different motion
+  estimators available).
+
+- Audio and Video decoders are in development.
+
+ffmpeg is made of two programs:
+
+* ffmpeg: soft VCR which encodes in real time to several formats. It
+  can also encode from any supported input file format to any input
+  supported format.
+
+* ffserver: high performance live broadcast streaming server based on
+  the ffmpeg core encoders.
+
+2) Documentation
+----------------
+
+* Read doc/ffmpeg.txt and doc/ffserver.txt to learn the basic features.
+
+* Read doc/TODO to know what are the know bugs and missing features.
+
+* Read doc/README.dev if you want to contribute or use the codec or
+  format libraries.
+
+3) Licensing:
+------------
+
+* See the file COPYING. ffmpeg and the associated library are licensed
+  under the GNU General Public License. I may change the license of
+  libavcodec and libav to LGPL if many people ask it (and if they
+  submit good patches!).
+
+* This code should be patent free since it is very simple. I took care
+  to use the same video encoder/decoder core for all formats to show
+  that they really ARE THE SAME except for the encoding huffman codes.
+
+Gerard Lantau (glantau@yahoo.fr).