bugGNU Octave - Bugs: bug #64382, [MXE Octave] Missing ffmpeg.exe

 
 

bug #64382: [MXE Octave] Missing ffmpeg.exe

Submitter:  Charles Praplan <charprap>
Submitted:  Wed 05 Jul 2023 09:02:50 AM UTC
   
 
Category:  Other Severity:  3 - Normal
Priority:  5 - Normal Item Group:  Feature Request
Status:  Fixed Assigned to:  lostbard
Originator Name:  Charles Praplan Open/Closed:  * Closed
Release:  * 8.1.0 Operating System:  * Microsoft Windows
Fixed Release:  8.3.0 Planned Release:  8.3.0
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Sat 05 Aug 2023 01:39:32 PM UTC, comment #15: 

The ffmpeg.exe will be included again in Octave 8.3.0 when it will be released. So, the original issue is addressed.

The remaining question could also be discussed in bug #64388 or a separate report could be opened.

Closing as fixed.

Markus Mützel <mmuetzel>
Group administrator
Tue 18 Jul 2023 05:08:36 PM UTC, comment #14: 

I might be a bit conservative when it comes to these kinds of things. But we don't even have a test case whether reading mp3 files works in Octave 9 (see bug #64388). So, I'm a bit hesitant to rush that part into Octave 8. (Although this isn't really a change in Octave rather a configuration change in the build rules for one of the dependent libraries. But jwe resurrected the release branch of MXE Octave to keep dot releases as stable as possible. Of course, bugs can always be fixed. And the other change here seemed low risk. After all, Octave doesn't need that executable at all.)

We also don't usually add a teaser to the stable branch when a new feature is added to the default branch.

Markus Mützel <mmuetzel>
Group administrator
Tue 18 Jul 2023 04:30:36 PM UTC, comment #13: 

If I may make a comment...

I understand your argument, but I find that the modification of audioread should be made available as soon as possible.

And about the confusion of being able to read but not to write mp3 files, the error message when attempting to write mp3 files could be modified to something like "This feature will come in Octave 9"

Thank you

Charles Praplan <charprap>
Wed 12 Jul 2023 02:34:10 PM UTC, comment #12: 

Thanks for clarifying.
Since the counterpart (audiowrite) will like ride the train for Octave 9, it's probably not worth (or even confusing for the user) if we pick the audioread part to Octave 8 now.

Please, let me know if you think that we should cherry-pick that change to the release branch of MXE Octave anyway.

Markus Mützel <mmuetzel>
Group administrator
Tue 11 Jul 2023 08:36:33 PM UTC, comment #11: 

That will allow reading of them



See octave bug #64388 for audiowrite

John Donoghue <lostbard>
Group Member
Tue 11 Jul 2023 06:25:04 PM UTC, comment #10: 

Is this the only change that is needed to create .mp3 files with Octave?
https://hg.octave.org/mxe-octave/rev/06d8d561046e

Markus Mützel <mmuetzel>
Group administrator
Tue 11 Jul 2023 05:07:51 PM UTC, comment #9: 

I grafted that change to the release branch of MXE Octave here:
https://hg.octave.org/mxe-octave/rev/f2bcc92273b6

So, it should be part of Octave 8.3.0 when it will be released.

Alternatively, you could use a nightly build from tomorrow or later that you should be able to download from here (in case it builds correctly):
https://buildbot.octave.space/#/download

Markus Mützel <mmuetzel>
Group administrator
Fri 07 Jul 2023 01:59:13 PM UTC, comment #8: 

I also renabled ffmpeg programs in the dev branch

John Donoghue <lostbard>
Group Member
Fri 07 Jul 2023 01:14:04 PM UTC, comment #7: 

I changed the libsndfile dependancies to include lame so that it detects and enables mp3 support and pushed that to the repo

That allows octave to read mp3 file data directly.

Write requires some additional changes in octave posted in bug #64388

John Donoghue <lostbard>
Group Member
Thu 06 Jul 2023 10:27:34 PM UTC, comment #6: 

I don’t remember if this was specifically the reason ffmpeg was removed, but I think there was a small effort a couple years back to reduce the number of bundled executables and libraries, as we kept being false flagged by some anti malware tools. The larger the footprint we keep the larger the risk of headaches like that repeating.  That said, this one appears to serve a purpose and it might make sense to add it back

Nicholas Jankowski <nrjank>
Group Member
Thu 06 Jul 2023 03:57:05 PM UTC, comment #5: 

I would personally appreciate if these files could be kept, at least until mp3 format is supported.

Especially since the size difference is not obvious:

In version 7.3.0, there are 438 exe files for a total size of 319.5 MB.
In version 8.2.0, there are 442 exe files for a total size of 346.0 MB.


Charles Praplan <charprap>
Wed 05 Jul 2023 04:29:26 PM UTC, comment #4: 

on a related topic, newer versions of libsndfile support mp3 - Im not sure what modifications would be needed in octave to support the format (if we choose to)

John Donoghue <lostbard>
Group Member
Wed 05 Jul 2023 04:21:46 PM UTC, comment #3: 

ffmpeg.exe is 288k, some other .exe is xxxk and .....

Add them all together for all packages and its a far bigger number.

In general binaries not required have been removed to limit the installer size

It just happens to be that ffmpeg.exe was a later remove of the executable than many others.

If the common consensus is that we really need ffmpeg.exe then --disable-programs can be removed, which will also add back ffplay.exe and ffprobe.exe


John Donoghue <lostbard>
Group Member
Wed 05 Jul 2023 03:53:57 PM UTC, comment #2: 

I agree, Octave does not need this executable.

However, as the functions audioread, audiowrite etc. do not support mp3 files, this utility is of prime importance.

Concerning the size of the installer:

The size of ffmpeg.exe is only 288kB!
All needed dlls seem to be still present in octave 8.2.0 (I just copied the executable from Octave 7.3.0 into Octave 8.2.0 to be able to use it). This means that the gain is size is only marginal.

So I really don't understand why this change.

Charles Praplan <charprap>
Wed 05 Jul 2023 12:57:46 PM UTC, comment #1: 

IIUC, building that executable was disabled in this changeset:
https://hg.octave.org/mxe-octave/rev/a2d0ea5e6b2b

I don't know why that was done. Possibly to reduce the size of the installer.

CC'ing John as the author of that change: Do you remember why building the FFMPEG programs was disabled?

I wouldn't call this a regression because Octave doesn't need that executable to work correctly. It's "just" a tool that "happened" to be bundled in the past. But it no longer is currently.

Markus Mützel <mmuetzel>
Group administrator
Wed 05 Jul 2023 09:02:50 AM UTC, original submission:  

I was using ffmpeg.exe (located in mingw64\bin\) to read mp3 files.

However, this executable is no more included in version 8.1.0 and 8.2.0 but was included in version 7.3.0.

Why?

Charles Praplan <charprap>

 

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    Follow 10 latest changes.

    Date Changed by Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced by
    2023-08-05 mmuetzel StatusReady For Test Fixed
        Open/ClosedOpen Closed
    2023-07-11 mmuetzel Fixed ReleaseNone 8.3.0
        Planned ReleaseNone 8.3.0
    2023-07-11 lostbard StatusNone Ready For Test
        Assigned toNone lostbard
    2023-07-05 mmuetzel CategoryNone Other
        Item GroupRegression Feature Request
        SummaryMissing ffmpeg.exe [MXE Octave] Missing ffmpeg.exe
        Carbon-Copy- Added lostbard

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