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  • Appending a list of movies MP4s causes the sound to be dropped or garbled at some point

    9 février 2020, par Marie

    Update I am able to reproduce the issue by concatenating 10 Hello.mp4 clips and see the audio drop out/garbled at about 5 seconds playback. This is via VLC latest 3.0.8 on Windows7 64bit. Window Player zero sound. Media Player Classic it plays fine all 10 audio or the word "Hello". The same movie when dragged onto Whatsapp the PC app plays OK but no sound if played from the Phone Whatsapp. Perhaps its my computer too slow in the production of this clip ??? I don’t know what to trust anymore.

    I copied the same ffmpeg.exe onto my kid’s Windows10 laptop and was able to produce the same behavior with sound dropping out with VLC however Windows10 media player is able to play the audio without a glitch.

    You can reproduce the same on your end with this batch file

    _HELLO_MP4s.CMD

    rem 2:07 AM 2/8/2020
    rem
    rem  
    SET EXE="S:\_BINS\FFmpeg 4.2.1 20200112\bin\ffmpeg.exe"

    SET ROOTPATH=.\

    SET OUT_FILE="%ROOTPATH%HELLOs.MP4"

    SET IN_FILES_LIST="%ROOTPATH%IN_FILES_LIST.TXT"
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' > %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%
    ECHO file '%ROOTPATH%HELLO.mp4' >> %IN_FILES_LIST%

    SET OPTIONS= -f concat -safe 0 -i  %IN_FILES_LIST%  -c copy -y  %OUT_FILE%

    SET INFO_FILE="INFO.TXT"

    %EXE% %OPTIONS%  1> %INFO_FILE% 2>&1

    ECHO ======================== >> %INFO_FILE%
    ECHO OUT_FILE=%OUT_FILE%  >> %INFO_FILE%
    ECHO EXE=%EXE%  >> %INFO_FILE%
    ECHO OPTIONS=%OPTIONS%  >> %INFO_FILE%
    ECHO ======================== >> %INFO_FILE%

    Original Post
    My process is in 3 steps
    Step 1) Corresponding to each bitmap I have 00.JPG ... NN.JPG I combine a list of "SOURCE" mp3 audio into a single audio mp3 to produce matching 00.MP3 ... NN.MP3

    I had glitch here where one my mp3 was not of the correct Sample Rate, however a kind soul in this forum helped me fix that.
    You can read the details here :

    When I append a silent audio (mp3) to an existing list of audio it garbles the final audio ?

    Step 2) combine each mp3 from previous with a the filename matching bitmap to produce a movie .MP4

    IOW,

    • 00.JPG + 00.MP3 >> 00.MP4
    • 01.JPG + 01.MP3 >> 01.MP4
    • and so on

    From this run of 24 subparts, I hand tested some of these movies against Whatsapp and they are accepted fine.
    However, the final MOVIE.MP4 is not.
    I will list below their info from ffprobe.

    Step 3) combine the list of movies from previous into a final MOVIE.MP4
    This is where I have been having random issues typically with audio, currently this audio drops at about 20s from start. Corresponding to roughly movies parts 04.mp4 to 07.mp4

    I play the videos via VLC but Windows Media Player has even worse playback.

    I am able to reproduce Step3 and thus MOVIE.MP4 with following batch file

    rem 10:33 PM 2/6/2020
    SET EXE="S:\_BINS\FFmpeg 4.2.1 20200112\bin\ffmpeg.exe"

    SET ROOTPATH=.\

    SET OUT_FILE="%ROOTPATH%MOVIE.MP4"

    SET IN_FILES_LIST="%ROOTPATH%IN_FILES_LIST.TXT"

    SET OPTIONS= -f concat -safe 0 -i  %IN_FILES_LIST%  -c copy -y  %OUT_FILE%

    SET INFO_FILE="INFO.TXT"

    %EXE% %OPTIONS%  1> %INFO_FILE% 2>&1

    rem PAUSE

    The content of IN_FILES_LIST.TXT

    file '00.mp4'
    file '01.mp4'
    file '02.mp4'
    ...
    file '23.mp4'
    file '24.mp4'

    (Step 2) uses the following :)
    enter image description here

    The following is ffprobe on the source audio MP3s (Step 1)

    MP3s_ORIGINAL.TXT
    ========================BEGIN
    [mp3 @ 0000000000513100] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\00.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:03.36, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 00000000003f3180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\01.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.46, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 00000000004a3180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\02.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.58, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000623180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\03.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.84, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 00000000003a3180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\04.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.86, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000433180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\05.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000683180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\06.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 00000000004d3180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\07.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 00000000004c3180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\08.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000573180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\09.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000583180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\10.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 00000000005e3180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\11.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000553180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
    Input #0, mp3, from '.\PLAY\12.mp3':
     Duration: 00:00:00.98, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    [mp3 @ 0000000000563180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate


    trimmed because SO limits post to 30000 chars

    The following is ffprobe on the MP3s concatenated with 2second Silence. All their Sample Rate 24K and Bit Rate 32k seems OK ?? (Also Step 1)

    MP3s_withSilenceAppended.TXT
    ========================BEGIN
    Input #0, mp3, from '00.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:05.42, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '01.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.52, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '02.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.64, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '03.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.90, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '04.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.93, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '05.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '06.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '07.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '08.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '09.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '10.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '11.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '12.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '13.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:05.81, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '14.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.93, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '15.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.66, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '16.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.66, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '17.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.66, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '18.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.83, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '19.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:06.50, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '20.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '21.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.05, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '22.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.14, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '23.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:06.12, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s
    Input #0, mp3, from '24.mp3':
     Metadata:
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.14, start: 0.046042, bitrate: 32 kb/s
       Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s

    The following is ffmpeg info output during the production of final movie MOVIE.MP4
    (Step 3)

    ========================BEGIN
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\00.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:05.54, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 174 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 137 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\01.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.71, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 269 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 242 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\02.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.71, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 285 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 245 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\03.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.04, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 275 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 239 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\04.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.04, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 286 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 250 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\05.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 281 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 249 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\06.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 281 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 249 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\07.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 150 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 115 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\08.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 201 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 166 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\09.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 247 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 214 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\10.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 247 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 214 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\11.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 131 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 95 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\12.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 194 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 159 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\13.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:05.88, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 207 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 169 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\14.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.04, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 335 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 300 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\15.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.88, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 365 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 342 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\16.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.88, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 384 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 362 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\17.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:02.88, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 390 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 368 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\18.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.04, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 386 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 363 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\19.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:06.71, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 204 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 169 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\20.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 194 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 159 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\21.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 194 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 159 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\22.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 208 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 169 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\23.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:06.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 204 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 166 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\24.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:00:03.21, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 173 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 134 kb/s, 24 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler
    Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\VID\MOVIE.mp4':
     Metadata:
       major_brand     : isom
       minor_version   : 512
       compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
       encoder         : Lavf58.35.101
     Duration: 00:01:29.05, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 239 kb/s
       Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 203 kb/s, 23.53 fps, 24 tbr, 24k tbn, 48 tbc (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : VideoHandler
       Stream #0:1(und): Audio: mp3 (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 24000 Hz, mono, fltp, 30 kb/s (default)
       Metadata:
         handler_name    : SoundHandler

    I have not been able yet to reproduce the issue with a smaller set of movies, in the meantime if you would to get a copy I would have to upload an archive to a link so you can have them on your side.

    Alternatively, if you would like me to provide additional info from these steps let me know what commands and I will be happy to provide.

    Thank you.

  • Saying Goodbye To Old Machines

    1er décembre 2014, par Multimedia Mike — General, powerpc, via

    I recently sent a few old machines off for recycling. Both had relevance to the early days of the FATE testing effort. As is my custom, I photographed them (poorly, of course).

    First, there’s the PowerPC-based Mac Mini I procured thanks to a Craigslist ad in late 2006. I had plans to develop automated FFmpeg building and testing and was already looking ahead toward testing multiple CPU architectures. Again, this was 2006 and PowerPC wasn’t completely on the outs yet– although Apple’s MacTel transition was in full swing, the entire new generation of video game consoles was based on PowerPC.


    PPC Mac Mini pieces

    Click for larger image


    I remember trying to find a Mac Mini PPC on Craigslist. Many were to be found, but all asked more than the price of even a new Mac Mini Intel, always because the seller was leaving all of last year’s applications and perhaps including a monitor, neither of which I needed. Fortunately, I found this bare Mac Mini. Also fortunate was the fact that it was far easier to install Linux on it than the first PowerPC machine I owned.

    After FATE operation transitioned away from me, I still kept the machine in service as an edge server and automated backup machine. That is, until the hard drive failed on reboot one day. Thus, when it was finally time to recycle the computer, I felt it necessary to disassemble the machine and remove the hard drive for possible salvage and then for destruction.

    If you’ve ever attempted to upgrade or otherwise service this style of Mac Mini, you will no doubt recognize the pictured paint scraper tool as standard kit. I have had that tool since I first endeavored to upgrade the RAM to 1 GB from the standard 1/2 GB. Performing such activities on a Mac Mini is tedious, but only if you care about putting it back together afterwards.

    The next machine is a bit older. I put it together nearly a decade ago, early in 2005. This machine’s original duty was “download agent”– this would be more specifically called a BitTorrent machine in modern tech parlance. Back then, I placed it on someone else’s woefully underutilized home broadband connection (with their permission, of course) when I was too cheap to upgrade from dialup.


    VIA small form factor front

    Click for larger image


    This is a small form factor system from VIA that was clearly designed with home theater PC (HTPC) use cases in mind. It has a VIA C3 x86-compatible CPU (according to my notes, Centaur VIA Samuel 2 stepping 03, flags : fpu de tsc msr cx8 mtrr pge mmx 3dnow) and 128 MB of RAM (initially ; I upgraded it to 512 MB some years later, just for the sake of doing it). And then there was the 120 GB PATA HD for all that downloaded goodness.


    VIA machine small form factor inside

    Click for larger image


    I have specific memories of a time when my main computer at home wasn’t working correctly for one reason or another. Instead, I logged into this machine remotely via SSH to make several optimizations and fixes on FFmpeg’s VP3/Theora video decoder, all from the terminal, without being able to see the decoded images with my own eyes (which is why I insist that even blind people could work on video codecs).

    By the time I got my own broadband, I had become inspired to attempt the automated build and test system for FFmpeg. This was the machine I used for prototyping early brainstorms of FATE. By the time I put a basic build/test system into place in early 2008, I had much faster computers that could build and test the project– obvious limitation of this machine is that it could take at least 1/2 hour to build the entire codebase, and that was the project from 8 years ago.

    So the machine got stuffed in a closet somewhere along the line. The next time I pulled it out was in 2010 when I wanted to toy with Dreamcast programming once more (the machine appears in one of the photos in this post). This was the only machine I still owned which still had an RS-232 serial port (I didn’t know much about USB serial converters yet), plus it still had a bunch of pre-compiled DC homebrew binaries (I was having trouble getting the toolchain to work right).

    The next time I dusted off this machine was late last year when I was trying some experiments with the Microsoft Xbox’s IDE drive (a photo in that post also shows the machine ; this thing shows up a lot on this blog). The VIA machine was the only machine I still owned which had 40-pin IDE connectors which was crucial to my experiment.

    At this point, I was trying to make the machine more useful which meant replacing the ancient Gentoo Linux distribution as well as simply interacting with it via a keyboard and mouse. I have a long Evernote entry documenting a comedy of errors revolving around this little box. The interaction troubles were due to the fact that I didn’t have any PS/2 keyboards left and I couldn’t make a USB keyboard work with it. Diego was able to explain that I needed to flip a bit in the BIOS to address this which worked. As for upgrading the OS, I tried numerous Linux distributions large and small, mostly focusing on the small. None worked. I eventually learned that, while I was trying to use i686 distributions, this machine did not actually qualify as an i686 CPU ; installations usually booted but failed because the default kernel required the cmov instruction. I was advised to try i386 distros instead. My notes don’t indicate whether I had any luck on this front before I gave up and moved on.

    I just made the connection that this VIA machine has two 40-pin IDE connectors which means that the thing was technically capable of supporting up to 4 IDE devices. Obviously, the computer couldn’t really accommodate that in terms of space or power. When I wanted to try installing a new OS, I needed take off the top and connect a rather bulky IDE CD-ROM drive. This computer’s casing was supposed to be able to support a slimline optical drive (perhaps like the type found in laptops), but I could never quite visualize how that was supposed to work, space-wise. When I disassembled the PowerPC Mac Mini, I realized I might be able to repurpose that machines optical drive for this computer. Obviously, I thought better of trying since both machines are off to the recycle pile.

    I would still like to work on the Xbox project a bit more, but I procured a different, unused, much more powerful yet still old computer that has a motherboard with 1 PATA connector in addition to 6 SATA connectors. If I ever get around to toying with Linux kernel development, this should be a much more appropriate platform to use.

    I thought about turning this machine into an old Windows XP (and lower, down to Windows 3.1) gaming platform ; the capabilities of the machine would probably be perfect for a huge portion of my Windows game collection. But I think the lack of an optical drive renders this idea intractable. External USB drives are likely out of the question since there is very little chance that this motherboard featured USB 2.0 (the specs don’t mention 2.0, so the USB ports are probably 1.1).

    So it is with fond memories that I send off both machines, sans hard drives, to the recycle pile. I’m still deciding on an appropriate course of action for failed hard drives, though.

  • Saying Goodbye To Old Machines

    1er décembre 2014, par Multimedia Mike — General, powerpc, via

    I recently sent a few old machines off for recycling. Both had relevance to the early days of the FATE testing effort. As is my custom, I photographed them (poorly, of course).

    First, there’s the PowerPC-based Mac Mini I procured thanks to a Craigslist ad in late 2006. I had plans to develop automated FFmpeg building and testing and was already looking ahead toward testing multiple CPU architectures. Again, this was 2006 and PowerPC wasn’t completely on the outs yet– although Apple’s MacTel transition was in full swing, the entire new generation of video game consoles was based on PowerPC.


    PPC Mac Mini pieces

    Click for larger image


    I remember trying to find a Mac Mini PPC on Craigslist. Many were to be found, but all asked more than the price of even a new Mac Mini Intel, always because the seller was leaving all of last year’s applications and perhaps including a monitor, neither of which I needed. Fortunately, I found this bare Mac Mini. Also fortunate was the fact that it was far easier to install Linux on it than the first PowerPC machine I owned.

    After FATE operation transitioned away from me, I still kept the machine in service as an edge server and automated backup machine. That is, until the hard drive failed on reboot one day. Thus, when it was finally time to recycle the computer, I felt it necessary to disassemble the machine and remove the hard drive for possible salvage and then for destruction.

    If you’ve ever attempted to upgrade or otherwise service this style of Mac Mini, you will no doubt recognize the pictured paint scraper tool as standard kit. I have had that tool since I first endeavored to upgrade the RAM to 1 GB from the standard 1/2 GB. Performing such activities on a Mac Mini is tedious, but only if you care about putting it back together afterwards.

    The next machine is a bit older. I put it together nearly a decade ago, early in 2005. This machine’s original duty was “download agent”– this would be more specifically called a BitTorrent machine in modern tech parlance. Back then, I placed it on someone else’s woefully underutilized home broadband connection (with their permission, of course) when I was too cheap to upgrade from dialup.


    VIA small form factor front

    Click for larger image


    This is a small form factor system from VIA that was clearly designed with home theater PC (HTPC) use cases in mind. It has a VIA C3 x86-compatible CPU (according to my notes, Centaur VIA Samuel 2 stepping 03, flags : fpu de tsc msr cx8 mtrr pge mmx 3dnow) and 128 MB of RAM (initially ; I upgraded it to 512 MB some years later, just for the sake of doing it). And then there was the 120 GB PATA HD for all that downloaded goodness.


    VIA machine small form factor inside

    Click for larger image


    I have specific memories of a time when my main computer at home wasn’t working correctly for one reason or another. Instead, I logged into this machine remotely via SSH to make several optimizations and fixes on FFmpeg’s VP3/Theora video decoder, all from the terminal, without being able to see the decoded images with my own eyes (which is why I insist that even blind people could work on video codecs).

    By the time I got my own broadband, I had become inspired to attempt the automated build and test system for FFmpeg. This was the machine I used for prototyping early brainstorms of FATE. By the time I put a basic build/test system into place in early 2008, I had much faster computers that could build and test the project– obvious limitation of this machine is that it could take at least 1/2 hour to build the entire codebase, and that was the project from 8 years ago.

    So the machine got stuffed in a closet somewhere along the line. The next time I pulled it out was in 2010 when I wanted to toy with Dreamcast programming once more (the machine appears in one of the photos in this post). This was the only machine I still owned which still had an RS-232 serial port (I didn’t know much about USB serial converters yet), plus it still had a bunch of pre-compiled DC homebrew binaries (I was having trouble getting the toolchain to work right).

    The next time I dusted off this machine was late last year when I was trying some experiments with the Microsoft Xbox’s IDE drive (a photo in that post also shows the machine ; this thing shows up a lot on this blog). The VIA machine was the only machine I still owned which had 40-pin IDE connectors which was crucial to my experiment.

    At this point, I was trying to make the machine more useful which meant replacing the ancient Gentoo Linux distribution as well as simply interacting with it via a keyboard and mouse. I have a long Evernote entry documenting a comedy of errors revolving around this little box. The interaction troubles were due to the fact that I didn’t have any PS/2 keyboards left and I couldn’t make a USB keyboard work with it. Diego was able to explain that I needed to flip a bit in the BIOS to address this which worked. As for upgrading the OS, I tried numerous Linux distributions large and small, mostly focusing on the small. None worked. I eventually learned that, while I was trying to use i686 distributions, this machine did not actually qualify as an i686 CPU ; installations usually booted but failed because the default kernel required the cmov instruction. I was advised to try i386 distros instead. My notes don’t indicate whether I had any luck on this front before I gave up and moved on.

    I just made the connection that this VIA machine has two 40-pin IDE connectors which means that the thing was technically capable of supporting up to 4 IDE devices. Obviously, the computer couldn’t really accommodate that in terms of space or power. When I wanted to try installing a new OS, I needed take off the top and connect a rather bulky IDE CD-ROM drive. This computer’s casing was supposed to be able to support a slimline optical drive (perhaps like the type found in laptops), but I could never quite visualize how that was supposed to work, space-wise. When I disassembled the PowerPC Mac Mini, I realized I might be able to repurpose that machines optical drive for this computer. Obviously, I thought better of trying since both machines are off to the recycle pile.

    I would still like to work on the Xbox project a bit more, but I procured a different, unused, much more powerful yet still old computer that has a motherboard with 1 PATA connector in addition to 6 SATA connectors. If I ever get around to toying with Linux kernel development, this should be a much more appropriate platform to use.

    I thought about turning this machine into an old Windows XP (and lower, down to Windows 3.1) gaming platform ; the capabilities of the machine would probably be perfect for a huge portion of my Windows game collection. But I think the lack of an optical drive renders this idea intractable. External USB drives are likely out of the question since there is very little chance that this motherboard featured USB 2.0 (the specs don’t mention 2.0, so the USB ports are probably 1.1).

    So it is with fond memories that I send off both machines, sans hard drives, to the recycle pile. I’m still deciding on an appropriate course of action for failed hard drives, though.