FFmpeg plugin for Media Communications Mesh

Build

Prerequisites

Install dependencies and build Media Communications Mesh as described in the top level README.md, paragraph “Basic Installation”.

Build flow

1. Clone the FFmpeg repository (Release 7.0 by default) and apply patches

   ./clone-and-patch-ffmpeg.sh
   

Note: For FFmpeg Release 6.1, replace 7.0 with 6.1 in the above cloning script

2. Run the FFmpeg configuration tool

   ./configure-ffmpeg.sh
   

3. Build and install FFmpeg with the Media Communications Mesh FFmpeg plugin

   ./build-ffmpeg.sh
   

Connection configuration

The next arguments are supported to configure a connection to Media Communications Mesh

Argument	Type	Description	Default
conn_type	String	Connection type ("multipoint-group" or "st2110")	"multipoint-group"
urn	String	Multipoint group URN	"192.168.97.1"
ip_addr	String	SMPTE ST2110 remote IP address	"192.168.96.1"
port	String	SMPTE ST2110 remote port (Transmitter), or local port (Receiver)	9001
transport	String	SMPTE ST2110 transport type ("st2110-20", "st2110-22", "st2110-30", etc.)	"st2110-20"
socket_name	String	Memif socket name	-
interface_id	Integer	Memif interface id	0

Video configuration

The next arguments are supported to configure a video transmission

Argument	Type	Description	Default
video_size	String	Video frame size ("640x480", "hd720", etc.)	"1920x1080"
pixel_format	String	Video pixel format	"yuv422p10le"
frame_rate	String	Video frame rate (25, 50, 60, etc.)	25

Example – Run video transmission

This example demonstrates sending a video file from the 1st FFmpeg instance to the 2nd FFmpeg instance via Media Communications Mesh, then streaming it to a remote machine via UDP.

NIC setup

TBD

Receiver side setup

1. Start Media Proxy

   sudo media_proxy -d 0000:32:01.1 -i 192.168.96.11 -r 192.168.97.11 -p 9200-9299 -t 8002
   

2. Start FFmpeg to receive frames from Media Communications Mesh and stream to a remote machine via UDP

   sudo MCM_MEDIA_PROXY_PORT=8002 ffmpeg -re -f mcm \
      -conn_type st2110 \
      -transport st2110-20 \
      -ip_addr 192.168.96.10 \
      -port 9001 \
      -frame_rate 24 \
      -video_size nhd \
      -pixel_format yuv422p10le \
      -i - -vcodec mpeg4 -f mpegts udp://<remote-ip>:<remote-port>
   

Sender side setup

1. Start Media Proxy

   sudo media_proxy -d 0000:32:01.0 -i 192.168.96.10 -r 192.168.97.10 -p 9100-9199 -t 8001
   

2. Start FFmpeg to stream a video file to the receiver via Media Communications Mesh

   sudo MCM_MEDIA_PROXY_PORT=8001 ffmpeg -i <video-file-path> -f mcm \
      -conn_type st2110 \
      -transport st2110-20 \
      -ip_addr 192.168.96.11 \
      -port 9001 \
      -frame_rate 24 \
      -video_size nhd \
      -pixel_format yuv422p10le -
   

   When working with raw video files that lack metadata, you must explicitly provide FFmpeg with the necessary video frame details. This includes specifying the format -f rawvideo, pixel format -pix_fmt, and resolution -s WxH. For example:

   ffmpeg -f rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv422p10le -s 1920x1080 -i <video-file-path> ...
   

VLC player setup

On the remote machine start the VLC player and open a network stream from the next URL:

udp://@:1234

Audio configuration

The table below shows a proper way to configure the sender and the receiver depending on the audio PCM encoding format

Audio encoding	Sender configuration	Receiver configuration
PCM 16-bit	Output device mcm_audio_pcm16	Input device mcm_audio_pcm16
PCM 24-bit	Output device mcm_audio_pcm24	Input device mcm_audio_pcm24

The next arguments are supported to configure an audio transmission

Argument	Type	Description	Default
channels	Integer	Number of audio channels (1, 2, etc.)	2
sample_rate	Integer	Audio sample rate (48000 or 96000)	48000
ptime	String	Audio packet time according to ST2110-30 (the only option is "1ms")	"1ms"

Example – Run audio transmission, PCM 24-bit

This example demonstrates sending a PCM 24-bit encoded audio file from the 1st FFmpeg instance to the 2nd FFmpeg instance via Media Communications Mesh.

NIC setup

TBD

Receiver side setup

1. Start Media Proxy

   sudo media_proxy -d 0000:32:01.1 -i 192.168.96.11 -r 192.168.97.11 -p 9200-9299 -t 8002
   

2. Start FFmpeg to receive packets from Media Communications Mesh and store on the disk

   sudo MCM_MEDIA_PROXY_PORT=8002 ffmpeg -re -f mcm_audio_pcm24 \
      -conn_type st2110 \
      -ip_addr 192.168.96.10 \
      -port 9001 \
      -channels 2 \
      -sample_rate 48000 \
      -ptime 1ms \
      -i - output.wav
   

Sender side setup

1. Start Media Proxy

   sudo media_proxy -d 0000:32:01.0 -i 192.168.96.10 -r 192.168.97.10 -p 9100-9199 -t 8001
   

2. Start FFmpeg to stream an audio file to the receiver via Media Communications Mesh

   sudo MCM_MEDIA_PROXY_PORT=8001 ffmpeg -i <audio-file-path> -f mcm_audio_pcm24 \
      -conn_type st2110 \
      -ip_addr 192.168.96.11 \
      -port 9001 \
      -channels 2 \
      -sample_rate 48000 \
      -ptime 1ms -
   

Known Issues

Shared libraries error

FFmpeg build was successful but trying to run ffmpeg results in shared libraries error:

root@my-machine:~# ffmpeg

ffmpeg: error while loading shared libraries: libavfilter.so.9: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Resolution: Try running ffmpeg or exporting the LD_LIBRARY_PATH in your shell session by pointing to the /usr/local/lib folder. Examples:

root@my-machine:~# LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib ffmpeg

ffmpeg version n6.1.1-152-ge821e6c21d Copyright (c) 2000-2023 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 11 (Ubuntu 11.4.0-1ubuntu1~22.04)

Using export:

root@my-machine:~# export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib
root@my-machine:~# ffmpeg

ffmpeg version n6.1.1-152-ge821e6c21d Copyright (c) 2000-2023 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 11 (Ubuntu 11.4.0-1ubuntu1~22.04)