Concat demuxer shifts video stream start time

[Yuanjing Zhao]

Summary of the bug:

After a single mp4 video containing video and audio streams both with start_time=0 and start_pts=0 is processed by concat demuxer with -c copy option, video stream start_time and start_pts are no longer zero.

This causes the processed video, when opened with QuickTime player on Mac, to initially display a blank frame, although the rest of the video plays normally.

Ffmpeg version used:

ffmpeg version 4.3.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2020 the FFmpeg developers
built with Apple clang version 11.0.3 (clang-1103.0.32.62)
configuration: --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/4.3.1 --enable-shared --enable-pthreads --enable-version3 --enable-avresample --cc=clang --host-cflags= --host-ldflags= --enable-ffplay --enable-gnutls --enable-gpl --enable-libaom --enable-libbluray --enable-libdav1d --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopus --enable-librav1e --enable-librubberband --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsrt --enable-libtesseract --enable-libtheora --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libxvid --enable-lzma --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libfreetype --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librtmp --enable-libspeex --enable-libsoxr --enable-videotoolbox --disable-libjack --disable-indev=jack
libavutil      56. 51.100 / 56. 51.100
libavcodec     58. 91.100 / 58. 91.100
libavformat    58. 45.100 / 58. 45.100
libavdevice    58. 10.100 / 58. 10.100
libavfilter     7. 85.100 /  7. 85.100
libavresample   4.  0.  0 /  4.  0.  0
libswscale      5.  7.100 /  5.  7.100
libswresample   3.  7.100 /  3.  7.100
libpostproc    55.  7.100 / 55.  7.100

Ffprobe version used:

ffprobe version 4.3.1 Copyright (c) 2007-2020 the FFmpeg developers
built with Apple clang version 11.0.3 (clang-1103.0.32.62)
configuration: --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/4.3.1 --enable-shared --enable-pthreads --enable-version3 --enable-avresample --cc=clang --host-cflags= --host-ldflags= --enable-ffplay --enable-gnutls --enable-gpl --enable-libaom --enable-libbluray --enable-libdav1d --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopus --enable-librav1e --enable-librubberband --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsrt --enable-libtesseract --enable-libtheora --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libxvid --enable-lzma --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libfreetype --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librtmp --enable-libspeex --enable-libsoxr --enable-videotoolbox --disable-libjack --disable-indev=jack
libavutil      56. 51.100 / 56. 51.100
libavcodec     58. 91.100 / 58. 91.100
libavformat    58. 45.100 / 58. 45.100
libavdevice    58. 10.100 / 58. 10.100
libavfilter     7. 85.100 /  7. 85.100
libavresample   4.  0.  0 /  4.  0.  0
libswscale      5.  7.100 /  5.  7.100
libswresample   3.  7.100 /  3.  7.100
libpostproc    55.  7.100 / 55.  7.100

How to reproduce:

Given video before.mp4 containing video and audio streams both with start_time=0 and start_pts=0.

Given concat demuxer input file concat.txt with contents:

file before.mp4

Run command ffmpeg -f concat -i concat.txt -c copy concat.mp4

Run command ffprobe concat.mp4 -show_streams and observe that video stream start_time and start_pts are no longer zero.

[Yuanjing Zhao]

mp4 file prior to being processed by concat demuxer

[Yuanjing Zhao]

mp4 file after being processed by concat demuxer

[Yuanjing Zhao]

input file to concat demuxer

[Yuanjing Zhao]

ffprobe -show_streams output for before.mp4

[Yuanjing Zhao]

ffprobe -show_streams output for concat.mp4

[Yuanjing Zhao]

what's seen upon opening before.mp4 (left) and concat.mp4 (right) in QuickTime player on Mac

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Please test current FFmpeg git head to make this a valid ticket.