mov allows random codecs

[Elliott]

Summary of the bug:
Using ffmpeg -acodec copy on MTS files from a Sony FS700 camera produces files with an unknown audio codec called HDMV, which won't play in any of my programs. I'm not sure how pcm_bluray is different than standard pcm, but at least the source files play in VLC.
How to reproduce:
Show that source audio track is recognized as pcm_bluray

$ ffprobe 00008.MTS -show_streams -select_streams a
ffprobe version N-57394-gea9632b Copyright (c) 2007-2013 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Oct 24 2013 11:58:12 with Apple LLVM version 5.0 (clang-500.2.79) (based on LLVM 3.3svn)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-static --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libfdk-aac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-opencl --enable-libfreetype --disable-shared --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libvorbis --enable-libtheora
  libavutil      52. 47.101 / 52. 47.101
  libavcodec     55. 38.101 / 55. 38.101
  libavformat    55. 19.104 / 55. 19.104
  libavdevice    55.  5.100 / 55.  5.100
  libavfilter     3. 89.100 /  3. 89.100
  libswscale      2.  5.101 /  2.  5.101
  libswresample   0. 17.104 /  0. 17.104
  libpostproc    52.  3.100 / 52.  3.100
Input #0, mpegts, from '00008.MTS':
  Duration: 00:00:05.55, start: 1.000011, bitrate: 23039 kb/s
  Program 1 
    Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 90k tbn, 47.95 tbc
    Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: pcm_bluray (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 1536 kb/s
    Stream #0:2[0x1200]: Subtitle: hdmv_pgs_subtitle ([144][0][0][0] / 0x0090), 1920x1080
[STREAM]
index=1
codec_name=pcm_bluray
codec_long_name=PCM signed 16|20|24-bit big-endian for Blu-ray media
profile=unknown
codec_type=audio
codec_time_base=1/48000
codec_tag_string=HDMV
codec_tag=0x564d4448
sample_fmt=s16
sample_rate=48000
channels=2
channel_layout=stereo
bits_per_sample=0
id=0x1100
r_frame_rate=0/0
avg_frame_rate=0/0
time_base=1/90000
start_pts=93754
start_time=1.041711
duration_ts=495450
duration=5.505000
bit_rate=1536000
nb_frames=N/A
nb_read_frames=N/A
nb_read_packets=N/A
DISPOSITION:default=0
DISPOSITION:dub=0
DISPOSITION:original=0
DISPOSITION:comment=0
DISPOSITION:lyrics=0
DISPOSITION:karaoke=0
DISPOSITION:forced=0
DISPOSITION:hearing_impaired=0
DISPOSITION:visual_impaired=0
DISPOSITION:clean_effects=0
DISPOSITION:attached_pic=0
[/STREAM]

Rewrap mts to mov without transcoding

$ ffmpeg -i 00008.MTS -acodec copy -vcodec copy 00008.mov
ffmpeg version N-57394-gea9632b Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Oct 24 2013 11:58:12 with Apple LLVM version 5.0 (clang-500.2.79) (based on LLVM 3.3svn)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-static --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libfdk-aac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-opencl --enable-libfreetype --disable-shared --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libvorbis --enable-libtheora
  libavutil      52. 47.101 / 52. 47.101
  libavcodec     55. 38.101 / 55. 38.101
  libavformat    55. 19.104 / 55. 19.104
  libavdevice    55.  5.100 / 55.  5.100
  libavfilter     3. 89.100 /  3. 89.100
  libswscale      2.  5.101 /  2.  5.101
  libswresample   0. 17.104 /  0. 17.104
  libpostproc    52.  3.100 / 52.  3.100
Input #0, mpegts, from '00008.MTS':
  Duration: 00:00:05.55, start: 1.000011, bitrate: 23039 kb/s
  Program 1 
    Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 90k tbn, 47.95 tbc
    Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: pcm_bluray (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 1536 kb/s
    Stream #0:2[0x1200]: Subtitle: hdmv_pgs_subtitle ([144][0][0][0] / 0x0090), 1920x1080
[mov @ 0x7fdc40843200] track 1: codec frame size is not set
Output #0, mov, to '00008.mov':
  Metadata:
    encoder         : Lavf55.19.104
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=2-31, 23.98 fps, 90k tbn, 90k tbc
    Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_bluray (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, stereo, 1536 kb/s
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (copy)
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame=  132 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 Lsize=   14688kB time=00:00:05.55 bitrate=21673.7kbits/s    
video:13646kB audio:1037kB subtitle:0 global headers:0kB muxing overhead 0.030985%

Show that audio stream is unrecognized

$ ffprobe 00008.mov -show_streams -select_streams a
ffprobe version N-57394-gea9632b Copyright (c) 2007-2013 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Oct 24 2013 11:58:12 with Apple LLVM version 5.0 (clang-500.2.79) (based on LLVM 3.3svn)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-static --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libfdk-aac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-opencl --enable-libfreetype --disable-shared --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libvorbis --enable-libtheora
  libavutil      52. 47.101 / 52. 47.101
  libavcodec     55. 38.101 / 55. 38.101
  libavformat    55. 19.104 / 55. 19.104
  libavdevice    55.  5.100 / 55.  5.100
  libavfilter     3. 89.100 /  3. 89.100
  libswscale      2.  5.101 /  2.  5.101
  libswresample   0. 17.104 /  0. 17.104
  libpostproc    52.  3.100 / 52.  3.100
[mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2 @ 0x7fca3b000800] Could not find codec parameters for stream 1 (Audio: none (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, stereo, 1542 kb/s): unknown codec
Consider increasing the value for the 'analyzeduration' and 'probesize' options
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '00008.mov':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : qt  
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: qt  
    encoder         : Lavf55.19.104
  Duration: 00:00:05.51, start: 0.041000, bitrate: 21833 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 20305 kb/s, 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 90k tbn, 47.95 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : DataHandler
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: none (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, stereo, 1542 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : DataHandler
Unsupported codec with id 0 for input stream 1
[STREAM]
index=1
codec_name=unknown
codec_long_name=unknown
profile=unknown
codec_type=audio
codec_time_base=0/1
codec_tag_string=HDMV
codec_tag=0x564d4448
sample_fmt=unknown
sample_rate=48000
channels=2
channel_layout=stereo
bits_per_sample=0
id=N/A
r_frame_rate=0/0
avg_frame_rate=0/0
time_base=1/48000
start_pts=1968
start_time=0.041000
duration_ts=264481
duration=5.510021
bit_rate=1542394
nb_frames=1102
nb_read_frames=N/A
nb_read_packets=N/A
DISPOSITION:default=1
DISPOSITION:dub=0
DISPOSITION:original=0
DISPOSITION:comment=0
DISPOSITION:lyrics=0
DISPOSITION:karaoke=0
DISPOSITION:forced=0
DISPOSITION:hearing_impaired=0
DISPOSITION:visual_impaired=0
DISPOSITION:clean_effects=0
DISPOSITION:attached_pic=0
TAG:language=eng
TAG:handler_name=DataHandler
[/STREAM]

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

(Although I don't know what you mean with "standard pcm", for the sake of this ticket we can assume that pcm_bluray has absolutely nothing to do with it.)

If you try to put random codecs into general purpose containers there is no guarantee that the output file is playable but note that the following works fine here:
$ ffmpeg -acodec pcm_bluray -i 00008.mov

If no other comments follow, I will probably close this ticket.

[Elliott]

The problem is that the source file has a valid audio track, and the output file does not. ffprobe calls it "unknown" and Quicktime calls it "HDMV".

I just noticed using ffmpeg -codecs that pcm_bluray is listed as a decoder only. Does that mean we're incapable of passing it through using -acodec copy? If that's the case, we should probably see an error message when trying.

$ ffmpeg -acodec pcm_bluray -i 00008.mov

I don't understand this command... it doesn't do anything.

I could use -acodec pcm_s16be but that would be slower than a passthrough, and could theoretically degrade the sound a little bit.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Replying to spookybathtub:

The problem is that the source file has a valid audio track, and the output file does not.

Please define "valid".

ffprobe calls it "unknown" and Quicktime calls it "HDMV".

QuickTime cannot detect it because Apple did not define pcm_bluray in mov. I showed how the file can be decoded with FFmpeg.

I just noticed using ffmpeg -codecs that pcm_bluray is listed as a decoder only. Does that mean we're incapable of passing it through using -acodec copy?

No (as you showed, I didn't know).

$ ffmpeg -acodec pcm_bluray -i 00008.mov

I don't understand this command... it doesn't do anything.

It shows you that the file contains a pcm_bluray stream, you can do with it whatever you want (decode it to wav, play it with ffplay, ...)

I could use -acodec pcm_s16be but that would be slower

Did you benchmark? Is it really measurable?

than a passthrough,

(Please use "remuxing".)

and could theoretically degrade the sound a little bit.

Then use pcm_s24be.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

As said I don't think changes regarding this ticket are likely: The user is basically responsible what codec and container he uses -codec copy on.