In March 2011 some of the FFmpeg developers forked the project under the name “Libav”.
Libav is a complete, cross-platform solution to record, convert and stream audio and video. It includes libavcodec – the leading audio/video codec library. One of the components of libav is avconv, a fast open source video and audio converter that can also grab from a live audio/video source. The command-line tool can also convert between arbitrary sample rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
Besides avconv, the libav-tools package offers the avplay multimedia player, the avserver streaming server, and the avprobe stream analyzer. The tooks support most existing file formats (AVI, MPEG, OGG, Matroska, ASF…) and encoding formats (MPEG, DivX, MPEG4, AC3, DV…).
Features include:
- Grabs video and audio.
- Can also grab the X11 display.
- Convert from one audio and video format to another format in real time.
- Streams several formats at several bit rates and resolutions simultaneously.
- Handles thousands of concurrent users.
- Uses the HTTP protocol to be compatible with all major players including Icecast (aka mpg123, xmms, winamp), MTV (to play streaming MPEG video and audio), “Real” compatible players and Windows Media Player.
- Allows time shifting of live streams.
- One instance can stream from multiple live encoding sources and/or multiple static files.
- avprobe tool.
- VorbisComment writing for FLAC, Ogg FLAC and Ogg Speex files.
- Video filters: blackframe, bloxblur, copy, crop, cropdetect, delogo, drawbox, drawtext, fade, fieldorder, fifo, format, frei0r, gradfun, hflip, hqdn3d, lut, lutrgb, lutyuv, negate, null, ocv, overlay, pad, pixdesctest, scale, select, setdar, setpts, setsar, settb, showinfo, slicify, transpose, unsharp, vflip, and yadif.
- Picks the “best” stream of each type present in input files and add them to each output file.
Website: libav.org
Support: GitHub Code Repository
Developer: Libav developers
License: GNU LGPL v2.1 or higher
avconv is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Return to Video | Return to Video Converters
| Popular series | |
|---|---|
 | The largest compilation of the best free and open source software in the universe. Each article is supplied with a legendary ratings chart helping you to make informed decisions. |
 | Hundreds of in-depth reviews offering our unbiased and expert opinion on software. We offer helpful and impartial information. |
 | Replace proprietary software with open source alternatives: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle, Atlassian, Corel, Cisco, Intuit, and SAS. |
 | Awesome Free Linux Games Tools showcases a series of tools that making gaming on Linux a more pleasurable experience. This is a new series. |
 | Machine Learning explores practical applications of machine learning and deep learning from a Linux perspective. We've written reviews of more than 40 self-hosted apps. All are free and open source. |
 | New to Linux? Read our Linux for Starters series. We start right at the basics and teach you everything you need to know to get started with Linux. |
 | Alternatives to popular CLI tools showcases essential tools that are modern replacements for core Linux utilities. |
 | Essential Linux system tools focuses on small, indispensable utilities, useful for system administrators as well as regular users. |
 | Linux utilities to maximise your productivity. Small, indispensable tools, useful for anyone running a Linux machine. |
 | Surveys popular streaming services from a Linux perspective: Amazon Music Unlimited, Myuzi, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal. |
 | Saving Money with Linux looks at how you can reduce your energy bills running Linux. |
 | Home computers became commonplace in the 1980s. Emulate home computers including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX81, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. |
 | Now and Then examines how promising open source software fared over the years. It can be a bumpy ride. |
 | Linux at Home looks at a range of home activities where Linux can play its part, making the most of our time at home, keeping active and engaged. |
 | Linux Candy reveals the lighter side of Linux. Have some fun and escape from the daily drudgery. |
 | Getting Started with Docker helps you master Docker, a set of platform as a service products that delivers software in packages called containers. |
 | Best Free Android Apps. We showcase free Android apps that are definitely worth downloading. There's a strict eligibility criteria for inclusion in this series. |
 | These best free books accelerate your learning of every programming language. Learn a new language today! |
 | These free tutorials offer the perfect tonic to our free programming books series. |
 | Linux Around The World showcases usergroups that are relevant to Linux enthusiasts. Great ways to meet up with fellow enthusiasts. |
 | Stars and Stripes is an occasional series looking at the impact of Linux in the USA. |