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- \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
- @documentencoding UTF-8
- @settitle FFmpeg Mailing List FAQ
- @titlepage
- @center @titlefont{FFmpeg Mailing List FAQ}
- @end titlepage
- @top
- @contents
- @chapter General Questions
- @section What is a mailing list?
- A mailing list is not much different than emailing someone, but the
- main difference is that your message is received by everyone who
- subscribes to the list. It is somewhat like a forum but in email form.
- See the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user archives}
- for examples.
- @section What type of questions can I ask?
- @itemize
- @item
- @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user}:
- For questions involving unscripted usage or compilation of the FFmpeg
- command-line tools (@command{ffmpeg}, @command{ffprobe}, @command{ffplay}).
- @item
- @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-user/, libav-user}:
- For questions involving the FFmpeg libav* libraries (libavcodec,
- libavformat, libavfilter, etc).
- @item
- @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-devel/, ffmpeg-devel}:
- For discussions involving the development of FFmpeg and for submitting
- patches. User questions should be asked at ffmpeg-user or libav-user.
- @end itemize
- To report a bug see @url{https://ffmpeg.org/bugreports.html}.
- We cannot provide help for scripts and/or third-party tools.
- @anchor{How do I ask a question or send a message to a mailing list?}
- @section How do I ask a question or send a message to a mailing list?
- First you must @ref{How do I subscribe?, subscribe}. Then all you have to do is
- send an email:
- @itemize
- @item
- Email @email{ffmpeg-user@@ffmpeg.org} to send a message to the
- ffmpeg-user mailing list.
- @item
- Email @email{libav-user@@ffmpeg.org} to send a message to the
- libav-user mailing list.
- @item
- Email @email{ffmpeg-devel@@ffmpeg.org} to send a message to the
- ffmpeg-devel mailing list.
- @end itemize
- @chapter Subscribing / Unsubscribing
- @anchor{How do I subscribe?}
- @section How do I subscribe?
- Email @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org} with the subject
- @emph{subscribe}.
- Or visit the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user mailing list info page}
- and refer to the @emph{Subscribing to ffmpeg-user} section.
- The process is the same for the other mailing lists.
- @section How do I unsubscribe?
- Email @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org} with subject @emph{unsubscribe}.
- Or visit the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user mailing list info page},
- scroll to bottom of page, enter your email address in the box, and click
- the @emph{Unsubscribe or edit options} button.
- The process is the same for the other mailing lists.
- Please avoid asking a mailing list admin to unsubscribe you unless you
- are absolutely unable to do so by yourself. See @ref{Who do I contact if I have a problem with the mailing list?}
- Note that it is possible to temporarily halt message delivery (vacation mode).
- See @ref{How do I disable mail delivery without unsubscribing?}
- @chapter Moderation Queue
- @anchor{Why is my message awaiting moderator approval?}
- @section Why is my message awaiting moderator approval?
- Some messages are automatically held in the @emph{moderation queue} and
- must be manually approved by a mailing list admin:
- These are:
- @itemize
- @item
- Messages that exceed the @ref{What is the message size limit?, message size limit}.
- @item
- Messages from users whose accounts have been set with the @emph{moderation flag}
- (very rarely occurs, but may if a user repeatedly ignores the rules
- or is abusive towards others).
- @end itemize
- @section How long does it take for my message in the moderation queue to be approved?
- The queue is not checked on a regular basis. You can ask on the
- @t{#ffmpeg-devel} IRC channel on Libera Chat for someone to approve your message.
- @anchor{How do I delete my message in the moderation queue?}
- @section How do I delete my message in the moderation queue?
- You should have received an email with the subject @emph{Your message to <mailing list name> awaits moderator approval}.
- A link is in the message that will allow you to delete your message
- unless a mailing list admin already approved or rejected it.
- @chapter Archives
- @anchor{Where are the archives?}
- @section Where are the archives?
- See the @emph{Archives} section on the @url{https://ffmpeg.org/contact.html, FFmpeg Contact}
- page for links to all FFmpeg mailing list archives.
- Note that the archives are split by month. Discussions that span
- several months will be split into separate months in the archives.
- @section How do I reply to a message in the archives?
- Click the email link at the top of the message just under the subject
- title. The link will provide the proper headers to keep the message
- within the thread.
- Note that you must be subscribed to send a message to the ffmpeg-user or
- libav-user mailing lists.
- @section How do I search the archives?
- Perform a site search using your favorite search engine. Example:
- @t{site:lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/ "search term"}
- @chapter Other
- @section Is there an alternative to the mailing list?
- You can ask for help in the official @t{#ffmpeg} IRC channel on Libera Chat.
- Some users prefer the third-party @url{http://www.ffmpeg-archive.org/, Nabble}
- interface which presents the mailing lists in a typical forum layout.
- There are also numerous third-party help sites such as
- @url{https://superuser.com/tags/ffmpeg, Super User} and
- @url{https://www.reddit.com/r/ffmpeg/, r/ffmpeg on reddit}.
- @anchor{What is top-posting?}
- @section What is top-posting?
- See @url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting}.
- Instead, use trimmed interleaved/inline replies (@url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/2017-April/035849.html, example}).
- @anchor{What is the message size limit?}
- @section What is the message size limit?
- The message size limit is 1000 kilobytes. Please provide links to larger files
- instead of attaching them.
- @section Where can I upload sample files?
- Anywhere that is not too annoying for us to use.
- Google Drive and Dropbox are acceptable if you need a file host, and
- @url{https://0x0.st/, 0x0.st} is good for files under 256 MiB.
- Small, short samples are preferred if possible.
- @section Will I receive spam if I send and/or subscribe to a mailing list?
- Highly unlikely.
- @itemize
- @item
- The list of subscribed users is not public.
- @item
- Email addresses in the archives are obfuscated.
- @item
- Several unique test email accounts were utilized and none have yet
- received any spam.
- @end itemize
- However, you may see a spam in the mailing lists on rare occasions:
- @itemize
- @item
- Spam in the moderation queue may be accidentally approved due to human
- error.
- @item
- There have been a few messages from subscribed users who had their own
- email addresses hacked and spam messages from (or appearing to be from)
- the hacked account were sent to their contacts (a mailing list being a
- contact in these cases).
- @item
- If you are subscribed to the bug tracker mailing list (ffmpeg-trac) you
- may see the occasional spam as a false bug report, but we take measures
- to try to prevent this.
- @end itemize
- @section How do I filter mailing list messages?
- Use the @emph{List-Id}. For example, the ffmpeg-user mailing list is
- @t{ffmpeg-user.ffmpeg.org}. You can view the List-Id in the raw message
- or headers.
- You can then filter the mailing list messages to their own folder.
- @anchor{How do I disable mail delivery without unsubscribing?}
- @section How do I disable mail delivery without unsubscribing?
- Sometimes you may want to temporarily stop receiving all mailing list
- messages. This "vacation mode" is simple to do:
- @enumerate
- @item
- Go to the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user mailing list info page}
- @item
- Enter your email address in the box at very bottom of the page and click the
- @emph{Unsubscribe or edit options} box.
- @item
- Enter your password and click the @emph{Log in} button.
- @item
- Look for the @emph{Mail delivery} option. Here you can disable/enable mail
- delivery. If you check @emph{Set globally} it will apply your choice to all
- other FFmpeg mailing lists you are subscribed to.
- @end enumerate
- Alternatively, from your subscribed address, send a message to @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org}
- with the subject @emph{set delivery off}. To re-enable mail delivery send a
- message to @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org} with the subject
- @emph{set delivery on}.
- @anchor{Why is the mailing list munging my address?}
- @section Why is the mailing list munging my address?
- This is due to subscribers that use an email service with a DMARC reject policy
- which adds difficulties to mailing list operators.
- The mailing list must re-write (munge) the @emph{From:} header for such users;
- otherwise their email service will reject and bounce the message resulting in
- automatic unsubscribing from the mailing list.
- When sending a message these users will see @emph{via <mailing list name>}
- added to their name and the @emph{From:} address munged to the address of
- the particular mailing list.
- If you want to avoid this then please use a different email service.
- Note that ffmpeg-devel does not apply any munging as it causes issues with
- patch authorship. As a result users with an email service with a DMARC reject
- policy may be automatically unsubscribed due to rejected and bounced messages.
- @chapter Rules and Etiquette
- @section What are the rules and the proper etiquette?
- There may seem to be many things to remember, but we want to help and
- following these guidelines will allow you to get answers more quickly
- and help avoid getting ignored.
- @itemize
- @item
- Always show your actual, unscripted @command{ffmpeg} command and the
- complete, uncut console output from your command.
- @item
- Use the most simple and minimal command that still shows the issue you
- are encountering.
- @item
- Provide all necessary information so others can attempt to duplicate
- your issue. This includes the actual command, complete uncut console
- output, and any inputs that are required to duplicate the issue.
- @item
- Use the latest @command{ffmpeg} build you can get. See the @url{https://ffmpeg.org/download.html, FFmpeg Download}
- page for links to recent builds for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Or
- compile from the current git master branch.
- @item
- Avoid @url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting, top-posting}.
- Also see @ref{What is top-posting?}
- @item
- Avoid hijacking threads. Thread hijacking is replying to a message and
- changing the subject line to something unrelated to the original thread.
- Most email clients will still show the renamed message under the
- original thread. This can be confusing and these types of messages are
- often ignored.
- @item
- Do not send screenshots. Copy and paste console text instead of making
- screenshots of the text.
- @item
- Avoid sending email disclaimers and legalese if possible as this is a
- public list.
- @item
- Avoid using the @code{-loglevel debug}, @code{-loglevel quiet}, and
- @command{-hide_banner} options unless requested to do so.
- @item
- If you attach files avoid compressing small files. Uncompressed is
- preferred.
- @item
- Please do not send HTML-only messages. The mailing list will ignore the
- HTML component of your message. Most mail clients will automatically
- include a text component: this is what the mailing list will use.
- @item
- Configuring your mail client to break lines after 70 or so characters is
- recommended.
- @item
- Avoid sending the same message to multiple mailing lists.
- @item
- Please follow our @url{https://ffmpeg.org/community.html#Code-of-conduct, Code of Conduct}.
- @end itemize
- @chapter Help
- @section Why am I not receiving any messages?
- Some email providers have blacklists or spam filters that block or mark
- the mailing list messages as false positives. Unfortunately, the user is
- often not aware of this and is often out of their control.
- When possible we attempt to notify the provider to be removed from the
- blacklists or filters.
- @section Why are my sent messages not showing up?
- Excluding @ref{Why is my message awaiting moderator approval?, messages that are held in the moderation queue}
- there are a few other reasons why your messages may fail to appear:
- @itemize
- @item
- HTML-only messages are ignored by the mailing lists. Most mail clients
- automatically include a text component alongside HTML email: this is what
- the mailing list will use. If it does not then consider your client to be
- broken, because sending a text component along with the HTML component to
- form a multi-part message is recommended by email standards.
- @item
- Check your spam folder.
- @end itemize
- @anchor{Why do I keep getting unsubscribed from ffmpeg-devel?}
- @section Why do I keep getting unsubscribed from ffmpeg-devel?
- Users with an email service that has a DMARC reject or quarantine policy may be
- automatically unsubscribed from the ffmpeg-devel mailing list due to the mailing
- list messages being continuously rejected and bounced back.
- Consider using a different email service.
- @anchor{Who do I contact if I have a problem with the mailing list?}
- @section Who do I contact if I have a problem with the mailing list?
- Send a message to @email{ffmpeg-user-owner@@ffmpeg.org}.
- @bye
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