[FFmpeg-user] command -h error

[Moritz Barsnick]

On Sun, Jun 05, 2016 at 00:24:11 +0200, Reindl Harald wrote:
> Am 05.06.2016 um 00:14 schrieb juan carlos Rebate:
> > help on your commands,when I try to ask for help console command always she
> > tells me unknown, for example ffmpeg -h format mpeg or ffmpeg -h format=mpeg

You (juan) misread the description.

> "ffmpeg -h format mpeg" WHERE do you see that mentioned?

It's similarly described. ;-) See below.

> "ffmpeg -formats" is aas example valid according to the output below

You forgot to quote the interesting part:

Getting help:
    -h      -- print basic options
    -h long -- print more options
    -h full -- print all options (including all format and codec specific options, very long)
    -h type=name -- print all options for the named decoder/encoder/demuxer/muxer/filter
                                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I agree it's confusing that ffmpeg sometimes insists on calling it a
format, sometimes a device, sometimes muxer/demuxer. In this particular
case, the exact names mentioned in the help apply, so you (juan) are
looking for:

$ ffmpeg -h muxer=mpeg
or
$ ffmpeg -h demuxer=mpeg
(They're different because they have different options.)

Note that you will only see the special options applicable to that
particular de/muxer.

$ ffmpeg -h full
should show all decoders/encoders/demuxers/muxers/filters, you could
search in the outputs.

Moritz