convert mp4 to avi video

ReginaBob

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Is it possible to convert mp4 video,shot with my Sony a6000 camera,to AVI,to play on a tv that apparently only supports AVI?There are other formats I could shoot with on this camera, but I think they are proprietary sony, so probably not Linux compatible.I am using Mint 20.1.I tried Handbreak, but it only seems to convert to mkv and m4u.Also tried VLC,but the convert button does nothing.Maybe I need a plugin or something.Scratching already hairess head....
 


You probably want ffmpeg. This is for 'Ubuntu' but the commands would be universal across all distros.

 
There is an application, handbrake, that does conversions like this.
 
Yeah, similar to KGIII I'd recommend FFMPEG. It seems to be good for conversions. It can also trim and compress videos. Just note that its terminal based.
 
Ok, so I tried converting an mp4video to an AVI video with ffmpeg and it seems like the quality went down a bit.
Not sure about that.
 
Handbrake does use ffmpeg, under the hood/bonnet. Based on the documentation, it does work on mp4 source files, as it should since it uses ffmpeg. I would refer the OP to the Handbrake doc at
Code:
https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/
just so there's no mistake in my explanation of what the application does. I've used the app more than once.

There probably are multiple applications that use ffmpeg. No offense to the ffmpeg devs, but mature GUI front ends are typically more useful than the native CLI for a number of applications.
 
Ok, so I tried converting an mp4video to an AVI video with ffmpeg and it seems like the quality went down a bit.
Not sure about that.
You’re converting from one lossey format to another lossey format, so there’s naturally going to be some degradation. Also, did you specify any quality settings? Or did you just convert directly from mp4 to avi using the default settings? I haven’t used ffmpeg in a while, so I can’t remember what options you have. But it’s never failed me in the past.

Results will also depend on the quality of the source material.
If the source mp4 is low quality, then the resulting avi will also be low quality. If the mp4 is good quality, you should be able to get a decent quality avi with the default settings. But sometimes you might have to try converting a few times with different settings to try to get the best result.
 
I use OpenShot Video Editor v2.4.3 which is available through the Synaptic Package Manager

or you can get the latest Appimage v2.5.1 from here
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.Turns out we scrapped the tv idea and just play them on the Mint laptop.Problem solved.As a side note,I will again mention my pet peeve re computer vs video/tv tech.Why cant all these designers talk to each other and make computer tech compatible with audio/video tech?Its always a nightmare getting new tech to hook up to what I already have.Yea I know;I'm supposed to buy all new everything at the same time.Not!!OK.I'm gonna make a decaf now.....
 
Did you try attaching the video output from your laptop to the video input of the tv? That would accomplish what you wanted, that is to watch the movie on your tv.:) You wouldn't need to do all the software gymnastics either.

Happy Trails,
Paul
 

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