Worked example
Convert an editor-exported MOV to medium-quality MP4 for web or phone playback. Keep important masters separately; do not use the conversion as your only backup.
Understanding settings and results
- H.264/VP9 use CRF 35/23/18; AVI/FLV use quantizer quality 12/5/2, avoiding unsupported parameters.
- Different output containers use different video and audio codec combinations.
Scope and limitations
- Remuxing differs from re-encoding. This workflow usually re-encodes, which takes time and can lose image quality.
- Very long or high-resolution videos are subject to upload-size and processing-time limits.
Troubleshooting
- If video plays without sound, the container may not support the source audio codec; try MP4.
- Use a video editor to reduce resolution for smoother playback. This tool primarily changes format and quality.
Privacy and processing
Videos are uploaded and processed by ffmpeg in the background. Task status is temporarily stored in server memory; source and result files are cleaned up periodically.