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README_WIN.md

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Running FFpreview on Windows

The steps outlined below should make it possible to run ffpreview on Windows. Note, however, that neither was this tested extensively, nor can the author provide any detailed technical support for this scenario.

Install the required software packages

If any of the software mentioned below is already installed, just skip the corresponding step and adjust the configuration to fit your actual setup.

  1. Install Python 3. At least version 3.7.x is recommended, but versions 3.8.x and 3.9.x should work fine, too. Official releases can be found at python.org.

  2. Install PyQt5. Run pip install pyqt5 from the command prompt.

  3. Install FFmpeg. (mandatory) FFmpeg binaries can be downloaded by following the links listed on ffmpeg.org. For the sole purpose of running FFpreview any of the 'essentials' builds should be sufficient.

  4. Install mpv. (optional) Though not strictly necessary, the mpv video player is strongly recommended as player back end for FFpreview. Links to download locations for mpv binaries are listed at mpv.io. Other media players like e.g. vlc may work as well, yet some may not provide all the options desirable for optimal use with FFpreview.

  5. Create ffpreview.conf configuration file containing at least the essential settings described in the next section.

Configure FFpreview

The following instructions assume that ffpreview.py, ffmpeg and mpv have all been installed in a directory structure like this:

...(some_directory)
   |
   +--ffpreview
   |  |
   .  +--ffmpeg
   .  |  +--ffmpeg.exe
   .  |  +--ffprobe.exe
      |  + ...
      |
      +--mpv
      |  +--mpv.exe
      |  +--...(mpv support files)
      |
      +--ffpreview.py
      +--ffpreview.conf

The ffpreview.conf file can be created by appropriately renaming a copy of ffpreview.conf.sample, included in the FFpreview repository.

Taking as a basis the directory structure outlined above, and further assuming ffpreview.py is started from within the ffpreview directory itself, ffpreview.conf should at the very least contain the following settings:

[Default]

ffprobe=ffmpeg\ffprobe.exe

ffmpeg=ffmpeg\ffmpeg.exe

player=mpv\mpv --no-ordered-chapters --start=%t %f

plpaused=mpv\mpv --no-ordered-chapters --start=%t --pause %f

In case FFmpeg or mpv are installed in some other location the respective paths to these tools have to be adjusted accordingly. All other settings can be tweaked as desired following the hints in ffpreview.conf.sample, or can simply be omitted to use the default values.

Should things not work as expected, the messages FFpreview prints to the console when it was started from the command prompt may give some clues. Passing the -v option one or more times prompts FFpreview to produce more verbose output which may further aid in debugging the setup.

Once again: While it has been shown that FFpreview can in principle be made to run on Windows, the author cannot offer any individual support in case things go sideways. You have been warned! If, on the other hand, you have the strong suspicion you found a genuine bug in FFpreview itself, or would like to make any suggestions on how to improve it (or these very instructions, for that matter), please feel encouraged to report the issue on GitHub.