How do you install avconv on Ubuntu 18.04?

Question

I am trying to install avconv by running the following command, but the library doesn't exist anymore for Ubuntu 18.04.

sudo apt-get install avconv

It is told on other Ubuntu forums to replace the command by the following :

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

But it doesn't contain libraries that can be used for sk-video

I am building from the binaries that requires avconv and not ffmeg. How to go about it? Would creating a symlink work in my case? how can i create a symlink? — Abdullah Mohammad Motiullah, Jul 12 '19 at 14:04
A touch confusing... The question is really "Since the avconv package went away with 18.04, where can I find it?" And the answers are "use ffmeg instead"... However, avconv seems to do some things that ffmeg can not, so if you need it, then you also need the answer to the original question "from where can I install avconv". — HiTechHiTouch, Nov 06 '19 at 18:06
The history of ffmpeg and avconv is a lurid and fascinating one and worth a read. The distro pretty much went from ffmpeg to avconv and back to ffmpeg. And there were some crazy politics behind it as well. Worth a web search and read if you're really curious - but more to the point, for the vast majority, ffmpeg does everything you need and you can generally just replace 'avconv' with 'ffmpeg' everywhere (as we were pushed to do in the other direction some years back). — David Ljung Madison Stellar, Apr 27 '21 at 20:41

score 29 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 04 '18 at 14:55

29

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

The sub-mentioned command installs all what should be contained within avconv

In fact, the python script used contains a call to avconv. I replaced avconv mnemonic by ffmpeg and it worked.

answered Dec 04 '18 at 14:55

YellowishLight

12

Some application will get depressed when you didn't provide them with exactly avconv and avprobe, you can make them happy by cd /usr/bin && sudo ln ffmpeg avconv && sudo ln ffmpeg avprobe after your installation of ffmepg – Ng Sek Long Sep 30 '19 at 07:35
1

@NgSekLong Thank you! This should be part of the answer to make it fully work. I'm on Ubuntu 19. – Tomas Votruba Feb 19 '20 at 12:30

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Dec 11 '20 at 15:55

1

Try:

sudo apt install -y libav-tools

or:

sudo apt-get install -y libav-tools

edited Dec 11 '20 at 15:55

BeastOfCaerbannog

answered Dec 11 '20 at 14:41

anonymous

3

There is no libav-tools anymore, reporting from Ubuntu 20.04. – Berkant İpek Apr 21 '21 at 19:34
Ubuntu 16.04 now working avconv installing this package. Thanks! – jeferod83 Feb 17 '22 at 12:51
According to wikipedia, Libav is an abandoned project. (the final release was on Feb 2018). – Apr 19 '22 at 11:25

Capitalmind · Answer 3 · 2023-03-02T01:36:20.487

1

Just use ffmpeg, the commands work the same way:

Eg. $ ffmpeg -i "Audio.mp3" -ss 0 -t 300 First_Half.mp3

edited Mar 02 '23 at 01:36

answered Feb 22 '23 at 00:00

Capitalmind

2

duplicate of the accepted answer – karel Feb 22 '23 at 08:14
I like this answer better than the accepted answer. – Shawn Eary Dec 30 '24 at 03:41

3 Answers3