FFmpeg/doc/ffserver.txt

*************** FFserver live broadcast server *****************

0) Introduction

ffserver is a streaming server for both audio and video. It supports
several live feeds, streaming from files and time shifting on live
feeds (you can seek to positions in the past on each live feed,
provided you specify a big enough feed storage in ffserver.conf).

1) Quick help

- First you must ensure that your grab system is OK. Verify with
  'xawtv' that your TV card is tuned on a correct video source.

- Try with ffmpeg that you can record correctly. For example:

  ffmpeg /tmp/a.mpg

will record a ten seconds mpeg file from your TV card and audio
card. Use for example the mpegtv player or MPlayer to view the created
MPEG file.

- Launch ffserver on your PC with the sample config file:

  ffserver -f doc/ffserver.conf

- Verify with your browser that ffserver is working correctly. For
  that purpose, explore: http://localhost:8090/stat.html .

- Now launch ffmpeg to do real time encoding :

  ffmpeg http://localhost:8090/feed1.ffm

- Then, use your favorite players to see each generated stream:

  mtvp http://localhost:8090/test1.mpg

  mpg123 http://localhost:8090/test.mp2

  netscape http://localhost:8090/test.swf

  realplayer http://localhost:8090/test.rm

  etc...

  Note that ffserver generate multiple streams in multiple formats AT
  THE SAME TIME. It should be able to handle hundreds of users at the
  same time if you internet connection is fast enough.

- Now you can configure ffserver for your real needs. Edit the
  ffserver.conf file to use only the formats you want. Read the ffmpeg
  documentation (ffmpeg.txt) to learn more about the codec and format
  stuff.

- Report any bug you find (and the fix if you have it!).

2) URL Format

  ffserver supports that you seek in some formats. The syntax is to
  add a '?' option to the URL. Only the 'date' option is supported. 

  The date format is [YYYY-MM-DDT][[HH:]MM:]SS[.m...] (clost to ISO
  date format). For live streams, the date is absolute and give in
  GMT. If the day is not specified, the current day is used.

  example: 

     mpg123 http://localhost:8090/test.mp2?date=10:00

  play the stream starting at 10:00 AM GMT today.

     mpg123 http://localhost:8090/test.mp2?date=2001-06-23T23:00

  is also a valid date.

  For file streams, the date is relative to the start of the file. No
  day can be specified.