[Ffmpeg-devel] [Ffmpeg-devel-old] how to get the previous frame

[Michel Bardiaux]

Thomas Koninckx wrote:
> On Tue, 2005-04-26 at 11:38 +0200, Claude Joseph-Angelique wrote:
> 
>>Hi,
>>I'm trying to make a backward frame-by-frame on a video stream. But 
>>av_read_frame() works sequencialy. How must I use av_seek_frame to get 
>>the last frame without image degradation.
> 
> I needed to do the same a while ago. What I did --but it might be that
> there is a much better solution-- is to make a small jump backward
> (av_seek_frame current pts-1 sec), and then read frames until I'm back
> at the current pts. I store always 2 frames in a small buffer. This way
> I always got the previous frame, undistorted also if it is not a key
> frame.
> If somebody has a better solution.
> 
> Regards,
> Thomas
> 
It is probably the only solution, at least with MPEG-something codecs. 
But it will have to be even more complicated:

(1) You have to check to be sure you encounter a key frame.

(2) In MPEG-4 you can have very large GOPs, of several seconds, so a 
jump of -1 sec is not enough to be before the key frame

HaND,
-- 
Michel Bardiaux
Peaktime Belgium S.A.  Bd. du Souverain, 191  B-1160 Bruxelles
Tel : +32 2 790.29.41