Bug#913698: /usr/bin/ffprobe: Do not display version / build headers to stderr for ffprobe and others

[Witold Baryluk <witold.baryluk@gmail.com>]

Package: ffmpeg
Version: 7:4.0.3-1
Severity: wishlist
File: /usr/bin/ffprobe

Hi.


user@debian:~$ ffprobe output_x264_medium_crf22.mp4 >stdout.txt 2>stderr.txt
user@debian:~$ cat stdout.txt
user@debian:~$ cat stderr.txt
ffprobe version 4.0.3-1 Copyright (c) 2007-2018 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 8 (Debian 8.2.0-9)
  configuration: --prefix=/usr --extra-version=1 --toolchain=hardened
  --libdir=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
  --incdir=/usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu --arch=amd64 --enable-gpl
  --disable-stripping --enable-avresample --disable-filter=resample
  --enable-avisynth --enable-gnutls --enable-ladspa --enable-libaom
  --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libbs2b --enable-libcaca
  --enable-libcdio --enable-libcodec2 --enable-libflite
  --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi
  --enable-libgme --enable-libgsm --enable-libjack --enable-libmp3lame
  --enable-libmysofa --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopenmpt
  --enable-libopus --enable-libpulse --enable-librsvg
  --enable-librubberband --enable-libshine --enable-libsnappy
  --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libssh --enable-libtheora
  --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvorbis
  --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libwebp --enable-libx265
  --enable-libxml2 --enable-libxvid --enable-libzmq --enable-libzvbi
  --enable-lv2 --enable-omx --enable-openal --enable-opengl --enable-sdl2
  --enable-libdc1394 --enable-libdrm --enable-libiec61883
  --enable-chromaprint --enable-frei0r --enable-libopencv
  --enable-libx264 --enable-shared
  libavutil      56. 14.100 / 56. 14.100
  libavcodec     58. 18.100 / 58. 18.100
  libavformat    58. 12.100 / 58. 12.100
  libavdevice    58.  3.100 / 58.  3.100
  libavfilter     7. 16.100 /  7. 16.100
  libavresample   4.  0.  0 /  4.  0.  0
  libswscale      5.  1.100 /  5.  1.100
  libswresample   3.  1.100 /  3.  1.100
  libpostproc    55.  1.100 / 55.  1.100
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'output_x264_medium_crf22.mp4':
  Metadata:
    title           : Big Buck Bunny, Sunflower version
    GENRE           : Animation
    MAJOR_BRAND     : isom
    MINOR_VERSION   : 1
    COMPATIBLE_BRANDS: isomavc1
    COMPOSER        : Sacha Goedegebure
    ARTIST          : Blender Foundation 2008, Janus Bager Kristensen 2013
    COMMENT         : Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bbb3d.renderfarming.net
    ENCODER         : Lavf58.12.100
  Duration: 00:10:34.60, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 11521 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (High), yuv420p(progressive), 3840x2160 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 30 fps, 30 tbr, 1k tbn, 60 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      HANDLER_NAME    : GPAC ISO Video Handler
      ENCODER         : Lavc58.18.100 libx264
      DURATION        : 00:10:34.600000000
    Stream #0:1: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 320 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      HANDLER_NAME    : GPAC ISO Audio Handler
      DURATION        : 00:10:34.144000000
user@debian:~$ 


I find it very distracting to have half of the screen consumed by version
of ffmpeg, build options and libraries options.

There is no need for any (ANY, not even the first line) of these by default, because there are:

ffprobe -version

that shows the same information  (on stdout).

And more comprehensive / machine parsable commands:

ffprobe -show_program_version
ffprobe -show_library_versions
ffprobe -show_versions  (both two above combined)


Having option that restores some build info to be printed and continues
execution could be useful for some tho. But it should not be enabled by
default, and should output all these build info details to stdout.

Best regards,
Witold Baryluk


PS. Notice that the ffprobe output data to stderr, instead to stdout,
which is also weird, and other bug.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: buster/sid
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 4.18.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/32 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages ffmpeg depends on:
ii  libavcodec58    7:4.0.3-1
ii  libavdevice58   7:4.0.3-1
ii  libavfilter7    7:4.0.3-1
ii  libavformat58   7:4.0.3-1
ii  libavresample4  7:4.0.3-1
ii  libavutil56     7:4.0.3-1
ii  libc6           2.27-8
ii  libpostproc55   7:4.0.3-1
ii  libsdl2-2.0-0   2.0.8+dfsg1-6
ii  libswresample3  7:4.0.3-1
ii  libswscale5     7:4.0.3-1

ffmpeg recommends no packages.

Versions of packages ffmpeg suggests:
pn  ffmpeg-doc  <none>

-- no debconf information