-metadata option puts null characters in, confusing iTunes.

[STrRedWolf]

Summary of the bug: If you use the -metadata option while converting video to an iTunes playable M4V, iTunes will refuse to recognize the file; it'll just ignore it. It will do a bit of analysis if you load a bulk of them up, but then ignore the whole batch if they all use the -metadata option.

A check with AtomicParsley says that many of the atoms in the M4V have null-terminated values... which is not allowed and causes iTunes to think the file is bad.

How to reproduce:

% ffmpeg -i input -acodec libfaac -ac 2 -ab 160k -c:v libx264 -vprofile main -preset slow -tune film -level 3.1 -crf 28 -threads 0 -metadata media_type=10 -metadata network=FakeNetwork -metadata "show=Convention Archive" -metadata "title=ComicCon Cotham City" -metadata season_number=1 -metadata episode_sort=1 -metadata "track=1/1" -metadata episode_id=output output

ffmpeg version 1.1.2 Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Feb 17 2013 18:35:29 with gcc 4.6.3 (Gentoo 4.6.3 p1.11, pie-0.5.2)
  configuration: --prefix=/usr --libdir=/usr/lib64 --shlibdir=/usr/lib64 --mandir=/usr/share/man --enable-shared --cc=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-gcc --cxx=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-g++ --ar=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-ar --optflags='-O2 -pipe -march=native' --extra-cflags='-O2 -pipe -march=native' --extra-cxxflags='-O2 -pipe -march=native' --disable-static --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-postproc --enable-avfilter --disable-stripping --disable-debug --disable-doc --disable-network --disable-vaapi --disable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libtheora --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-libfaac --enable-nonfree --enable-libdc1394 --disable-indev=oss --enable-x11grab --enable-libpulse --disable-outdev=oss --enable-libfreetype --enable-pthreads --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopenjpeg --disable-altivec --disable-avx --disable-vis --disable-neon --cpu=host --enable-hardcoded-tables
  libavutil      52. 13.100 / 52. 13.100
  libavcodec     54. 86.100 / 54. 86.100
  libavformat    54. 59.106 / 54. 59.106
  libavdevice    54.  3.102 / 54.  3.102
  libavfilter     3. 32.100 /  3. 32.100
  libswscale      2.  1.103 /  2.  1.103
  libswresample   0. 17.102 /  0. 17.102
  libpostproc    52.  2.100 / 52.  2.100

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Is video encoding necessary to reproduce this problem? If not, please add -vn to your command line.
Is one metadata option sufficient to reproduce the problem? If yes, please remove the others.
Is using libfaac necessary to reproduce the problem? If not, please use the native aac encoder (-acodec aac) to show the bug.

To make this a valid ticket, please post your command line together with complete, uncut console output.

[STrRedWolf]

Let me see if I can reduce it down. I doubt I need to transcode it to show the bug. I'm now transcoding a clean file that I can test with...

tygris@sandra ~/video/tmp $ ffmpeg -i test-clean.m4v -c:v copy -c:a copy -metadata "title=AC2004 clip" -metadata media_type=10 -metadata network=BBFTV -metadata "show=BBFTV Test clip" -metadata season_number=1 -metadata episode_sort=1 -metadata "track=1/1" -metadata "episode_id=test-dirty.m4v" test-dirty.m4v
ffmpeg version 1.1.2 Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Feb 17 2013 18:35:29 with gcc 4.6.3 (Gentoo 4.6.3 p1.11, pie-0.5.2)
  configuration: --prefix=/usr --libdir=/usr/lib64 --shlibdir=/usr/lib64 --mandir=/usr/share/man --enable-shared --cc=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-gcc --cxx=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-g++ --ar=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-ar --optflags='-O2 -pipe -march=native' --extra-cflags='-O2 -pipe -march=native' --extra-cxxflags='-O2 -pipe -march=native' --disable-static --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-postproc --enable-avfilter --disable-stripping --disable-debug --disable-doc --disable-network --disable-vaapi --disable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libtheora --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-libfaac --enable-nonfree --enable-libdc1394 --disable-indev=oss --enable-x11grab --enable-libpulse --disable-outdev=oss --enable-libfreetype --enable-pthreads --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopenjpeg --disable-altivec --disable-avx --disable-vis --disable-neon --cpu=host --enable-hardcoded-tables
  libavutil      52. 13.100 / 52. 13.100
  libavcodec     54. 86.100 / 54. 86.100
  libavformat    54. 59.106 / 54. 59.106
  libavdevice    54.  3.102 / 54.  3.102
  libavfilter     3. 32.100 /  3. 32.100
  libswscale      2.  1.103 /  2.  1.103
  libswresample   0. 17.102 /  0. 17.102
  libpostproc    52.  2.100 / 52.  2.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'test-clean.m4v':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : M4V 
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1
    encoder         : Lavf54.59.106
  Duration: 00:00:30.04, start: 0.021333, bitrate: 641 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 720x576 [SAR 1:1 DAR 5:4], 475 kb/s, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 12800 tbn, 50 tbc
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 160 kb/s
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandler
File 'test-dirty.m4v' already exists. Overwrite ? [y/N] y
Output #0, ipod, to 'test-dirty.m4v':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : M4V 
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1
    episode_id      : test-dirty.m4v
    title           : AC2004 clip
    media_type      : 10
    network         : BBFTV
    show            : BBFTV Test clip
    season_number   : 1
    episode_sort    : 1
    track           : 1/1
    encoder         : Lavf54.59.106
    Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 720x576 [SAR 1:1 DAR 5:4], q=2-31, 475 kb/s, 25 fps, 12800 tbn, 12800 tbc
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, 160 kb/s
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandler
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (copy)
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame=  750 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 Lsize=    2351kB time=00:00:30.03 bitrate= 641.3kbits/s    
video:1740kB audio:587kB subtitle:0 global headers:0kB muxing overhead 1.020305%

Just one -metadata will not do the trick. No need to transcode.

[Michael Niedermayer]

Please list the errors or warnings and the command line used for atomic parsley, i tried but see no warnings from it