---
layout: page
title: "FFmpeg Camera"
description: "Instructions how to integrate a Video fees with FFmpeg as cameras within Home Assistant."
date: 2016-08-13 08:00
sidebar: true
comments: false
sharing: true
footer: true
logo: ffmpeg.png
ha_category: Camera
ha_release: 0.26
---


The `ffmpeg` platform allows you to use every video feed with [FFmpeg](http://www.ffmpeg.org/) as camera in Home Assistant.

<p class='note'>
You need a `ffmpeg` binary in your system path. On Debain 8 you can install it from backports. If you want Hardware support on a Raspberry Pi you need tobuild from source by yourself. Windows binary are avilable on the [FFmpeg](http://www.ffmpeg.org/) website.
</p>

To enable your FFmpeg feed in your installation, add the following to your `configuration.yaml` file:

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
camera:
  - platform: ffmpeg
    input: FFMPEG_SUPPORTED_INPUT
    name: FFmpeg
    ffmpeg_bin: /usr/bin/ffmpeg
    extra_arguments: -q:v 2
```

Configuration variables:

- **input** (*Required*): A ffmpeg compatible input file, stream or feed.
- **name** (*Optional*): This parameter allows you to override the name of your camera.
- **ffmpeg_bin** (*Optional*): Default 'ffmpeg'.
- **extra_arguments** (*Optional*): Extra option they will pass to `ffmpeg`. i.e. image quality or video filter options.

### {% linkable_title Image quality %}

You can control the `image quality` with [`extra_arguments`](https://www.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-codecs.html#jpeg2000) `-q:v 2-32` or with lossless option `-pred 1`.

### {% linkable_title Troubleshooting %}

In most of case, `ffmpeg` autodetect all needed options to read a video/audio stream or file. But it is possible in rare cases that's needed to set a option to help `ffmpeg`. Per default `ffmpeg` use 5 seconds to detect all options or abort.

First check, if your stream playable by `ffmpeg` with (use option `-an` or `-vn` to disable video or audio stream):

```
$ ffmpeg -i INPUT -an -f null -
```

Now you can see what going wrong. Following list could be help to solve your trouble:

- `[rtsp @ ...] UDP timeout, retrying with TCP`: You need to set RTSP transport in the configuration with: `input: -rtsp_transport tcp -i INPUT`
- `[rtsp @ ...] Could not find codec parameters for stream 0 (Video: ..., none): unspecified size`: FFmpeg need more data or time for autodetect. You can set the `analyzeduration` and/or `probesize` option, play with this value. If you know the needed value you can set it  with: `input: -analyzeduration xy -probesize xy tcp -i INPUT`. More information about that can be found on [FFmpeg](https://www.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-formats.html#Description).