FFmpeg Integration

FFmpeg is a powerful open-source multimedia framework for encoding, decoding, transcoding, and streaming audio and video. It is the tool of choice for automated workflows, headless servers, and custom streaming pipelines. This guide covers streaming to WAVE via RTMP and SRT, transcoding files for WAVE ingest, and common FFmpeg patterns.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• FFmpeg 6.0 or later installed with H.264 and AAC support
• SRT support compiled in (verify with ffmpeg -protocols 2>&1 | grep srt)
• A WAVE account with an active stream channel (see Your First Stream)
• Your WAVE Ingest URL and Stream Key, found in the WAVE dashboard under Streams > [Your Stream] > Ingest Settings

{% tabs %} {% tab label=“macOS” %} Install FFmpeg with Homebrew:

brew install ffmpeg

Homebrew builds include SRT and most codecs by default. {% /tab %}

{% tab label=“Linux” %} Install from your distribution’s package manager:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Fedora
sudo dnf install ffmpeg

If your distribution’s FFmpeg does not include SRT support, build from source with --enable-libsrt. {% /tab %}

{% tab label=“Windows” %} Download a static build from gyan.dev/ffmpeg  or install via Chocolatey:

choco install ffmpeg

The ffmpeg-full builds include SRT support. {% /tab %} {% /tabs %}

Verify your installation:

ffmpeg -version
ffmpeg -protocols 2>&1 | grep srt

The second command should output srt if SRT support is available.

RTMP streaming

Stream a live camera to WAVE via RTMP

This command captures video from a local camera and streams it to WAVE over RTMP:

ffmpeg \
  -f v4l2 -video_size 1920x1080 -framerate 30 -i /dev/video0 \
  -f alsa -i default \
  -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5000k -maxrate 5000k -bufsize 10000k \
  -g 60 -keyint_min 60 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 \
  -f flv "rtmp://ingest.wave.online/live/{stream-key}"

Replace {stream-key} with your actual WAVE stream key.

{% callout type=“info” title=“Platform-specific capture devices” %} The example above uses Video4Linux (v4l2) and ALSA for Linux. On macOS, use -f avfoundation -i "0:0". On Windows, use -f dshow -i video="Camera Name":audio="Microphone Name". Run ffmpeg -devices to list available capture devices on your system. {% /callout %}

Stream a file to WAVE via RTMP

To stream a pre-recorded file as if it were a live broadcast:

ffmpeg \
  -re \
  -i input.mp4 \
  -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5000k -maxrate 5000k -bufsize 10000k \
  -g 60 -keyint_min 60 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 \
  -f flv "rtmp://ingest.wave.online/live/{stream-key}"

The -re flag reads the input at its native frame rate, simulating a live source. Without it, FFmpeg sends the file as fast as possible, which overwhelms the ingest server.

Stream with RTMPS (encrypted)

ffmpeg \
  -re \
  -i input.mp4 \
  -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5000k -maxrate 5000k -bufsize 10000k \
  -g 60 -keyint_min 60 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 \
  -f flv "rtmps://ingest.wave.online:443/live/{stream-key}"

SRT streaming

Stream a live camera to WAVE via SRT

ffmpeg \
  -f v4l2 -video_size 1920x1080 -framerate 30 -i /dev/video0 \
  -f alsa -i default \
  -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5000k -maxrate 5000k -bufsize 10000k \
  -g 60 -keyint_min 60 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 \
  -f mpegts "srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid={stream-key}&latency=200000"

{% callout type=“warning” title=“SRT output format must be mpegts” %} SRT transports MPEG-TS. Use -f mpegts (not -f flv). Using the wrong container format causes a silent connection failure. {% /callout %}

Stream a file to WAVE via SRT

ffmpeg \
  -re \
  -i input.mp4 \
  -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5000k -maxrate 5000k -bufsize 10000k \
  -g 60 -keyint_min 60 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 \
  -f mpegts "srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid={stream-key}&latency=200000"

SRT with encryption

To enable AES encryption on the SRT connection:

ffmpeg \
  -re \
  -i input.mp4 \
  -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5000k \
  -g 60 -keyint_min 60 \
  -c:a aac -b:a 160k -ar 48000 \
  -f mpegts "srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid={stream-key}&latency=200000&pbkeylen=16&passphrase=YourSecurePassphrase"

• pbkeylen=16 enables AES-128. Use pbkeylen=32 for AES-256.
• passphrase must match the passphrase configured in your WAVE stream settings exactly.

File transcoding to WAVE-compatible format

If you need to prepare files for upload to WAVE rather than live streaming, transcode them to a WAVE-compatible format:

ffmpeg \
  -i input.mov \
  -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 22 -profile:v high -level 4.1 \
  -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -c:a aac -b:a 192k -ar 48000 \
  -movflags +faststart \
  output.mp4

Key settings:

• -crf 22 — Constant Rate Factor for quality-based encoding. Lower values produce higher quality. Range: 18 (high quality) to 28 (lower quality).
• -profile:v high -level 4.1 — Ensures broad player compatibility.
• -pix_fmt yuv420p — Required for compatibility with most players and WAVE’s transcoding pipeline.
• -movflags +faststart — Moves the MP4 metadata to the beginning of the file, enabling progressive playback.

Common FFmpeg options reference

Option	Description
-re	Read input at native frame rate (required for file-to-live)
-c:v libx264	Use H.264 software encoder
-c:v h264_nvenc	Use NVIDIA hardware encoder
-c:v h264_qsv	Use Intel Quick Sync hardware encoder
-preset veryfast	Encoding speed/quality tradeoff (ultrafast to placebo)
-b:v 5000k	Target video bitrate
-maxrate 5000k	Maximum video bitrate (pair with -bufsize)
-bufsize 10000k	Rate control buffer size (typically 2x target bitrate)
-g 60	Keyframe interval in frames (60 frames = 2 seconds at 30 fps)
-keyint_min 60	Minimum keyframe interval (set equal to -g for fixed interval)
-c:a aac	Use AAC audio encoder
-b:a 160k	Audio bitrate
-ar 48000	Audio sample rate (48 kHz)
-f flv	FLV output format (required for RTMP)
-f mpegts	MPEG-TS output format (required for SRT)

Troubleshooting

”Connection refused” or “Connection timed out”

1. Verify the ingest URL and stream key are correct. For RTMP, the URL must include /live at the end.
2. For SRT, confirm that ffmpeg -protocols lists srt. If it does not, your FFmpeg build lacks SRT support.
3. Test network connectivity to the WAVE ingest server:
   • RTMP: nc -vz ingest.wave.online 1935
   • SRT: nc -vzu ingest.wave.online 9710
4. If you are behind a firewall, ensure the required ports are open (TCP 1935 for RTMP, UDP 9710 for SRT).

”Discarding frame” or timestamp warnings

1. If streaming a file, ensure the -re flag is included. Without it, FFmpeg sends frames faster than real-time, causing timestamp issues on the ingest server.
2. If capturing live, check that your camera’s frame rate matches the -framerate value in the command.
3. Add -vsync cfr to force constant frame rate output if the source has variable frame rate.

Poor video quality despite high bitrate

1. Verify that CBR is enforced by setting both -b:v and -maxrate to the same value.
2. Check the -preset value. veryfast is a good balance for real-time streaming. If your CPU has headroom, try faster or fast for better quality at the same bitrate.
3. Ensure the input resolution is not being upscaled. Upscaling a 720p source to 1080p wastes bitrate on artificial detail.

SRT stream connects but no video appears in WAVE

1. Confirm you are using -f mpegts as the output format. MPEG-TS is required for SRT; FLV does not work.
2. Check the stream ID is correctly passed in the URL. The streamid parameter must match your WAVE stream key exactly.
3. Increase the latency parameter if you are on a high-loss network (try 500000 for 500ms).

FFmpeg exits with “Broken pipe”

1. The WAVE ingest server closed the connection. This typically means the stream key is invalid, the stream channel is not active, or another encoder is already connected to the same stream.
2. Check the WAVE dashboard for any error messages on the stream channel.
3. Retry with -loglevel verbose to see the full server response before the pipe closes.

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