Problems while converting from m4a to Mp3

[sohillaad]

Operating system and the version - Windows Vista SP1
VLC media player version - VLC 0.9.8a
Hardware you use - No specific additional hardware being used. Laptop with Vista installation and the basics that come with it.
Problem Statement
I wanted to convert ".m4a" audio files to mp3 so that I could load them on my iPod. However, when I choose the file to convert to mp3 nothing happens. Steps I followed:
1. Media -> Convert/Save
2. Select the desired file to convert
3. Select "Mp3" from the drop down list
4. Click on Save

Pls help

[thannoy]

To get help, I think you will have to give us logs. To get them, use "ctrl+m" shortcut when VLC is ready. At the bottom of the debug window, set verbosity to 2 and then retry your conversion.
To finish, copy/past those logs here, inside "code" tags please (use the button above the edition text area)

[sohillaad]

main info: Running vlc with the default interface. Use 'cvlc' to use vlc without interface.
qt4 debug: MRL passed to the Sout: D:\Cognizant\Personal\Songs\Newly Added\English\Man In The Mirror.m4a
qt4 debug: Profile Used: mp3
qt4 debug: Sout mrl :sout=#transcode{acodec=mp3,ab=128,channels=2}
main debug: adding item `Streaming' ( D:\Cognizant\Personal\Songs\Newly Added\English\Man In The Mirror.m4a )
main debug: rebuilding array of current - root Playlist
main debug: rebuild done - 1 items, index -1
main debug: starting new item
main debug: processing request item Streaming node null skip 0
main debug: resyncing on Streaming
main debug: Streaming is at 0
main debug: creating new input thread
main debug: Creating an input for 'Streaming'
main debug: waiting for thread initialization
main debug: thread started
main debug: thread 5468 (input) created at priority 1 (input/input.c:370)
main debug: stream=`transcode'
main debug: looking for sout stream module: 1 candidate
main error: invalid chain
stream_out_transcode error: cannot create chain
main warning: no sout stream module matching "transcode" could be loaded
main debug: TIMER module_Need() : 5.000 ms - Total 5.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 5.000 ms)
main debug: destroying chain... (name=transcode)
main debug: destroying chain done
main error: stream chain failed for `transcode{acodec=mp3,ab=128,channels=2}'
main debug: finished input
main debug: dying input
main error: cannot start stream output instance, aborting
main debug: thread ended
main debug: dead input
main debug: thread times: real 0m0.006000s, kernel 0m0.000000s, user 0m0.000000s
main debug: thread 5468 joined (playlist/engine.c:244)
main debug: TIMER input launching for 'Streaming' : 65.000 ms - Total 65.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 65.000 ms)
main debug: starting new item
main debug: changing item without a request (current 0/1)
main debug: nothing to play

[thannoy]

Can you edit your message to add the code tags around your paste please?

Have a look at Documentation:Streaming_HowTo, your sout chain is invalid. It must look like

Code: Select all

vlc input.file --sout=#transcode{.....}:std{...}

edit: well, if you are using the graphical user interface it is weird.

[thannoy]

Have you selected an output? (play locally or stream to a file)

[sohillaad]

your last suggestion has helped on the conversion, where I manually put the filename.. but that means I have to do that for each and every file separately.. is there a way by which we can do it for a bullk of files automatically..

I am sorry, could not follow what did you mean by - "Can you edit your message to add the code tags around your paste please?"

[thannoy]

* To do batch conversion, you will have to be a little bit familiar with command line (MS-DOS emulator for Windows)

* About the code tag suggestion:
** you can see a "edit" button just above your post which contain your log
** using it, you can modify your post. I suggest you to click on this button, select lines of your log, click "code" button above the text edition area, click preview (yes, to check and then post.
** Result will be nearly the same, just more readable :-)

But now it is not as useful since this sub-problem is more or less solved.

[thannoy]

Emm, something you can do (absolutely untested and you will need some skills to fix it):

Create a file (using notepad for example) you will save as "to-mp3.bat" (select extension '*.*' in the save dialog, do not create a .bat.txt file, icon should be different that a text file) with this content (in one line):

Code: Select all

C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe --no-video "%1" vlc://quit --sout=#transcode{acodec=mp3,ab=128,channels=2}:std{access=file,mux=dummy,dst=%1.mp3}

If if works, you will be able to drag & drop all your music files (one at once) on the to-mp3.bat icon to get the resulting .mp3 file generated.
@see MP3

To be able to convert several files in one shot, you will have to google something like "dos shift loop". It can look like this:

Code: Select all

:LOOP IF '%1'=='' GOTO END C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe --no-video "%1" vlc://quit --sout=#transcode{acodec=mp3,ab=128,channels=2}:std{access=file,mux=dummy,dst=%1.mp3} SHIFT GOTO LOOP :END

[VLC_help]

Also most m4a files should play on iPod.