Error when saving movie file

[ognancy4life]

I'm getting an error when I try to save my xmovie file. The frames are showing up in the output_dir where they're supposed to, but the final save doesn't work. I do have ffmpeg installed and have used it successfully for other things.

mov = Movie(
SSH.sla.sel(
longitude=slice(0,150),
time=slice("2019-05-01", "2019-08-2")),
cmap='RdBu',
vmin=-.3, vmax=.3,
levels=41,
plotmethod='contourf',
extend='both'
)
mov.preview(30) # To preview a specific frame
mov.save(
output_dir + 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4',
progress=True,
overwrite_existing=True,
verbose=True
)
! rm output_dir + frame_*.png

Yields the following error:

ValueError Traceback (most recent call last)
/var/folders/77/krt31b_92xg9grw6m3r25r380000mn/T/ipykernel_53094/1418684609.py in
11 )
12 mov.preview(30) # To preview a specific frame
---> 13 mov.save(
14 output_dir + 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4',
15 progress=True,

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in save(self, filename, remove_frames, remove_movie, progress, verbose, overwrite_existing, parallel, parallel_compute_kwargs, framerate, ffmpeg_options, gif_palette, gif_resolution_factor, gif_framerate)
522
523 # Create movie
--> 524 combine_frames_into_movie(
525 dirname,
526 moviefile,

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in combine_frames_into_movie(sourcefolder, moviename, frame_pattern, remove_frames, verbose, ffmpeg_options, framerate)
209 sourcefolder, moviename, framerate, frame_pattern, ffmpeg_options
210 )
--> 211 p = _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose=verbose)
212
213 print("Movie created at %s" % (moviename))

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose)
134 else:
135 try:
--> 136 p = _execute_command(command, verbose=verbose)
137 return p
138 except RuntimeError:

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _execute_command(command, verbose, error)
116 if out_check != "":
117 # only display 10 lines, this cant be that hard?
--> 118 sys.stdout.write(out)
119 sys.stdout.flush()
120 else:

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/ipykernel/iostream.py in write(self, string)
499
500 if not isinstance(string, str):
--> 501 raise ValueError(
502 "TypeError: write() argument must be str, not {type(string)}"
503 )

ValueError: TypeError: write() argument must be str, not {type(string)}

[jbusecke]

Hi @ognancy4life, thanks for raising this issue and sorry for the long wait. Could you post the version of ffmpeg that you are using?

[ognancy4life]

Thanks for the reply, @jbusecke ! Here ya go:
ffmpeg version N-102789-g072788c46e Copyright (c) 2000-2021 the FFmpeg developers
built with Apple LLVM version 10.0.1 (clang-1001.0.46.4)
configuration:
libavutil 57. 0.100 / 57. 0.100
libavcodec 59. 1.102 / 59. 1.102
libavformat 59. 3.101 / 59. 3.101
libavdevice 59. 0.100 / 59. 0.100
libavfilter 8. 0.102 / 8. 0.102
libswscale 6. 0.100 / 6. 0.100
libswresample 4. 0.100 / 4. 0.100

[jbusecke]

Ughhh this is indeed a bit convoluted to debug. Can you try to set verbose=False and see if the movie gets created?

[jbusecke]

I think this error is just raised in this part of the code which is responsible for the printing the stdout to the notebook...

[ognancy4life]

Same as above but with verbose=False yields this, which is why I switched to verbose=True :

---

RuntimeError Traceback (most recent call last)
~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose)
135 try:
--> 136 p = _execute_command(command, verbose=verbose)
137 return p

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _execute_command(command, verbose, error)
123 if p.returncode != 0:
--> 124 raise RuntimeError("Command %s failed" % command)
125 return p

RuntimeError: Command ffmpeg -r 15 -i "output/frame_%05d.png" -y -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 10 -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 15 "output/" failed

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

RuntimeError Traceback (most recent call last)
/var/folders/77/krt31b_92xg9grw6m3r25r380000mn/T/ipykernel_25142/4094402877.py in
15 # There is some kind of issue with xmovie.
16 # I raised it at #61
---> 17 mov.save(
18 output_dir,
19 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4',

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in save(self, filename, remove_frames, remove_movie, progress, verbose, overwrite_existing, parallel, parallel_compute_kwargs, framerate, ffmpeg_options, gif_palette, gif_resolution_factor, gif_framerate)
522
523 # Create movie
--> 524 combine_frames_into_movie(
525 dirname,
526 moviefile,

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in combine_frames_into_movie(sourcefolder, moviename, frame_pattern, remove_frames, verbose, ffmpeg_options, framerate)
209 sourcefolder, moviename, framerate, frame_pattern, ffmpeg_options
210 )
--> 211 p = _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose=verbose)
212
213 print("Movie created at %s" % (moviename))

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose)
137 return p
138 except RuntimeError:
--> 139 raise RuntimeError(
140 "Something has gone wrong. Use verbose=True to check if ffmpeg displays a problem"
141 )

RuntimeError: Something has gone wrong. Use verbose=True to check if ffmpeg displays a problem

[jbusecke]

Lol, that isnt the most helpful advice, huh?

Can you try to run ffmpeg -r 15 -i "output/frame_%05d.png" -y -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 10 -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 15 "output/" in the terminal? I feel there might be something wrong with the filename?

[jbusecke]

Can you pass an explicit string instead of `output_dir + 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4' to test?

[ognancy4life]

(base) MacBook-Pro-2:Saildrone_python williams$ ffmpeg -r 15 -i "output/frame_%05d.png" -y -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 10 -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 15 "output/"
ffmpeg version N-102789-g072788c46e Copyright (c) 2000-2021 the FFmpeg developers
built with Apple LLVM version 10.0.1 (clang-1001.0.46.4)
configuration:
libavutil 57. 0.100 / 57. 0.100
libavcodec 59. 1.102 / 59. 1.102
libavformat 59. 3.101 / 59. 3.101
libavdevice 59. 0.100 / 59. 0.100
libavfilter 8. 0.102 / 8. 0.102
libswscale 6. 0.100 / 6. 0.100
libswresample 4. 0.100 / 4. 0.100
Unrecognized option 'preset'.
Error splitting the argument list: Option not found

[ognancy4life]

And:

mov = Movie(
SSH.sla.sel(
longitude=slice(0,150),
time=slice("2019-05-01", "2019-08-2")
),
cmap='RdBu',
vmin=-.3, vmax=.3,
levels=41,
plotmethod='contourf',
extend='both'
)
mov.preview(30) # To preview a specific frame

mov.save(
'output/SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4',
progress=True,
overwrite_existing=True,
verbose=False
)

100%
94/94 [01:05<00:00, 1.23it/s]

RuntimeError Traceback (most recent call last)
~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose)
135 try:
--> 136 p = _execute_command(command, verbose=verbose)
137 return p

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _execute_command(command, verbose, error)
123 if p.returncode != 0:
--> 124 raise RuntimeError("Command %s failed" % command)
125 return p

RuntimeError: Command ffmpeg -r 15 -i "output/frame_%05d.png" -y -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 10 -pix_fmt yuv420p -r 15 "output/SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4" failed

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

RuntimeError Traceback (most recent call last)
/var/folders/77/krt31b_92xg9grw6m3r25r380000mn/T/ipykernel_25142/1961350411.py in
15 # There is some kind of issue with xmovie.
16 # I raised it at #61
---> 17 mov.save(
18 'output/SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4',
19 progress=True,

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in save(self, filename, remove_frames, remove_movie, progress, verbose, overwrite_existing, parallel, parallel_compute_kwargs, framerate, ffmpeg_options, gif_palette, gif_resolution_factor, gif_framerate)
522
523 # Create movie
--> 524 combine_frames_into_movie(
525 dirname,
526 moviefile,

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in combine_frames_into_movie(sourcefolder, moviename, frame_pattern, remove_frames, verbose, ffmpeg_options, framerate)
209 sourcefolder, moviename, framerate, frame_pattern, ffmpeg_options
210 )
--> 211 p = _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose=verbose)
212
213 print("Movie created at %s" % (moviename))

~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmovie/core.py in _check_ffmpeg_execute(command, verbose)
137 return p
138 except RuntimeError:
--> 139 raise RuntimeError(
140 "Something has gone wrong. Use verbose=True to check if ffmpeg displays a problem"
141 )

RuntimeError: Something has gone wrong. Use verbose=True to check if ffmpeg displays a problem

[jbusecke]

This suggests to me that there is something incompatible with the version of ffmpeg you have installed. Could you try to install a new version via conda/mamba?

$conda install -c conda-forge ffmpeg

[ognancy4life]

OK, I installed that version of ffmpeg and ran it a few ways:

1. with output_dir, 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4' and I still got that error "ValueError: TypeError: write() argument must be str, not {type(string)}" and no video.
2. with output_dir + 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4' and still got the error "ValueError: TypeError: write() argument must be str, not {type(string)}" but it made the video!
3. with just 'SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4' and no directory. still gives the error "ValueError: TypeError: write() argument must be str, not {type(string)}" and produces the video but not where I want it.
4. with 'output/SLA2019_Saildrone_movie.mp4' gives the error "ValueError: TypeError: write() argument must be str, not {type(string)}" but it made the video!

So, it's working but with an error. Thanks and let me know if you want me to try anything else to help diagnose the issue!

[jbusecke]

Ooof that is frustrating, sorry. These were all run with 'verbose=True'?

I think this is then purely an issue with printing the ffmpeg output to the notebook, since 2.-4. produce a video.

1. I wouldnt expect to work, because we need a full filename as one string.

[ognancy4life]

No worries here! Thanks for your help! I am running this in a notebook so it's fine, I can just skip past the error. Would this type of error interrupt a .py script if someone were running that way?

[jbusecke]

Good question. I dont thing so? But that would need some testing.