How do I use ffmpeg to pause a stream?

Tech QnA
1

I want to pause the stream for a while, but I’m not sure how. Is there a specific command to do this? If so, could you kindly let me know?

2

Yes, to pause a stream using FFmpeg, you can use the “setpts” filter to slow down the stream to a halt.

Refer to this link if you face further issues regarding live streaming

3

Can you please give me an example of how to use this filter if possible?

4

Here is an example command that will pause a stream and save the output to a file:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf “setpts=1000000/1” output.mp4
This command will take the input stream “input.mp4” and apply the “setpts” filter with a value of “1000000/1”, which will effectively pause the stream by slowing it down to a halt. The output will be saved to a file named “output.mp4”.

5

This means the same filter will be used to speed up the stream, am I right?

6

Absolutely yes, you can also use the “setpts” filter to slow down or speed up a stream by setting the value to a fraction different from “1/1”. For example, to play the stream at half speed, you can use the following command:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf “setpts=1/2” output.mp4I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.