Guide

FFmpeg Setup Guide

RonCoDev Video Converter uses FFmpeg for all encoding operations. FFmpeg is not bundled with the app. Follow the steps below to download, install, and configure it on Windows.

1. Download the LGPL FFmpeg binary

The LGPL build of FFmpeg is suitable for use with RonCoDev Video Converter in commercial projects. It supports the vast majority of input formats and output codecs including H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, and AAC.

  1. 1

    Go to the official FFmpeg Windows builds page:

    https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/

    This is the recommended source for Windows FFmpeg builds, maintained by Gyan Doshi.

  2. 2

    Under Release builds, download the file named:

    ffmpeg-release-essentials.zip

    This is the LGPL-licensed essentials build. It is approximately 80 MB.

2. Extract and place the binary

The zip archive contains a folder with ffmpeg.exe, ffprobe.exe, and ffplay.exe inside a bin/ subfolder.

  1. 1

    Extract the zip to a permanent location. A good choice is:

    C:\ffmpeg\
  2. 2

    After extraction, the full path to the executable should be:

    C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe
  3. 3

    You do not need to add FFmpeg to your system PATH. The app accepts a direct path to the binary in its settings.

3. Configure the path in the app

Once FFmpeg is on disk, tell the app where to find it.

  1. 1
    Open RonCoDev Video Converter.
  2. 2
    Click the Settings icon (gear icon, top-right corner of the main window).
  3. 3

    Under FFmpeg Path, click Browse and navigate to:

    C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe
  4. 4
    Click Verify. The app will run ffmpeg -version and confirm the binary is working.
  5. 5
    Click Save. You are ready to convert.
Note: The app stores the FFmpeg path in your local app settings. It is not synced to a cloud account and must be configured per machine.

4. Using the GPL binary

License notice: The GPL build of FFmpeg is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later. If you distribute software that links against or bundles GPL FFmpeg, your software must also be released under a GPL-compatible license. For most end users converting their own files, this is not an issue.

Some CPU-based encoding profiles for H.264 and H.265 (using libx264 and libx265) require the GPL build of FFmpeg because those encoders are GPL-licensed. NVIDIA hardware encoding (NVENC) works with either build.

To use the GPL build:

  1. 1

    On the same gyan.dev builds page, download:

    ffmpeg-release-full.zip

    This is the GPL full build and includes libx264, libx265, and many additional codecs. It is larger (~170 MB).

  2. 2

    Extract to a separate folder to keep it distinct from the LGPL build, for example:

    C:\ffmpeg-gpl\
  3. 3

    In the app Settings, update the FFmpeg path to:

    C:\ffmpeg-gpl\bin\ffmpeg.exe
  4. 4
    Click Verify and Save. H.264/H.265 CPU encoding profiles will now be available.
Tip: If you only need NVIDIA hardware-accelerated H.264 or H.265 (NVENC), the LGPL build is sufficient. NVENC is built into FFmpeg's core and does not require GPL codecs.

Next steps

Getting Started Guide →
Full walkthrough: add a video, convert, and preview with the built-in player.
Support →
Still stuck? Email us at support@roncodev.com