batch conversion with avidemux

Question

I managed to convert avi files to mp4 using avidemux and the result is fully satisfactory. Since I have many files to convert, I would like to batch convert them using the terminal. I found the script

#!/bin/bash
VIDEOCODEC="Xvid"
AUDIOCODEC="MP3"
for FIL in `ls *mp4 | sort` ; do
avidemux2 --video-codec $VIDEOCODEC --audio-codec $AUDIOCODEC --force-alt-h264 --load "$FIL" --save ${FIL%.*}.avi --quit
done

fom the page http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/doku.php?id=tutorial:batch_processing#command-line_only_batch_processing

but I end up with the error

./scriptAvidemuxBatch: line 5: avidemux2: command not found

I do get something working when I replace

avidemux2 --video-codec $VIDEOCODEC --audio-codec $AUDIOCODEC --force-alt-h264 --load "$FIL" --save ${FIL%.*}.mp4 --quit

by

avidemux --video-codec $VIDEOCODEC --audio-codec $AUDIOCODEC --force-alt-h264 --load "$FIL" --save ${FIL%.*}.mp4 --quit

("2" removed) but the gui still comes up and request that I click several buttons before going on with the conversion process.

My questions are:

-Is ok to change "avidemux2" to "avidemux" in the script?

-Is there a way to include the selection made when clicking the buttons in the script so the whole process can be done without my intervention?

Answer 1

1. Yes, you did the right thing.
2. The tutorial you linked to states that “AVIdemux command-line support doesn't allow you to change all possible options”, so probably: No.

Avidemux is a GUI program, if you want to benefit from bash's power just use a terminal program. Shipped with current *buntus there's avconv for that.

A batch converter is as simple as

for i in *.avi; do avconv -i "$i" "${i/%avi/mp4}"; done

You might want to add some avconv options, see here and here.