media-node comes with installation script which takes care of packages automatically.
If you think media-node is just installation script for ffmpeg related package, then I am sorry to say but you got it completely wrong till now.
Apart from packages media-node installs a small web-app, coded in node.js, which implements job-manager around ffmpeg and other packages.
rtMedia-FFMPEG addon doesn’t use PHP’s ffmpeg extension. PHP’s ffmpeg extension is not efficient way to handle encoding jobs on a high traffic site.
In case of media-node, PHP processes submit jobs for encoding and exit. Every job has a callback-url which is called upon job completion.
Another advantage is media-node can be run on different server (some customers are using a dedicated encoding server).
For users who need help with media-node setup, we offer installation service also - https://rtcamp.com/store/rtmedia-ffmpeg-media-node-setup-service/
In your case, you already have a media-node setup running I guess. [Ref - https://rtcamp.com/support/topic/cannot-get-past-sqlite-error/ ]
About “There should be another option”… We have provided two options for two different use-cases. For other cases, we have provided enough hooks in rtMedia core. If you like to solve this problem in different way, feel free to do so.
You may code a small addon which calls ffmpeg directly from PHP may be using. rtMedia already provides hooks for upload event. Make sure you read caveats before getting to this - https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Using%20FFmpeg%20from%20PHP%20scripts
We will be happy to promote your solution as well. It might help users who want direct ffmpeg calls from PHP.
So to sum up:
- You can use free encoding service. No packages will be touched on your server.
- You can use media-node. You may hire us to get it working with rtMedia in a way that other packages are not affected. Or simply run media-node on another machine.
- You can code a small PHP script which does everything you want.