README

If you want to stream quicktime or mpeg movies without a special
streaming server, you need special "fast start" movies.
Most encoders, like ffmpeg or mencoder won't create "fast start" movies
and most tools to convert existing movies suck.

This is a simple and portable Python script that converts a quicktime
movie to a fast start streaming version.

usage:
$ qtfs.py <infile> <outfile>

Technical details;
Quicktime movies consist of so-called "atoms".
The atom containing the index (the "moov" atom) is usualy at the end of
the file. To stream, you first need the "moov"

Print the atom tree with like this:
$ ./qtfs.py BOcf3mPCsbk.mp4        
 [ftyp @0 len:32]
 [moov @20 len:77293]
        [mvhd @28 len:108]
        [trak @94 len:37089]
                [tkhd @9C len:92]
                [mdia @F8 len:36989]
                        [mdhd @100 len:32]
                        [hdlr @120 len:45]
                        [minf @14D len:36904]
                                [vmhd @155 len:20]
                                [dinf @169 len:36]
                                        [dref @171 len:28]
                                [stbl @18D len:36840]
                                        [stsd @195 len:148]
                                        [stts @229 len:24]
                                        [stss @241 len:468]
                                        [stsc @415 len:28]
                                        [stsz @431 len:18084]
                                        [stco @4AD5 len:18080]
        [trak @9175 len:40088]
                [tkhd @917D len:92]
                [mdia @91D9 len:39988]
                        [mdhd @91E1 len:32]
                        [hdlr @9201 len:45]
                        [minf @922E len:39903]
                                [smhd @9236 len:16]
                                [dinf @9246 len:36]
                                        [dref @924E len:28]
                                [stbl @926A len:39843]
                                        [stsd @9272 len:91]
                                        [stts @92CD len:24]
                                        [stsc @92E5 len:28]
                                        [stsz @9301 len:19848]
                                        [stco @E089 len:19844]
 [free @12E0D len:8]
 [mdat @12E15 len:5390399]