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I want to know if it possible for a code to automatically format a video once uploaded by a user to my website.

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As suggested, the usual solution is to transcode on upload — i.e., accept the uploaded file, run a transcode step that writes an MP4 (H.264/AAC) and then serve that. FFmpeg is the standard open‑source tool for this job, but it needs to run on a machine where you can install or run binaries. If you’re on shared hosting (like the GoDaddy plan mentioned by ) you may not have that level of control; alternatives are a VPS/dedicated server or a managed video service. There’s also a browser-side option (ffmpeg.wasm) that can transcode before upload but has file-size and performance limits. (ffmpeg.org)

Server-side pattern (recommended for production): upload → store original → enqueue a job → worker runs FFmpeg → store the MP4 + derived assets (HLS/DASH, thumbnails) → update DB/serve. Example CLI to convert WMV → MP4 (H.264/AAC):

ffmpeg -i input.wmv -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

Tune -crf/-preset for quality vs CPU/time; include logging and a retry/timeout so a single bad file doesn’t stall workers. (ffmpeg.org)

If you can’t run FFmpeg on your host, use a managed transcoder (they handle formats, adaptive renditions and delivery). Services such as Mux, Cloudflare Stream or Cloudinary accept uploads or fetch from cloud storage, transcode to MP4/HLS/DASH, and return playback URLs — this avoids managing servers and scaling. (mux.com)

Practical tips: always keep the original file (in case you need different outputs later), do conversions asynchronously (background queue), enforce size/type limits on upload, monitor CPU/queue length, and test outputs on target browsers/devices. For quick experiments run FFmpeg locally or spin a cheap VPS (you’ll get full control to install FFmpeg and tune pipelines).

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Member Avatar for pritaeas

Explain what you mean by 'format'

Member Avatar for garyjohnson

Say I upload a video that has the extensions .wmv I want the code to format it to .mp4, while the user uploads it.

Member Avatar for pritaeas

ffmpeg ?

Member Avatar for garyjohnson

I have seen this online and dont really understand it, can this program be installed onto my hosting account?

Member Avatar for pritaeas

That is something you should ask your host.

Member Avatar for garyjohnson

I have an account with Godaddy, do you know anything about them?

Member Avatar for pritaeas

Member Avatar for garyjohnson

Well I guess that answers that question. Do you know of any other programs which could format the videos?

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