Video Uploads to Commons - Wikitech-l

4 Feb 2015

I couldn't find a tool to convert my videos from whatever format into .ogv
outside my PC box before pushing to Commons. I guess there might exist
something like that, but perhaps I can't find it. But I made one for
myself. Maybe it might be useful to others too.

I call it CommonsConvert. Upload any video format, enter username and
password, and get the video converted into .ogv format plus pushed to
Commons all in one shot. You upload the original video in whatever format,
and get it on Commons in .ogv

Some rough edges currently, such as can't/don't know/no available means to
append license to uploaded video among other issues. Working on the ones I
can asap.

It uses mwclient module via Django based on Python. Django gives user info
to Python, Python calls avconv in a subprocess, and the converted file is
relayed to Commons via mwclient module via Media Wiki API.

I think not everyone has means/technical know how/interest/time converting
videos taken on their PC  to an Ogg-Vorbis-whatever format before uploading
to Commons.

Doing the conversion on a server leaves room for user to focus on getting
videos than processing them.

I don't know if this is or will be of any interest that someone might wanna
use, but I personally would enjoy having a server sitting somewhere convert
my videos I want to save onto Commons, than using my local computer doing
that boring task.

In an email to this list a week or so ago, I 'ranted' about why commons
wants a specific format (which if not for commons, I never come across that
format anywhere), but has no provision for converting any videos thrown at
it into that format of its choice. Well....

Tool can be found here: khophi.co <http://khophi.co/commonsconvert>/
<http://khophi.co/commonsconvert>commonsconvert
<http://khophi.co/commonsconvert>

And this is sample video uploaded using the tool.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Testing_file_for_upload_last.ogv
(will be deleted soon, likely)

What I do not know or have not experimented yet is whether uploading using
the api also has the 100mb upload restriction.

Will appreciate feedback.