M: I need to modify a ffmpeg script to make it output in 4 to 3 ratio. It’s an old game system being run through an HDMI adapter. The current script that works has this command; vid.txt is a concatenation list. The keyboard is fighting me, so don’t worry about getting everything completely right – I just need the syntax and placement of flags in order to do what I need to do. ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -I vid.txt -vcodec copy -acodec copy “merge.mov “

G: Got it. Since you want to force the output video into a 4:3 aspect ratio, but you're currently just copying the streams (-vcodec copy), you’ll need to re-encode the video to modify its dimensions or aspect ratio metadata.

Here are two common ways to force 4:3 output:

Option 1: Set Display Aspect Ratio (without resizing)

If you just want to tell players to treat the video as 4:3 (without stretching or cropping), set the display aspect ratio:

ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i vid.txt -vf "setdar=4/3" -acodec copy -vcodec libx264 merge.mov

-vf "setdar=4/3" sets the Display Aspect Ratio.
-vcodec libx264 re-encodes the video (you can't use -vcodec copy when applying filters).
You can also add -crf 18 (or so) for near-lossless quality.

Option 2: Resize to actual 4:3 resolution (e.g., 960x720)

If you want to resize the video to be physically 4:3:

ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i vid.txt -vf "scale=960:720" -acodec copy -vcodec libx264 merge.mov

Replace 960:720 with any 4:3 resolution that fits your output preference.
Again, you may add -crf 18 or -preset fast for quality and speed control.

Note: -i, not -I, is the correct lowercase flag for input files.

Let me know if you want letterboxing instead of cropping/stretching.

M: What was the analog resolution of a PS2?

G: The PlayStation 2 (PS2) had variable resolutions depending on the game and region, but most games rendered at:

NTSC regions (e.g., US, Japan):
- 640×448, 640×480, or 512×448 were common internal framebuffers.
- Output was typically 480i (interlaced) or 480p (progressive scan) over component cables.
PAL regions (e.g., Europe):
- 576i output at 720×576 was standard for interlaced mode.

However, many games rendered internally at lower resolutions like 512×448, then were scaled to fit 480i/480p outputs.

Analog aspect ratio was 4:3 for most games, though a few supported anamorphic widescreen (16:9). The analog output used:

Composite/S-Video/Component signals
Standard-definition TV formats (SDTV)

So for emulation or capture purposes, treat 640×480 @ 4:3 as the PS2’s most faithful general output.

M: What flag would make the quote do you want to replace an existing file” dialogue automatically answer no

G: In ffmpeg, to automatically answer "no" when asked whether to overwrite an existing file, use the flag:

-n

So your command would look like:

ffmpeg -n -f concat -safe 0 -i vid.txt -vf "setdar=4/3" -acodec copy -vcodec libx264 merge.mov

This prevents overwriting if merge.mov already exists. It exits with an error instead of prompting.