[dist] Update Windows dependencies, drop MoviePy

MoviePy is non-VFR compliant and rarely used. It might be useful for
some types of inputs however so if we can sort out the duplicated
ffmpeg.exe issue before release we can add it back in, otherwise
it's a stretch goal for now.

Author: Breakthrough

.github/workflows/build-windows.yml

@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ["3.13"]
 
     env:
-      ffmpeg-version: "7.1"
-      IMAGEIO_FFMPEG_EXE: ""
+      ffmpeg-version: "8.1"
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v5
@@ -70,7 +69,11 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           7z e ffmpeg-${{ env.ffmpeg-version }}-full_build.7z ffmpeg.exe -r
-          echo "IMAGEIO_FFMPEG_EXE=`realpath ffmpeg.exe`" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          export PATH="$(pwd):$PATH"
+          # moviepy.config resolves ffmpeg via imageio_ffmpeg at import time; `--no-binary`
+          # strips the bundled binary, so point at the GyanD ffmpeg we just extracted
+          # for both pytest and the subsequent pyinstaller step.
+          echo "IMAGEIO_FFMPEG_EXE=$(realpath ffmpeg.exe)" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           python -m pytest -vv
 
       - name: Build PySceneDetect

.github/workflows/publish-pypi.yml

@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ jobs:
                 core.setFailed(`Workflow "${workflowName}" did not succeed for tag ${tag}. Conclusion was "${workflowConclusions[workflowName].conclusion}". See: ${workflowConclusions[workflowName].html_url}`);
                 allSuccess = false;
               } else {
-                console.log(`✅ Workflow "${workflowName}" succeeded for tag ${tag}.`);
+                console.log(`[OK] Workflow "${workflowName}" succeeded for tag ${tag}.`);
               }
             }
 

RELEASE-PLAN.md

@@ -33,14 +33,14 @@ Version referenced below as `X.Y[.Z]` - replace with the real version throughout
 
 - [ ] Unit tests green locally and in CI: `pytest -vv` (should collect `-m 'not release'` by default).
 - [ ] `ruff check scenedetect/ tests/` and `ruff format --check scenedetect/ tests/` pass.
-- [ ] Release test suite green: tag a disposable `vX.Y.Z-release-rc` or use `workflow_dispatch` on `.github/workflows/release-test.yml` - all 4 jobs (`static`, `release-tests`, `install-matrix`, `long-stress`) green across the 3-OS × 2-Python matrix. See `RELEASE-TEST-PLAN.md` for what the suite covers.
+- [ ] Release test suite green: tag a disposable `vX.Y.Z-release-rc` or use `workflow_dispatch` on `.github/workflows/release-test.yml` - all 4 jobs (`static`, `release-tests`, `install-matrix`, `long-stress`) green across the 3-OS x 2-Python matrix. See `RELEASE-TEST-PLAN.md` for what the suite covers.
 - [ ] `resources` branch has the artifacts the release tests need (goldens under `tests/resources/goldens/`, `tests/resources/stress_15min.mp4`). Re-push if any golden was regenerated.
 - [ ] Manual smoke: fresh venv, `pip install .` (pulls opencv-python automatically) then `pip install .[pyav]`; run `scenedetect -i <video> detect-content list-scenes save-images` and eyeball the output. Repeat after `python packaging/build_headless.py && pip install .` to verify the headless variant.
 - [ ] `pip-audit` clean (or exceptions documented in the changelog).
 
 ## 5. Windows installer
 
-- [ ] `python scripts/pre_release.py --release` passes (enforces `.aip` ↔ `__version__` parity, writes `packaging/windows/.version_info`).
+- [ ] `python scripts/pre_release.py --release` passes (enforces `.aip` <-> `__version__` parity, writes `packaging/windows/.version_info`).
 - [ ] `pyinstaller packaging/windows/scenedetect.spec` produces a working `scenedetect.exe` - run it against a sample video.
 - [ ] `python scripts/stage_windows_dist.py --ffmpeg-dir <dir> --portable-zip` populates `dist/scenedetect/` with ffmpeg, third-party licenses, sphinx docs, and emits the portable `.zip`. Pass `--ffmpeg-dir` pointing at a recent extracted [GyanD codexffmpeg](https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases) build; omit it only for offline builds (uses the bundled `packaging/windows/thirdparty.7z` with a stub `LICENSE-FFMPEG`).
 - [ ] `python scripts/bump_installer.py --sync-files` and commit the .aip diff (refreshes the APPDIR baseline so CI's per-build `--sync-only` diff stays small).
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ Version referenced below as `X.Y[.Z]` - replace with the real version throughout
 
 > **GUI required for structural changes.** `scripts/bump_installer.py` covers routine version bumps and `--sync-files` covers dependency-driven file-list changes, but anything that touches the *project structure* of the .aip still needs the AdvancedInstaller GUI. Examples:
 >
-> - Moving the .aip or its source tree (the build's `SourcePath` references are stored relative to the .aip and aren't rewritten by `/NewSync` - cf. the `dist/installer/` → `packaging/windows/installer/` move that broke the relative paths until they were edited in the GUI).
+> - Moving the .aip or its source tree (the build's `SourcePath` references are stored relative to the .aip and aren't rewritten by `/NewSync` - cf. the `dist/installer/` -> `packaging/windows/installer/` move that broke the relative paths until they were edited in the GUI).
 > - Adding/removing build configurations, features, or prerequisites.
 > - Editing dialog layouts, branding bitmaps, install sequences, custom actions, file associations, or shortcuts.
 > - Changing `UpgradeCode`, install directory layout (`APPDIR` location), or per-component attributes.

appveyor.yml

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ environment:
     secure: QRCPoNYF1nqgXDn7pHgBzg==
   ai_license_salt:
     secure: +Gy+SRk8JUsaM+5pMEKITiJxdLilrxHpkKlrZzR3C9DPwdgYLGxt5sJn6uXuAJg7e6JsKHcT7tRks/HcSKkHPw==
-  ffmpeg_version: "8.0"
+  ffmpeg_version: "8.1"
 
 # SignPath Config for Code Signing
 deploy:
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ install:
   - python -m pip install --upgrade -r packaging/windows/requirements.txt --no-binary imageio-ffmpeg
   - appveyor DownloadFile https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases/download/%ffmpeg_version%/ffmpeg-%ffmpeg_version%-full_build.7z
   - 7z e ffmpeg-%ffmpeg_version%-full_build.7z -odist/ffmpeg ffmpeg.exe LICENSE -r
+  # moviepy.config reads FFMPEG_BINARY (which routes through imageio_ffmpeg) at import time.
+  # `--no-binary imageio-ffmpeg` strips the bundled ffmpeg, so point it at the GyanD copy
+  # we just extracted; otherwise pre_release.py and pyinstaller analysis crash on
+  # `import scenedetect`. The runtime hook (pyi_rth_scenedetect.py) does the same at exe runtime.
   - 'SET IMAGEIO_FFMPEG_EXE=%APPVEYOR_BUILD_FOLDER%\\dist\\ffmpeg\\ffmpeg.exe'
 
   - echo * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

packaging/windows/pyi_rth_scenedetect.py

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#
+#         PySceneDetect: Python-Based Video Scene Detector
+#   ---------------------------------------------------------------
+#     [  Site: http://www.bcastell.com/projects/PySceneDetect/   ]
+#     [  Github: https://github.com/Breakthrough/PySceneDetect/  ]
+#     [  Documentation: http://www.scenedetect.com/docs/         ]
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Brandon Castellano <http://www.bcastell.com>.
+#
+# Runtime hook: redirect imageio_ffmpeg and moviepy to the bundled ffmpeg.exe (staged next to
+# scenedetect.exe) so we ship a single copy of ffmpeg. Runs before any user imports, which is
+# required because moviepy.config reads FFMPEG_BINARY at import time.
+
+
+def _pyi_rthook():
+    import os
+    import sys
+
+    bundle_dir = os.path.dirname(sys.executable)
+    ffmpeg_exe = os.path.join(bundle_dir, "ffmpeg.exe")
+    if os.path.isfile(ffmpeg_exe):
+        os.environ["IMAGEIO_FFMPEG_EXE"] = ffmpeg_exe
+        os.environ.setdefault("FFMPEG_BINARY", ffmpeg_exe)
+        os.environ["PATH"] = bundle_dir + os.pathsep + os.environ.get("PATH", "")
+
+
+_pyi_rthook()
+del _pyi_rthook

packaging/windows/requirements.txt

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 # PySceneDetect Requirements for Windows Build
-av==14.2.0
-click==8.1.8
-opencv-python-headless==4.11.0.86
+av==17.0.1
+click==8.2.1
 imageio-ffmpeg==0.6.0
-moviepy==2.1.2
-numpy==2.2.3
-platformdirs==4.3.6
-tqdm==4.67.1
+moviepy==2.2.1
+opencv-python-headless==4.13.0.92
+numpy==2.4.4
+platformdirs==4.9.6
+tqdm==4.67.3
 
 # Build-only and test-only requirements.
 pyinstaller

packaging/windows/scenedetect.spec

@@ -1,7 +1,19 @@
 # -*- mode: python -*-
 
+import os
+
+from PyInstaller.utils.hooks import copy_metadata
+
 block_cipher = None
 
+# moviepy/imageio resolve their own version via importlib.metadata at import time,
+# which needs the dist-info dirs bundled alongside the modules.
+_metadata = (
+    copy_metadata('moviepy')
+    + copy_metadata('imageio')
+    + copy_metadata('imageio_ffmpeg')
+)
+
 
 a = Analysis(['../../scenedetect/__main__.py'],
              pathex=['.'],
@@ -11,15 +23,30 @@ a = Analysis(['../../scenedetect/__main__.py'],
                 ('README.txt', '.'),
                 ('../../LICENSE', '.'),
                 ('../../scenedetect.cfg', '.')
-            ],
-             hiddenimports=[],
+            ] + _metadata,
+             hiddenimports=['moviepy', 'imageio', 'imageio_ffmpeg'],
              hookspath=[],
-             runtime_hooks=[],
+             runtime_hooks=['packaging/windows/pyi_rth_scenedetect.py'],
              excludes=[],
              win_no_prefer_redirects=False,
              win_private_assemblies=False,
              cipher=block_cipher)
 
+# Drop imageio_ffmpeg's bundled ffmpeg-*.exe so we don't ship two copies of
+# ffmpeg. The runtime hook (pyi_rth_scenedetect.py) redirects imageio_ffmpeg
+# and moviepy at the GyanD ffmpeg.exe staged next to scenedetect.exe by
+# scripts/stage_windows_dist.py. Keep __init__.py — pyinstaller-hooks-contrib
+# declares `imageio_ffmpeg.binaries` as a hidden import, so the package still
+# has to be importable.
+def _drop_bundled_ffmpeg(toc):
+    # TOC dest paths use the OS-native separator, so normalize before matching.
+    prefix = 'imageio_ffmpeg' + os.sep + 'binaries' + os.sep
+    return [t for t in toc if not (
+        t[0].startswith(prefix) and not t[0].endswith('__init__.py')
+    )]
+a.binaries = _drop_bundled_ffmpeg(a.binaries)
+a.datas = _drop_bundled_ffmpeg(a.datas)
+
 pyz = PYZ(a.pure, a.zipped_data,
              cipher=block_cipher)
 exe = EXE(pyz,

tests/release/synthetic.py

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 def generate_vfr_swing(output_path: str):
     """Generates a VFR video with three segments separated by visible luma steps.
 
-    Segments: black @ 1 fps (5s) → gray @ 60 fps (5s) → white @ 1 fps (5s).
+    Segments: black @ 1 fps (5s) -> gray @ 60 fps (5s) -> white @ 1 fps (5s).
     Solid colors make the cuts unambiguous for ContentDetector; mixed rates
     exercise the VFR code path. Boundary timestamps: 5.0s and 10.0s.
     """

tests/release/test_backends.py

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def test_cross_backend_consistency(rel_path, is_vfr):
         )
         if is_vfr:
             for a, e in zip(actual, expected, strict=True):
-                # Tolerance: ~one frame at 30 fps. Plan calls for ±1 local-frame-duration;
+                # Tolerance: ~one frame at 30 fps. Plan calls for +/-1 local-frame-duration;
                 # 50 ms is a conservative superset that still catches real drift.
                 assert abs(a - e) < 0.05, (
                     f"VFR timestamp drift between {backend} and {reference}: {a} vs {e}"

tests/release/test_long_video.py

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def monitor_memory():
         stop_event.set()
         monitor_thread.join()
 
-    # Assert peak RSS ≤ 3x baseline
+    # Assert peak RSS <= 3x baseline
     # Some increase is expected due to internal buffering, but not 3x for 480p.
     assert peak_rss[0] <= 3 * baseline_rss, (
         f"Memory leak suspected: Peak RSS {peak_rss[0]} > 3x Baseline RSS {baseline_rss}"