add automated dumping. command line example:

bizhawk.multiclient --dump-type=ffmpeg --dump-name=foobar.avi --dump-length=1000

type is one of 'vfwavi' (doesn't work), 'ffmpeg', 'jmd', 'nut', 'wave'
name is filename to dump to; might be auto-modified to add segment split names (_00, _01, etc)
length is length of dump in frames after which it auto-stops.  if omitted, set to be equal to the length of the movie loaded with --movie, or if not that, it runs forever (can be stopped from UI)

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/AviWriter.cs

@@ -669,6 +669,19 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		{
 			return "avi";
 		}
+
+
+
+
+		public void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken()
+		{
+			throw new NotImplementedException();
+		}
+
+		public string ShortName()
+		{
+			return "vfwavi";
+		}
 	}
 }
 

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/FFmpegWriter.cs

@@ -232,6 +232,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 
 		public void Dispose()
 		{
+			if (ffmpeg != null)
+				CloseFile();
 		}
 
 
@@ -274,5 +276,16 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			// this needs to interface with the codec token
 			return token.defaultext;
 		}
+
+
+		public void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken()
+		{
+			this.token = FFmpegWriterForm.FormatPreset.GetDefaultPreset();
+		}
+
+		public string ShortName()
+		{
+			return "ffmpeg";
+		}
 	}
 }

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/FFmpegWriterForm.cs

@@ -79,6 +79,26 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 				};
 			}
 
+			/// <summary>
+			/// get the default format preset (from config files)
+			/// </summary>
+			/// <returns></returns>
+			public static FormatPreset GetDefaultPreset()
+			{
+				FormatPreset[] fps = GetPresets();
+
+				foreach (var fp in fps)
+				{
+					if (fp.ToString() == Global.Config.VideoWriter)
+					{
+						if (fp.custom)
+							return fp;
+					}
+				}
+				// default to xvid?
+				return fps[1];
+			}
+
 			public void Dispose()
 			{
 			}

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/IVideoWriter.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using BizHawk.MultiClient;
 
 namespace BizHawk
 {
@@ -11,6 +12,11 @@ namespace BizHawk
         /// </summary>
         void SetVideoCodecToken(IDisposable token);
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// sets to a default video codec token without calling any UI - for automated dumping
+		/// </summary>
+		void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken();
+
 
         // why no OpenFile(IEnumerator<string>) ?
         // different video writers may have different ideas of how and why splitting is to occur
@@ -83,5 +89,50 @@ namespace BizHawk
 		/// what default extension this writer would like to put on its output
 		/// </summary>
 		string DesiredExtension();
+		/// <summary>
+		/// name that command line parameters can refer to
+		/// </summary>
+		/// <returns></returns>
+		string ShortName();
+    }
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// contains methods to find all IVideoWriter
+	/// </summary>
+	public static class VideoWriterInventory
+	{
+		public static IEnumerable<IVideoWriter> GetAllVideoWriters()
+		{
+			var ret = new IVideoWriter[]
+			{ 
+				new AviWriter(),
+				new JMDWriter(),
+				new WavWriterV(),
+				new FFmpegWriter(),
+				new NutWriter()
+			};
+			return ret;
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// find an IVideoWriter by its short name
+		/// </summary>
+		/// <param name="name"></param>
+		/// <returns></returns>
+		public static IVideoWriter GetVideoWriter(string name)
+		{
+			IVideoWriter ret = null;
+
+			var vws = GetAllVideoWriters();
+
+			foreach (var vw in vws)
+				if (vw.ShortName() == name)
+					ret = vw;
+
+			foreach (var vw in vws)
+				if (vw != ret)
+					vw.Dispose();
+			return ret;
+		}
 	}
 }

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/JMDWriter.cs

@@ -780,5 +780,26 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		{
 			return "jmd";
 		}
+
+
+		public void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken()
+		{
+			CodecToken ct = new CodecToken();
+
+			// load from config and sanitize
+			int t = Math.Min(Math.Max(Global.Config.JMDThreads, 1), 6);
+
+			int c = Math.Min(Math.Max(Global.Config.JMDCompression, Deflater.NO_COMPRESSION), Deflater.BEST_COMPRESSION);
+
+			ct.compressionlevel = c;
+			ct.numthreads = t;
+
+			token = ct;
+		}
+
+		public string ShortName()
+		{
+			return "jmd";
+		}
 	}
 }

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/NutWriter.cs

@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			}
 		}
 
-
 		public void SetVideoCodecToken(IDisposable token)
 		{
 			// ignored
@@ -122,9 +121,11 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 
 		public void Dispose()
 		{
+			if (current != null)
+				endsegment();
+			baseName = null;
 		}
 
-
 		public override string ToString()
 		{
 			return ".nut writer";
@@ -139,5 +140,16 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		{
 			return "nut";
 		}
+
+
+		public void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken()
+		{
+			// ignored
+		}
+
+		public string ShortName()
+		{
+			return "nut";
+		}
 	}
 }

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/VideoWriterChooserForm.cs

@@ -25,14 +25,17 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		/// <param name="list">list of IVideoWriters to choose from</param>
 		/// <param name="owner">parent window</param>
 		/// <returns>user choice, or null on Cancel\Close\invalid</returns>
-		public static IVideoWriter DoVideoWriterChoserDlg(IVideoWriter[] list, IWin32Window owner)
+		public static IVideoWriter DoVideoWriterChoserDlg(IEnumerable<IVideoWriter> list, IWin32Window owner)
 		{
 			VideoWriterChooserForm dlg = new VideoWriterChooserForm();
 
 			dlg.label1.Text = "Description:";
 			dlg.label2.Text = "";
 
-			dlg.listBox1.Items.AddRange(list);
+			dlg.listBox1.BeginUpdate();
+			foreach (var vw in list)
+				dlg.listBox1.Items.Add(vw);
+			dlg.listBox1.EndUpdate();
 
 			int i = dlg.listBox1.FindStringExact(Global.Config.VideoWriter);
 			if (i != ListBox.NoMatches)
@@ -61,6 +64,5 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			else
 				label2.Text = "";
 		}
-
 	}
 }

BizHawk.MultiClient/AVOut/WavWriter.cs

@@ -283,5 +283,16 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		{
 			return "wav";
 		}
+
+
+		public void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken()
+		{
+			// don't use codec tokens, so don't care
+		}
+
+		public string ShortName()
+		{
+			return "wave";
+		}
 	}
 }

BizHawk.MultiClient/MainForm.cs

@@ -82,6 +82,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		public LuaConsole LuaConsole1 = new LuaConsole();
 #endif
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// number of frames to autodump
+		/// </summary>
+		int autoDumpLength = 0;
+
+
 		public MainForm(string[] args)
 		{
 			Global.MovieSession = new MovieSession();
@@ -168,6 +174,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			string cmdRom = null;
 			string cmdLoadState = null;
 			string cmdMovie = null;
+			string cmdDumpType = null;
+			string cmdDumpName = null;
+
 			for (int i = 0; i < args.Length; i++)
 			{
 				//for some reason sometimes visual studio will pass this to us on the commandline. it makes no sense.
@@ -184,6 +193,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 					cmdLoadState = arg.Substring(arg.IndexOf('=') + 1);
 				else if (arg.StartsWith("--movie="))
 					cmdMovie = arg.Substring(arg.IndexOf('=') + 1);
+				else if (arg.StartsWith("--dump-type="))
+					cmdDumpType = arg.Substring(arg.IndexOf('=') + 1);
+				else if (arg.StartsWith("--dump-name="))
+					cmdDumpName = arg.Substring(arg.IndexOf('=') + 1);
+				else if (arg.StartsWith("--dump-length="))
+					int.TryParse(arg.Substring(arg.IndexOf('=') + 1), out autoDumpLength);
 				else
 					cmdRom = arg;
 			}
@@ -208,6 +223,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 				{
 					Movie m = new Movie(cmdMovie, MOVIEMODE.PLAY);
 					ReadOnly = true;
+					// if user is dumping and didnt supply dump length, make it as long as the loaded movie
+					if (autoDumpLength == 0)
+						autoDumpLength = m.LogLength();
 					StartNewMovie(m, false);
 					Global.Config.RecentMovies.Add(cmdMovie);
 				}
@@ -268,6 +286,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 				debuggerToolStripMenuItem.Enabled = false;
 				//luaConsoleToolStripMenuItem.Enabled = false;
 			}
+
+			// start dumping, if appropriate
+			if (cmdDumpType != null && cmdDumpName != null)
+			{
+				RecordAVI(cmdDumpType, cmdDumpName);
+			}
 		}
 
 		/// <summary>
@@ -1966,6 +1990,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 
 					CurrAviWriter.AddFrame(Global.Emulator.VideoProvider);
 					CurrAviWriter.AddSamples(temp);
+
+					if (autoDumpLength > 0)
+					{
+						autoDumpLength--;
+						if (autoDumpLength == 0) // finish
+							StopAVI();
+					}
 				}
 
 
@@ -2762,21 +2793,65 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			if (Global.Config.SaveSlot == 9) StatusSlot9.BackColor = SystemColors.ControlLightLight;
 		}
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// start avi recording, unattended
+		/// </summary>
+		/// <param name="videowritername">match the short name of an ivideowriter</param>
+		/// <param name="filename">filename to save to</param>
+		public void RecordAVI(string videowritername, string filename)
+		{
+			_RecordAVI(videowritername, filename, true);
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// start avi recording, asking user for filename and options
+		/// </summary>
 		public void RecordAVI()
+		{
+			_RecordAVI(null, null, false);
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// start avi recording
+		/// </summary>
+		/// <param name="videowritername"></param>
+		/// <param name="filename"></param>
+		/// <param name="unattended"></param>
+		private void _RecordAVI(string videowritername, string filename, bool unattended)
 		{
 			if (CurrAviWriter != null) return;
 
 			// select IVideoWriter to use
+			IVideoWriter aw = null;
+			var writers = VideoWriterInventory.GetAllVideoWriters();
+
+			if (unattended)
+			{
+				foreach (var w in writers)
+				{
+					if (w.ShortName() == videowritername)
+					{
+						aw = w;
+						break;
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				aw = VideoWriterChooserForm.DoVideoWriterChoserDlg(writers, Global.MainForm);
+			}
 
-			var writers = new IVideoWriter[]{new AviWriter(), new JMDWriter(), new WavWriterV(), new FFmpegWriter(), new NutWriter()};
-			IVideoWriter aw = VideoWriterChooserForm.DoVideoWriterChoserDlg(writers, Global.MainForm);
 			foreach (var w in writers)
 			{
 				if (w != aw)
 					w.Dispose();
 			}
+
 			if (aw == null)
 			{
+				if (unattended)
+					Global.OSD.AddMessage(string.Format("Couldn't start video writer \"{0}\"", videowritername));
+				else
 					Global.OSD.AddMessage("A/V capture canceled.");
 				return;
 			}
@@ -2789,7 +2864,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 
 				// select codec token
 				// do this before save dialog because ffmpeg won't know what extension it wants until it's been configured
-
+				if (unattended)
+				{
+					aw.SetDefaultVideoCodecToken();
+				}
+				else
+				{
 					var token = aw.AcquireVideoCodecToken(Global.MainForm);
 					if (token == null)
 					{
@@ -2798,9 +2878,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 						return;
 					}
 					aw.SetVideoCodecToken(token);
+				}
 
 				// select file to save to
-
+				if (unattended)
+				{
+					aw.OpenFile(filename);
+				}
+				else
+				{
 					var sfd = new SaveFileDialog();
 					if (!(Global.Emulator is NullEmulator))
 					{
@@ -2823,8 +2909,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 						aw.Dispose();
 						return;
 					}
-
 					aw.OpenFile(sfd.FileName);
+				}
 
 				//commit the avi writing last, in case there were any errors earlier
 				CurrAviWriter = aw;
@@ -2852,6 +2938,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 				return;
 			}
 			CurrAviWriter.CloseFile();
+			CurrAviWriter.Dispose();
 			CurrAviWriter = null;
 			Global.OSD.AddMessage("AVI capture stopped");
 			AVIStatusLabel.Image = BizHawk.MultiClient.Properties.Resources.Blank;