Startup fails with ffmpeg installed and video transformations configured

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install ffmpeg tool;
2. Uncomment video-thumbnail-context.xml.sample to video-thumbnail-context.xml in tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension;
3. Uncomment video-transformation-context.xml.sample to video-transformation-context.xml in tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension;
4. Set the correct path to ffmpeg, i.e. set the following property in alfresco-global.properties:

ffmpeg.exe=/usr/bin/ffmpeg

5. Start Alfresco server.

Expected Result: Alfresco server is started successfully.

Observed Result: Alfresco server fails to start due to error:

2013-04-04 11:28:38,629 ERROR [web.context.ContextLoader] [localhost-startStop-1] Context initialization failed
org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'transformer.worker.ffmpeg.thumbnail' defined in file [/opt/alfresco-4.2.0/tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension/video-thumbnail-context.xml]: Error setting property values; nested exception is org.springframework.beans.PropertyBatchUpdateException; nested PropertyAccessExceptions (1) are:
PropertyAccessException 1: org.springframework.beans.MethodInvocationException: Property 'explicitTransformations' threw exception; nested exception is java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.applyPropertyValues(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1361)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.populateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1086)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:517)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:456)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:291)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:222)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:288)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:190)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:580)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:895)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:425)
at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.createWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:276)
at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.initWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:197)
at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:47)
at org.alfresco.web.app.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:63)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4797)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.startInternal(StandardContext.java:5291)
at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:150)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:901)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:877)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:633)
at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDirectory(HostConfig.java:1114)
at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig$DeployDirectory.run(HostConfig.java:1673)
at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:471)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask$Sync.innerRun(FutureTask.java:334)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:166)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:722)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.PropertyBatchUpdateException; nested PropertyAccessExceptions (1) are:
PropertyAccessException 1: org.springframework.beans.MethodInvocationException: Property 'explicitTransformations' threw exception; nested exception is java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.springframework.beans.AbstractPropertyAccessor.setPropertyValues(AbstractPropertyAccessor.java:102)
at org.springframework.beans.AbstractPropertyAccessor.setPropertyValues(AbstractPropertyAccessor.java:58)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.applyPropertyValues(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1358)
... 28 more

Notes:

• Please, refer to the attached logs for more details.
• Worked OK on 4.1.4 (b36).

ChristinaSh