Well, the problem with the above, was that I did not configure libmp3lame as shared.

I uninstalled both programs, then recompiled libmp3lame with shared enabled, made and installed, did same with mplayer (for mencoder)

Now it does something more than it did before, but not much.

I get a zero-byte flv file.

Here's the command line feedback:

[root@clicker1 flvtool2-1.0.6]# /usr/local/bin/mencoder /home/thewall_net/public_html/video/12.wmv -o /home/thewall_net/public_html/flvideo/12.flv -of lavf -oac mp3lame -lameopts abr:br=56 -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=flv:vbitrate=500:mbd=2:mv0:trell:v4mv:cbp:l ast_pred=3 -srate 22050 -lavfopts i_certify_that_my_video_stream_does_not_use_b_fram es
MEncoder dev-SVN-r23322-3.4.6 (C) 2000-2007 MPlayer Team
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6400 @ 2.13GHz (Family: 6, Model: 15, Stepping: 6)
CPUflags: Type: 6 MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE SSE2

success: format: 0 data: 0x0 - 0x88443
ASF file format detected.
[asfheader] Audio stream found, -aid 1
[asfheader] Video stream found, -vid 2
VIDEO: [WMV3] 320x240 24bpp 1000.000 fps 0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:6 fourcc:0x33564D57 size:320x240 fps:1000.00 ftime:=0.0010
================================================== ========================
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 88.1 kbit/6.24% (ratio: 11015->176400)
Selected audio codec: [ffwmav2] afm: ffmpeg (DivX audio v2 (FFmpeg))
================================================== ========================
** MUXER_LAVF ************************************************** ***************
You have certified that your video stream does not contain B frames.
REMEMBER: MEncoder's libavformat muxing is presently broken and will generate
INCORRECT files in the presence of B frames. Moreover, due to bugs MPlayer
will play these INCORRECT files as if nothing were wrong!
************************************************** *****************************
OK, exit
Opening video filter: [expand osd=1]
Expand: -1 x -1, -1 ; -1, osd: 1, aspect: 0.000000, round: 1
================================================== ========================
Opening video decoder: [dmo] DMO video codecs
DMO dll supports VO Optimizations 0 1
DMO dll might use previous sample when requested
GetOutput r=0x0 size:230400 align:1
StreamCount r=0x0 1 1
Decoder supports the following formats: YV12 YUY2 UYVY YVYU RGB8 RGB555 RGB565 RGB24 RGB32
Decoder is capable of YUV output (flags 0x1b)
VDec: vo config request - 320 x 240 (preferred colorspace: Packed YUY2)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
videocodec: libavcodec (320x240 fourcc=31564c46 [FLV1])
[VE_LAVC] High quality encoding selected (non-realtime)!
Selected video codec: [wmv9dmo] vfm: dmo (Windows Media Video 9 DMO)
================================================== ========================

Exiting...
[root@clicker1 flvtool2-1.0.6]#


It looks to me like it thinks it did the job...

if any ideas, would be thankful.
I've tried this with wmv, mov, and mpg, same results. I get a thumbnail of any of them, but a zero-byte flv file.

thanks for any help that might find it's way here :)