diff --git a/fftools/ffmpeg.c b/fftools/ffmpeg.c
index cdb16ef90b..038649d9b5 100644
--- a/fftools/ffmpeg.c
+++ b/fftools/ffmpeg.c
@@ -1030,9 +1030,6 @@ static int check_keyboard_interaction(int64_t cur_time)
 
 static void reset_eagain(void)
 {
-    int i;
-    for (i = 0; i < nb_input_files; i++)
-        input_files[i]->eagain = 0;
     for (OutputStream *ost = ost_iter(NULL); ost; ost = ost_iter(ost))
         ost->unavailable = 0;
 }
@@ -1056,19 +1053,14 @@ static void decode_flush(InputFile *ifile)
  *   this function should be called again
  * - AVERROR_EOF -- this function should not be called again
  */
-static int process_input(int file_index)
+static int process_input(int file_index, AVPacket *pkt)
 {
     InputFile *ifile = input_files[file_index];
     InputStream *ist;
-    AVPacket *pkt;
     int ret, i;
 
-    ret = ifile_get_packet(ifile, &pkt);
+    ret = ifile_get_packet(ifile, pkt);
 
-    if (ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN)) {
-        ifile->eagain = 1;
-        return ret;
-    }
     if (ret == 1) {
         /* the input file is looped: flush the decoders */
         decode_flush(ifile);
@@ -1115,7 +1107,7 @@ static int process_input(int file_index)
 
     ret = process_input_packet(ist, pkt, 0);
 
-    av_packet_free(&pkt);
+    av_packet_unref(pkt);
 
     return ret < 0 ? ret : 0;
 }
@@ -1125,7 +1117,7 @@ static int process_input(int file_index)
  *
  * @return  0 for success, <0 for error
  */
-static int transcode_step(OutputStream *ost)
+static int transcode_step(OutputStream *ost, AVPacket *demux_pkt)
 {
     InputStream  *ist = NULL;
     int ret;
@@ -1140,10 +1132,8 @@ static int transcode_step(OutputStream *ost)
         av_assert0(ist);
     }
 
-    ret = process_input(ist->file_index);
+    ret = process_input(ist->file_index, demux_pkt);
     if (ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN)) {
-        if (input_files[ist->file_index]->eagain)
-            ost->unavailable = 1;
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -1169,12 +1159,19 @@ static int transcode(int *err_rate_exceeded)
     int ret = 0, i;
     InputStream *ist;
     int64_t timer_start;
+    AVPacket *demux_pkt = NULL;
 
     print_stream_maps();
 
     *err_rate_exceeded = 0;
     atomic_store(&transcode_init_done, 1);
 
+    demux_pkt = av_packet_alloc();
+    if (!demux_pkt) {
+        ret = AVERROR(ENOMEM);
+        goto fail;
+    }
+
     if (stdin_interaction) {
         av_log(NULL, AV_LOG_INFO, "Press [q] to stop, [?] for help\n");
     }
@@ -1202,7 +1199,7 @@ static int transcode(int *err_rate_exceeded)
             break;
         }
 
-        ret = transcode_step(ost);
+        ret = transcode_step(ost, demux_pkt);
         if (ret < 0 && ret != AVERROR_EOF) {
             av_log(NULL, AV_LOG_ERROR, "Error while filtering: %s\n", av_err2str(ret));
             break;
@@ -1243,6 +1240,9 @@ static int transcode(int *err_rate_exceeded)
     /* dump report by using the first video and audio streams */
     print_report(1, timer_start, av_gettime_relative());
 
+fail:
+    av_packet_free(&demux_pkt);
+
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/fftools/ffmpeg.h b/fftools/ffmpeg.h
index 9852df8320..8de91ab85a 100644
--- a/fftools/ffmpeg.h
+++ b/fftools/ffmpeg.h
@@ -407,7 +407,6 @@ typedef struct InputFile {
 
     AVFormatContext *ctx;
     int eof_reached;      /* true if eof reached */
-    int eagain;           /* true if last read attempt returned EAGAIN */
     int64_t input_ts_offset;
     int input_sync_ref;
     /**
@@ -857,7 +856,7 @@ void ifile_close(InputFile **f);
  *     caller should flush decoders and read from this demuxer again
  * - a negative error code on failure
  */
-int ifile_get_packet(InputFile *f, AVPacket **pkt);
+int ifile_get_packet(InputFile *f, AVPacket *pkt);
 
 int ist_output_add(InputStream *ist, OutputStream *ost);
 int ist_filter_add(InputStream *ist, InputFilter *ifilter, int is_simple);
diff --git a/fftools/ffmpeg_demux.c b/fftools/ffmpeg_demux.c
index 791952f120..65a5e08ca5 100644
--- a/fftools/ffmpeg_demux.c
+++ b/fftools/ffmpeg_demux.c
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 
 #include "ffmpeg.h"
 #include "ffmpeg_utils.h"
+#include "objpool.h"
+#include "thread_queue.h"
 
 #include "libavutil/avassert.h"
 #include "libavutil/avstring.h"
@@ -33,7 +35,6 @@
 #include "libavutil/time.h"
 #include "libavutil/timestamp.h"
 #include "libavutil/thread.h"
-#include "libavutil/threadmessage.h"
 
 #include "libavcodec/packet.h"
 
@@ -107,19 +108,13 @@ typedef struct Demuxer {
 
     double readrate_initial_burst;
 
-    AVThreadMessageQueue *in_thread_queue;
+    ThreadQueue          *thread_queue;
     int                   thread_queue_size;
     pthread_t             thread;
-    int                   non_blocking;
 
     int                   read_started;
 } Demuxer;
 
-typedef struct DemuxMsg {
-    AVPacket *pkt;
-    int looping;
-} DemuxMsg;
-
 static DemuxStream *ds_from_ist(InputStream *ist)
 {
     return (DemuxStream*)ist;
@@ -440,26 +435,16 @@ static int ts_fixup(Demuxer *d, AVPacket *pkt)
     return 0;
 }
 
-// process an input packet into a message to send to the consumer thread
-// src is always cleared by this function
-static int input_packet_process(Demuxer *d, DemuxMsg *msg, AVPacket *src)
+static int input_packet_process(Demuxer *d, AVPacket *pkt)
 {
     InputFile     *f = &d->f;
-    InputStream *ist = f->streams[src->stream_index];
+    InputStream *ist = f->streams[pkt->stream_index];
     DemuxStream  *ds = ds_from_ist(ist);
-    AVPacket *pkt;
     int ret = 0;
 
-    pkt = av_packet_alloc();
-    if (!pkt) {
-        av_packet_unref(src);
-        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
-    }
-    av_packet_move_ref(pkt, src);
-
     ret = ts_fixup(d, pkt);
     if (ret < 0)
-        goto fail;
+        return ret;
 
     ds->data_size += pkt->size;
     ds->nb_packets++;
@@ -475,13 +460,7 @@ static int input_packet_process(Demuxer *d, DemuxMsg *msg, AVPacket *src)
                av_ts2timestr(input_files[ist->file_index]->ts_offset, &AV_TIME_BASE_Q));
     }
 
-    msg->pkt = pkt;
-    pkt      = NULL;
-
-fail:
-    av_packet_free(&pkt);
-
-    return ret;
+    return 0;
 }
 
 static void readrate_sleep(Demuxer *d)
@@ -531,7 +510,6 @@ static void *input_thread(void *arg)
     Demuxer   *d = arg;
     InputFile *f = &d->f;
     AVPacket *pkt;
-    unsigned flags = d->non_blocking ? AV_THREAD_MESSAGE_NONBLOCK : 0;
     int ret = 0;
 
     pkt = av_packet_alloc();
@@ -547,8 +525,6 @@ static void *input_thread(void *arg)
     d->wallclock_start = av_gettime_relative();
 
     while (1) {
-        DemuxMsg msg = { NULL };
-
         ret = av_read_frame(f->ctx, pkt);
 
         if (ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN)) {
@@ -558,8 +534,8 @@ static void *input_thread(void *arg)
         if (ret < 0) {
             if (d->loop) {
                 /* signal looping to the consumer thread */
-                msg.looping = 1;
-                ret = av_thread_message_queue_send(d->in_thread_queue, &msg, 0);
+                pkt->stream_index = -1;
+                ret = tq_send(d->thread_queue, 0, pkt);
                 if (ret >= 0)
                     ret = seek_to_start(d);
                 if (ret >= 0)
@@ -602,35 +578,26 @@ static void *input_thread(void *arg)
             }
         }
 
-        ret = input_packet_process(d, &msg, pkt);
+        ret = input_packet_process(d, pkt);
         if (ret < 0)
             break;
 
         if (f->readrate)
             readrate_sleep(d);
 
-        ret = av_thread_message_queue_send(d->in_thread_queue, &msg, flags);
-        if (flags && ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN)) {
-            flags = 0;
-            ret = av_thread_message_queue_send(d->in_thread_queue, &msg, flags);
-            av_log(f, AV_LOG_WARNING,
-                   "Thread message queue blocking; consider raising the "
-                   "thread_queue_size option (current value: %d)\n",
-                   d->thread_queue_size);
-        }
+        ret = tq_send(d->thread_queue, 0, pkt);
         if (ret < 0) {
             if (ret != AVERROR_EOF)
                 av_log(f, AV_LOG_ERROR,
                        "Unable to send packet to main thread: %s\n",
                        av_err2str(ret));
-            av_packet_free(&msg.pkt);
             break;
         }
     }
 
 finish:
     av_assert0(ret < 0);
-    av_thread_message_queue_set_err_recv(d->in_thread_queue, ret);
+    tq_send_finish(d->thread_queue, 0);
 
     av_packet_free(&pkt);
 
@@ -642,16 +609,16 @@ finish:
 static void thread_stop(Demuxer *d)
 {
     InputFile *f = &d->f;
-    DemuxMsg msg;
 
-    if (!d->in_thread_queue)
+    if (!d->thread_queue)
         return;
-    av_thread_message_queue_set_err_send(d->in_thread_queue, AVERROR_EOF);
-    while (av_thread_message_queue_recv(d->in_thread_queue, &msg, 0) >= 0)
-        av_packet_free(&msg.pkt);
+
+    tq_receive_finish(d->thread_queue, 0);
 
     pthread_join(d->thread, NULL);
-    av_thread_message_queue_free(&d->in_thread_queue);
+
+    tq_free(&d->thread_queue);
+
     av_thread_message_queue_free(&f->audio_ts_queue);
 }
 
@@ -659,18 +626,20 @@ static int thread_start(Demuxer *d)
 {
     int ret;
     InputFile *f = &d->f;
+    ObjPool *op;
 
     if (d->thread_queue_size <= 0)
         d->thread_queue_size = (nb_input_files > 1 ? 8 : 1);
 
-    if (nb_input_files > 1 &&
-        (f->ctx->pb ? !f->ctx->pb->seekable :
-         strcmp(f->ctx->iformat->name, "lavfi")))
-        d->non_blocking = 1;
-    ret = av_thread_message_queue_alloc(&d->in_thread_queue,
-                                        d->thread_queue_size, sizeof(DemuxMsg));
-    if (ret < 0)
-        return ret;
+    op = objpool_alloc_packets();
+    if (!op)
+        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
+
+    d->thread_queue = tq_alloc(1, d->thread_queue_size, op, pkt_move);
+    if (!d->thread_queue) {
+        objpool_free(&op);
+        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
+    }
 
     if (d->loop) {
         int nb_audio_dec = 0;
@@ -700,31 +669,30 @@ static int thread_start(Demuxer *d)
 
     return 0;
 fail:
-    av_thread_message_queue_free(&d->in_thread_queue);
+    tq_free(&d->thread_queue);
     return ret;
 }
 
-int ifile_get_packet(InputFile *f, AVPacket **pkt)
+int ifile_get_packet(InputFile *f, AVPacket *pkt)
 {
     Demuxer *d = demuxer_from_ifile(f);
-    DemuxMsg msg;
-    int ret;
+    int ret, dummy;
 
-    if (!d->in_thread_queue) {
+    if (!d->thread_queue) {
         ret = thread_start(d);
         if (ret < 0)
             return ret;
     }
 
-    ret = av_thread_message_queue_recv(d->in_thread_queue, &msg,
-                                       d->non_blocking ?
-                                       AV_THREAD_MESSAGE_NONBLOCK : 0);
+    ret = tq_receive(d->thread_queue, &dummy, pkt);
     if (ret < 0)
         return ret;
-    if (msg.looping)
-        return 1;
 
-    *pkt = msg.pkt;
+    if (pkt->stream_index == -1) {
+        av_assert0(!pkt->data && !pkt->side_data_elems);
+        return 1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/fftools/ffmpeg_filter.c b/fftools/ffmpeg_filter.c
index e288ea4b80..a98a02e643 100644
--- a/fftools/ffmpeg_filter.c
+++ b/fftools/ffmpeg_filter.c
@@ -2002,9 +2002,8 @@ static int choose_input(const FilterGraph *fg, const FilterGraphThread *fgt)
     for (int i = 0; i < fg->nb_inputs; i++) {
         InputFilter *ifilter = fg->inputs[i];
         InputFilterPriv *ifp = ifp_from_ifilter(ifilter);
-        InputStream     *ist = ifp->ist;
 
-        if (input_files[ist->file_index]->eagain || fgt->eof_in[i])
+        if (fgt->eof_in[i])
             continue;
 
         nb_requests = av_buffersrc_get_nb_failed_requests(ifp->filter);
@@ -2014,6 +2013,8 @@ static int choose_input(const FilterGraph *fg, const FilterGraphThread *fgt)
         }
     }
 
+    av_assert0(best_input >= 0);
+
     return best_input;
 }
 
