diff --git a/doc/APIchanges b/doc/APIchanges
index 69da4428a4..44af215507 100644
--- a/doc/APIchanges
+++ b/doc/APIchanges
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ libavutil:     2014-08-09
 
 API changes, most recent first:
 
+2014-11-xx - xxxxxxx - lavf 56.06.3 - avformat.h
+  Add AVFormatContext.avoid_negative_ts.
+
 2014-11-xx - xxxxxxx - lavc 56.6.0 - vorbis_parser.h
   Add a public API for parsing vorbis packets.
 
diff --git a/libavformat/avformat.h b/libavformat/avformat.h
index f28186f7c7..ade5d2f9dc 100644
--- a/libavformat/avformat.h
+++ b/libavformat/avformat.h
@@ -1198,6 +1198,18 @@ typedef struct AVFormatContext {
      */
     int max_ts_probe;
 
+    /**
+     * Avoid negative timestamps during muxing.
+     * Any value of the AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_* constants.
+     * Note, this only works when using av_interleaved_write_frame.
+     * - muxing: Set by user
+     * - demuxing: unused
+     */
+    int avoid_negative_ts;
+#define AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_AUTO             -1 ///< Enabled when required by target format
+#define AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_MAKE_NON_NEGATIVE 1 ///< Shift timestamps so they are non negative
+#define AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_MAKE_ZERO         2 ///< Shift timestamps so that they start at 0
+
     /*****************************************************************
      * All fields below this line are not part of the public API. They
      * may not be used outside of libavformat and can be changed and
diff --git a/libavformat/mux.c b/libavformat/mux.c
index c80eb5bfb7..1e80e105d7 100644
--- a/libavformat/mux.c
+++ b/libavformat/mux.c
@@ -248,6 +248,13 @@ int avformat_write_header(AVFormatContext *s, AVDictionary **options)
             return ret;
     }
 
+    if (s->avoid_negative_ts == AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_AUTO) {
+        if (s->oformat->flags & (AVFMT_TS_NEGATIVE | AVFMT_NOTIMESTAMPS)) {
+            s->avoid_negative_ts = 0;
+        } else
+            s->avoid_negative_ts = AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_MAKE_NON_NEGATIVE;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -318,11 +325,12 @@ static int compute_pkt_fields2(AVFormatContext *s, AVStream *st, AVPacket *pkt)
 static int write_packet(AVFormatContext *s, AVPacket *pkt)
 {
     int ret;
-    if (!(s->oformat->flags & (AVFMT_TS_NEGATIVE | AVFMT_NOTIMESTAMPS))) {
+    if (s->avoid_negative_ts > 0) {
         AVRational time_base = s->streams[pkt->stream_index]->time_base;
         int64_t offset = 0;
 
-        if (!s->offset && pkt->dts != AV_NOPTS_VALUE && pkt->dts < 0) {
+        if (!s->offset && pkt->dts != AV_NOPTS_VALUE &&
+            (pkt->dts < 0 || s->avoid_negative_ts == AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_MAKE_ZERO)) {
             s->offset = -pkt->dts;
             s->offset_timebase = time_base;
         }
diff --git a/libavformat/options_table.h b/libavformat/options_table.h
index 0f7207ccf1..8372ef3650 100644
--- a/libavformat/options_table.h
+++ b/libavformat/options_table.h
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ static const AVOption avformat_options[] = {
 {"normal", NULL, 0, AV_OPT_TYPE_CONST, {.i64 = FF_COMPLIANCE_NORMAL }, INT_MIN, INT_MAX, D|E, "strict"},
 {"experimental", "allow non-standardized experimental variants", 0, AV_OPT_TYPE_CONST, {.i64 = FF_COMPLIANCE_EXPERIMENTAL }, INT_MIN, INT_MAX, D|E, "strict"},
 {"max_ts_probe", "maximum number of packets to read while waiting for the first timestamp", OFFSET(max_ts_probe), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, { .i64 = 50 }, 0, INT_MAX, D },
+{"avoid_negative_ts", "shift timestamps so they start at 0", OFFSET(avoid_negative_ts), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = -1}, -1, 2, E, "avoid_negative_ts"},
+{"auto",              "enabled when required by target format",    0, AV_OPT_TYPE_CONST, {.i64 = AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_AUTO },              INT_MIN, INT_MAX, E, "avoid_negative_ts"},
+{"make_non_negative", "shift timestamps so they are non negative", 0, AV_OPT_TYPE_CONST, {.i64 = AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_MAKE_NON_NEGATIVE }, INT_MIN, INT_MAX, E, "avoid_negative_ts"},
+{"make_zero",         "shift timestamps so they start at 0",       0, AV_OPT_TYPE_CONST, {.i64 = AVFMT_AVOID_NEG_TS_MAKE_ZERO },         INT_MIN, INT_MAX, E, "avoid_negative_ts"},
 {NULL},
 };
 
diff --git a/libavformat/version.h b/libavformat/version.h
index dfb6089408..c477d5d49c 100644
--- a/libavformat/version.h
+++ b/libavformat/version.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
 #define LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MAJOR 56
 #define LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MINOR  6
-#define LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MICRO  2
+#define LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MICRO  3
 
 #define LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_INT AV_VERSION_INT(LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MAJOR, \
                                                LIBAVFORMAT_VERSION_MINOR, \