1
<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>Chapter�5.�Frequently Asked Questions</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="default.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.68.1"><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="MPlayer - The Movie Player"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="MPlayer - The Movie Player"><link rel="prev" href="vcd.html" title="4.3.�VCD playback"><link rel="next" href="containers.html" title="Chapter�6.�Containers"><link rel="preface" href="howtoread.html" title="How to read this documentation"><link rel="chapter" href="intro.html" title="Chapter�1.�Introduction"><link rel="chapter" href="install.html" title="Chapter�2.�Installation"><link rel="chapter" href="usage.html" title="Chapter�3.�Usage"><link rel="chapter" href="cd-dvd.html" title="Chapter�4.�CD/DVD usage"><link rel="chapter" href="faq.html" title="Chapter�5.�Frequently Asked Questions"><link rel="chapter" href="containers.html" title="Chapter�6.�Containers"><link rel="chapter" href="codecs.html" title="Chapter�7.�Codecs"><link rel="chapter" href="video.html" title="Chapter�8.�Video output devices"><link rel="chapter" href="audio.html" title="Chapter�9.�Audio output devices"><link rel="chapter" href="tv.html" title="Chapter�10.�TV"><link rel="chapter" href="ports.html" title="Chapter�11.�Ports"><link rel="chapter" href="mencoder.html" title="Chapter�12.�Basic usage of MEncoder"><link rel="chapter" href="encoding-guide.html" title="Chapter�13.�Encoding with MEncoder"><link rel="appendix" href="mailinglists.html" title="Appendix�A.�Mailing lists"><link rel="appendix" href="bugreports.html" title="Appendix�B.�How to report bugs"><link rel="appendix" href="bugs.html" title="Appendix�C.�Known bugs"><link rel="appendix" href="skin.html" title="Appendix�D.�MPlayer skin format"><link rel="appendix" href="users-vs-dev.html" title="Appendix�E.�Developer cries"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter�5.�Frequently Asked Questions</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="vcd.html">Prev</a>�</td><th width="60%" align="center">�</th><td width="20%" align="right">�<a accesskey="n" href="containers.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="faq"></a>Chapter�5.�Frequently Asked Questions</h2></div></div></div><div class="qandaset"><dl><dt>5.1. <a href="faq.html#faq-development">Development</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2527793">
2
How do I create a proper patch for MPlayer?
3
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528763">
4
How do I translate MPlayer to a new language?
5
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528796">
6
How can I support MPlayer development?
7
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528828">
8
How can I become an MPlayer developer?
9
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528870">
10
Why don't you use autoconf/automake?
11
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.2. <a href="faq.html#faq-compilation-installation">Compilation and installation</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528903">
12
Compilation fails with an error and gcc bails out
13
with some cryptic message containing the phrase
14
internal compiler error or
15
unable to find a register to spill.
16
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528958">
17
Are there binary (RPM/Debian) packages of MPlayer?
18
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528992">
19
How can I build a 32 bit MPlayer on a 64 bit Athlon?
20
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529018">
21
Configure ends with this text, and MPlayer won't compile!
22
Your gcc does not support even i386 for '-march' and '-mcpu'
23
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529050">
24
I have a Matrox G200/G400/G450/G550, how do I compile/use the
26
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529077">
27
During 'make', MPlayer complains about
28
missing X11 libraries. I don't understand, I do
30
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.3. <a href="faq.html#faq-general">General questions</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529148">
31
Are there any mailing lists on MPlayer?
32
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529174">
33
I've found a nasty bug when I tried to play my favorite video! Who should I inform?
34
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529197">
35
I have problems playing files with the ... codec. Can I use them?
36
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529233">
37
When I start playing, I get this message but everything seems fine:
38
Linux RTC init: ioctl (rtc_pie_on): Permission denied
39
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529262">
40
How can I make a screenshot?
41
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529310">
42
What is the meaning of the numbers on the status line?
43
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529520">
44
There are error messages about file not found /usr/local/lib/codecs/ ...
45
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529546">
46
How can I make MPlayer remember the options I
47
use for a particular file, e.g. movie.avi?
48
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529587">
49
Subtitles are very nice, the most beautiful I've ever seen, but they
50
slow down playing! I know it's unlikely ...
51
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529625">
52
I can't access the GUI menu. I press right click, but I can't
53
access any menu items!
54
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529668">
55
How can I run MPlayer in the background?
56
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.4. <a href="faq.html#faq-playback">Playback problems</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529710">
57
I cannot pinpoint the cause of some strange playback problem.
58
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529767">
59
How can I get subtitles to appear on the black margins around a movie?
60
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529795">
61
How can I select audio/subtitle tracks from a DVD, OGM, Matroska or NUT file?
62
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529854">
63
I'm trying to play a random stream off the internet but it fails.
64
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529871">
65
I downloaded a movie off a P2P network and it doesn't work!
66
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529892">
67
I'm having trouble getting my subtitles to display, help!!
68
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529926">
69
Why doesn't MPlayer work on Fedora Core?
70
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530080">
72
MPlayer interrupted by signal 4 in module: decode_video
73
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530118">
74
When I try to grab from my tuner, it works, but colors are strange. It's OK with other
76
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530141">
77
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
78
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530171">
79
The audio/video gets totally out of sync when I run MPlayer
80
as root on my notebook. It works normal when i run it as a user.
81
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530202">
82
While playing a movie it suddenly gets jerky and I get the following message:
83
Badly interleaved AVI file detected - switching to -ni mode...
84
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.5. <a href="faq.html#faq-driver">Video/audio driver problems (vo/ao)</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530242">
85
When I go into fullscreen mode I just get black borders around the image
86
and no real scaling to fullscreen mode.
87
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530293">
88
I've just installed MPlayer. When I want to
89
open a video file it causes a fatal error:
91
Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (-vo) device.
93
How can I solve my problem?
94
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530361">
95
I have problems with [your window manager]
96
and fullscreen xv/xmga/sdl/x11 modes ...
97
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530390">
98
Audio goes out of sync playing an AVI file.
99
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530419">
100
My computer plays MS DivX AVIs with resolutions ~ 640x300 and stereo MP3 sound
101
too slow. When I use the -nosound option, everything is OK (but quiet).
102
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530439">
103
How can I use dmix with
105
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530474">
106
I have no sound when playing a video and get error messages similar to this one:
108
AO: [oss] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
109
audio_setup: Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: Device or resource busy
110
couldn't open/init audio device -> NOSOUND
114
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530519">
115
When starting MPlayer under KDE I just get a black
116
screen and nothing happens. After about one minute the video starts playing.
117
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530558">
118
I have A/V sync problems. Some of my AVIs play fine, but some play with double speed!
119
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530580">
120
When I play this movie I get video-audio desync and/or MPlayer
121
crashes with the following message:
122
DEMUXER: Too many (945 in 8390980 bytes) video packets in the buffer!
123
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530659">
124
How can I get rid of A/V desynchronization while seeking through RealMedia streams?
125
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.6. <a href="faq.html#faq-dvd">DVD playback</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530686">
126
What about DVD navigation/menus?
127
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530733">
128
What about subtitles? Can MPlayer display them?
129
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530758">
130
How can I set the region code of my DVD-drive? I don't have Windows!
131
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530778">
132
Do I need to be (setuid) root to be able to play a DVD?
133
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530800">
134
Is it possible to play/encode only selected chapters?
135
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530817">
136
My DVD playback is sluggish!
137
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530848">
138
I copied a DVD using vobcopy. How do I play/encode it from my hard disk?
139
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.7. <a href="faq.html#faq-features">Feature requests</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530887">
140
If MPlayer is paused and I try to seek or press any key at all,
141
MPlayer ceases to be paused. I would like to be able
142
to seek in the paused movie.
143
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530915">
144
I'd like to seek +/- 1 frame instead of 10 seconds.
145
</a></dt></dl></dd><dt>5.8. <a href="faq.html#faq-encoding">Encoding</a></dt><dd><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530948">
147
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530970">
148
How can I dump a full DVD title into a file?
149
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531009">
150
How can I create (S)VCDs automatically?
151
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531038">
152
How can I create (S)VCDs?
153
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531070">
154
How can I join two video files?
155
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531128">
156
How can I fix AVI files with a broken index or bad interleaving?
157
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531167">
158
How can I fix the aspect ratio of an AVI file?
159
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531205">
160
I can't encode DVD subtitles into the AVI!
161
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531222">
162
How can I encode only selected chapters from a DVD?
163
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531243">
164
I'm trying to work with 2GB+ files on a VFAT file system. Does it work?
165
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531257">
166
Why is the recommended bitrate printed by MEncoder negative?
167
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531278">
168
I can't encode an ASF file to AVI/MPEG-4 (DivX) because it uses 1000 fps.
169
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531296">
170
How can I put subtitles in the output file?
171
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531323">
172
How do I encode only sound from a music video?
173
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531375">
174
Why do third-party players fail to play MPEG-4 movies encoded by
175
MEncoder versions later than 1.0pre7?
176
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531490">
177
How can I encode an audio only file?
178
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531518">
179
How can I play subtitles embedded in AVI?
180
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531553">
182
</a></dt></dl></dd></dl><table border="0" summary="Q and A Set"><col align="left" width="1%"><tbody><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-development"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-development"></a>5.1. Development</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2527793">
183
How do I create a proper patch for MPlayer?
184
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528763">
185
How do I translate MPlayer to a new language?
186
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528796">
187
How can I support MPlayer development?
188
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528828">
189
How can I become an MPlayer developer?
190
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528870">
191
Why don't you use autoconf/automake?
192
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2527793"></a><a name="id2527795"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
193
How do I create a proper patch for <span class="application">MPlayer</span>?
194
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
195
We made a <a href="../../tech/patches.txt" target="_top">short document</a>
196
describing all the necessary details. Please follow the instructions.
197
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528763"></a><a name="id2528765"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
198
How do I translate <span class="application">MPlayer</span> to a new language?
199
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
200
Read the <a href="../../tech/translations.txt" target="_top">translation HOWTO</a>,
201
it should explain everything. You can get further help on the
202
<a href="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-translations" target="_top">MPlayer-translations</a>
204
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528796"></a><a name="id2528798"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
205
How can I support <span class="application">MPlayer</span> development?
206
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
207
We are more than happy to accept your hardware and software
208
<a href="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/donations.html" target="_top">donations</a>.
209
They help us in continuously improving <span class="application">MPlayer</span>.
210
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528828"></a><a name="id2528830"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
211
How can I become an <span class="application">MPlayer</span> developer?
212
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
213
We always welcome coders and documenters. Read the
214
<a href="../../tech/" target="_top">technical documentation</a>
215
to get a first grasp. Then you should subscribe to the
216
<a href="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-dev-eng" target="_top">MPlayer-dev-eng</a>
217
mailing list and start coding. If you want to help out with the documentation,
219
<a href="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-docs" target="_top">MPlayer-docs</a>
221
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528870"></a><a name="id2528872"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
222
Why don't you use autoconf/automake?
223
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
224
We have a modular, handwritten build system. It does a reasonably good
225
job, so why change? Besides, we dislike the auto* tools, just like
226
<a href="http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/889/" target="_top">other people</a>.
227
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-compilation-installation"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-compilation-installation"></a>5.2. Compilation and installation</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528903">
228
Compilation fails with an error and gcc bails out
229
with some cryptic message containing the phrase
230
internal compiler error or
231
unable to find a register to spill.
232
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528958">
233
Are there binary (RPM/Debian) packages of MPlayer?
234
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2528992">
235
How can I build a 32 bit MPlayer on a 64 bit Athlon?
236
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529018">
237
Configure ends with this text, and MPlayer won't compile!
238
Your gcc does not support even i386 for '-march' and '-mcpu'
239
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529050">
240
I have a Matrox G200/G400/G450/G550, how do I compile/use the
242
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529077">
243
During 'make', MPlayer complains about
244
missing X11 libraries. I don't understand, I do
246
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528903"></a><a name="id2528905"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
247
Compilation fails with an error and <span class="application">gcc</span> bails out
248
with some cryptic message containing the phrase
249
<code class="systemitem">internal compiler error</code> or
250
<code class="systemitem">unable to find a register to spill</code>.
251
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
252
You have stumbled over a bug in <span class="application">gcc</span>. Please
253
<a href="http://gcc.gnu.org/bugs.html" target="_top">report it to the gcc team</a>
254
but not to us. For some reason <span class="application">MPlayer</span> seems to
255
trigger compiler bugs frequently. Nevertheless we cannot fix them and do not
256
add workarounds for compiler bugs to our sources. To avoid this problem,
257
either stick with a compiler version that is known to be reliable and
258
stable, or upgrade frequently.
259
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528958"></a><a name="id2528960"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
260
Are there binary (RPM/Debian) packages of <span class="application">MPlayer</span>?
261
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
262
See the <a href="linux.html#debian" title="11.1.1.�Debian packaging">Debian</a> and <a href="linux.html#rpm" title="11.1.2.�RPM packaging">RPM</a>
264
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2528992"></a><a name="id2528994"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
265
How can I build a 32 bit <span class="application">MPlayer</span> on a 64 bit Athlon?
266
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
267
Try the following configure options:
268
</p><pre class="screen">
269
./configure --target=athlon_xp --cc="gcc -m32" --as="as --32" --with-extralibdir=/usr/lib
271
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529018"></a><a name="id2529020"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
272
Configure ends with this text, and <span class="application">MPlayer</span> won't compile!
273
</p><pre class="screen">Your gcc does not support even i386 for '-march' and '-mcpu'</pre><p>
274
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
275
Your gcc isn't installed correctly, check the <tt class="filename">configure.log</tt>
277
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529050"></a><a name="id2529053"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
278
I have a Matrox G200/G400/G450/G550, how do I compile/use the
279
<code class="systemitem">mga_vid</code> driver?
280
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
281
Read the <a href="output-trad.html#mga_vid" title="8.2.6.�Matrox framebuffer (mga_vid)">mga_vid</a> section.
282
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529077"></a><a name="id2529079"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
283
During 'make', <span class="application">MPlayer</span> complains about
284
missing X11 libraries. I don't understand, I <span class="emphasis"><em>do</em></span>
286
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
287
... but you don't have the X11 development package installed. Or not correctly.
288
It's called <tt class="filename">XFree86-devel*</tt> under Red Hat, and
289
<tt class="filename">xlibs-dev</tt> under Debian Woody,
290
<tt class="filename">libx11-dev</tt> under Debian Sarge. Also check if the
291
<tt class="filename">/usr/X11</tt> and
292
<tt class="filename">/usr/include/X11</tt> symlinks exist (this
293
can be a problem on Mandrake systems).
294
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-general"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-general"></a>5.3. General questions</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529148">
295
Are there any mailing lists on MPlayer?
296
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529174">
297
I've found a nasty bug when I tried to play my favorite video! Who should I inform?
298
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529197">
299
I have problems playing files with the ... codec. Can I use them?
300
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529233">
301
When I start playing, I get this message but everything seems fine:
302
Linux RTC init: ioctl (rtc_pie_on): Permission denied
303
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529262">
304
How can I make a screenshot?
305
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529310">
306
What is the meaning of the numbers on the status line?
307
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529520">
308
There are error messages about file not found /usr/local/lib/codecs/ ...
309
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529546">
310
How can I make MPlayer remember the options I
311
use for a particular file, e.g. movie.avi?
312
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529587">
313
Subtitles are very nice, the most beautiful I've ever seen, but they
314
slow down playing! I know it's unlikely ...
315
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529625">
316
I can't access the GUI menu. I press right click, but I can't
317
access any menu items!
318
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529668">
319
How can I run MPlayer in the background?
320
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529148"></a><a name="id2529151"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
321
Are there any mailing lists on <span class="application">MPlayer</span>?
322
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
323
Yes. See the <a href="mailinglists.html" title="Appendix�A.�Mailing lists">mailing lists</a>
325
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529174"></a><a name="id2529176"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
326
I've found a nasty bug when I tried to play my favorite video! Who should I inform?
327
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
329
<a href="bugreports.html" title="Appendix�B.�How to report bugs">bug reporting guidelines</a>
330
and follow the instructions.
331
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529197"></a><a name="id2529199"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
332
I have problems playing files with the ... codec. Can I use them?
333
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
334
Check the <a href="../../codecs-status.html" target="_top">codec status</a>,
335
if it doesn't contain your codec, read the <a href="codecs.html" title="Chapter�7.�Codecs">codec documentation</a>,
336
especially the <a href="codec-importing.html" title="7.3.�Win32 codecs importing HOWTO">codec importing HOWTO</a> and contact us.
337
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529233"></a><a name="id2529235"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
338
When I start playing, I get this message but everything seems fine:
339
</p><pre class="screen">Linux RTC init: ioctl (rtc_pie_on): Permission denied</pre><p>
340
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
341
You need root privileges or a specially set up kernel to use the new timing
342
code. For details see the <a href="rtc.html" title="2.8.�RTC">RTC</a> section of the documentation.
343
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529262"></a><a name="id2529265"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
344
How can I make a screenshot?
345
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
346
You have to use a video output driver that does not employ an overlay to be
347
able to take a screenshot. Under X11, <tt class="option">-vo x11</tt> will do, under
348
Windows <tt class="option">-vo directx:noaccel</tt> works.
350
Alternatively you can run <span class="application">MPlayer</span> with the
351
<code class="systemitem">screenshot</code> video filter
352
(<tt class="option">-vf screenshot</tt>), and press the <span class="keycap"><b>s</b></span>
353
key to grab a screenshot.
354
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529310"></a><a name="id2529312"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
355
What is the meaning of the numbers on the status line?
356
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
358
</p><pre class="screen">A: 2.1 V: 2.2 A-V: -0.167 ct: 0.042 57/57 41% 0% 2.6% 0 4 49% 1.00x</pre><p>
359
</p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">A: 2.1</code></span></dt><dd><p>audio position in seconds</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">V: 2.2</code></span></dt><dd><p>video position in seconds</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">A-V: -0.167</code></span></dt><dd><p>audio-video difference in seconds (delay)</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">ct: 0.042</code></span></dt><dd><p>total A-V sync correction done</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">57/57</code></span></dt><dd><p>frames played/decoded (counting from last seek)</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">41%</code></span></dt><dd><p>video codec CPU usage in percent
360
(for slice rendering and direct rendering this
361
includes video_out)</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">0%</code></span></dt><dd><p>video_out CPU usage</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">2.6%</code></span></dt><dd><p>audio codec CPU usage in percent</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">0</code></span></dt><dd><p>frames dropped to maintain A-V sync</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">4</code></span></dt><dd><p>current level of image postprocessing (when using
362
<tt class="option">-autoq</tt>)</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">49%</code></span></dt><dd><p>current cache size used (around 50% is normal)</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="systemitem">1.00x</code></span></dt><dd><p>playback speed as a factor of original speed</p></dd></dl></div><p>
363
Most of them are for debug purposes, use the <tt class="option">-quiet</tt>
364
option to make them disappear.
365
You might notice that video_out CPU usage is zero (0%) for some files.
366
This is because it is called directly from the codec and thus cannot
367
be measured separately. If you wish to know the video_out speed, compare
368
the difference when playing the file with <tt class="option">-vo null</tt> and
369
your usual video output driver.
370
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529520"></a><a name="id2529522"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
371
There are error messages about file not found <tt class="filename">/usr/local/lib/codecs/</tt> ...
372
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
373
Download and install the binary codecs from our
374
<a href="http://mplayerhq.hu/homepage/design7/codecs.html" target="_top">codecs page</a>.
375
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529546"></a><a name="id2529549"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
376
How can I make <span class="application">MPlayer</span> remember the options I
377
use for a particular file, e.g. <tt class="filename">movie.avi</tt>?
378
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
379
Create a file named <tt class="filename">movie.avi.conf</tt> with the file-specific
380
options in it and put it in <tt class="filename">~/.mplayer</tt>
381
or in the same directory as the file.
382
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529587"></a><a name="id2529589"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
383
Subtitles are very nice, the most beautiful I've ever seen, but they
384
slow down playing! I know it's unlikely ...
385
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
386
After running <tt class="filename">./configure</tt>, edit <tt class="filename">config.h</tt>
387
and replace <code class="systemitem">#undef FAST_OSD</code> with
388
<code class="systemitem">#define FAST_OSD</code>. Then recompile.
389
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529625"></a><a name="id2529627"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
390
I can't access the GUI menu. I press right click, but I can't
391
access any menu items!
392
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
393
Are you using FVWM? Try the following:
394
</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol type="1"><li><p>Start -> Settings -> Configuration -> Base Configuration</p></li><li><p>Set <code class="systemitem">Use Applications position hints</code>
395
to <code class="systemitem">Yes</code></p></li></ol></div><p>
396
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529668"></a><a name="id2529670"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
397
How can I run <span class="application">MPlayer</span> in the background?
398
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
400
</p><pre class="screen">mplayer <em class="replaceable"><code>options</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>filename</code></em> < /dev/null &</pre><p>
401
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-playback"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-playback"></a>5.4. Playback problems</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529710">
402
I cannot pinpoint the cause of some strange playback problem.
403
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529767">
404
How can I get subtitles to appear on the black margins around a movie?
405
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529795">
406
How can I select audio/subtitle tracks from a DVD, OGM, Matroska or NUT file?
407
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529854">
408
I'm trying to play a random stream off the internet but it fails.
409
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529871">
410
I downloaded a movie off a P2P network and it doesn't work!
411
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529892">
412
I'm having trouble getting my subtitles to display, help!!
413
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2529926">
414
Why doesn't MPlayer work on Fedora Core?
415
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530080">
417
MPlayer interrupted by signal 4 in module: decode_video
418
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530118">
419
When I try to grab from my tuner, it works, but colors are strange. It's OK with other
421
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530141">
422
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
423
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530171">
424
The audio/video gets totally out of sync when I run MPlayer
425
as root on my notebook. It works normal when i run it as a user.
426
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530202">
427
While playing a movie it suddenly gets jerky and I get the following message:
428
Badly interleaved AVI file detected - switching to -ni mode...
429
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529710"></a><a name="id2529713"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
430
I cannot pinpoint the cause of some strange playback problem.
431
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
432
Do you have a stray <tt class="filename">codecs.conf</tt> file in
433
<tt class="filename">~/.mplayer/</tt>, <tt class="filename">/etc/</tt>,
434
<tt class="filename">/usr/local/etc/</tt> or a similar location? Remove it,
435
an outdated <tt class="filename">codecs.conf</tt> file can cause obscure
436
problems and is intended for use only by developers working on codec
437
support. It overrides <span class="application">MPlayer</span>'s internal
438
codec settings, which will wreak havoc if incompatible changes are
439
made in newer program versions. Unless used by experts it is a recipe
440
for disaster in the form of seemingly random and very hard to localize
441
crashes and playback problems. If you still have it somewhere on your
442
system, you should remove it now.
443
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529767"></a><a name="id2529769"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
444
How can I get subtitles to appear on the black margins around a movie?
445
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
446
Use the <code class="systemitem">expand</code> video filter to increase the
447
area onto which the movie is rendered vertically and place the movie
448
at the top border, for example:
449
</p><pre class="screen">
450
mplayer -vf expand=0:-100:0:0 -slang de dvd://1
452
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529795"></a><a name="id2529797"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
453
How can I select audio/subtitle tracks from a DVD, OGM, Matroska or NUT file?
454
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
455
You have to use <tt class="option">-aid</tt> (audio ID) or <tt class="option">-alang</tt>
456
(audio language), <tt class="option">-sid</tt>(subtitle ID) or <tt class="option">-slang</tt>
457
(subtitle language), for example:
458
</p><pre class="screen">
459
mplayer -alang eng -slang eng <em class="replaceable"><code>example.mkv</code></em>
460
mplayer -aid 1 -sid 1 <em class="replaceable"><code>example.mkv</code></em>
462
To see which ones are available:
463
</p><pre class="screen">
464
mplayer -vo null -ao null -frames 0 -v <em class="replaceable"><code>filename</code></em> | grep sid
465
mplayer -vo null -ao null -frames 0 -v <em class="replaceable"><code>filename</code></em> | grep aid
467
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529854"></a><a name="id2529856"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
468
I'm trying to play a random stream off the internet but it fails.
469
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
470
Try playing the stream with the <tt class="option">-playlist</tt> option.
471
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529871"></a><a name="id2529873"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
472
I downloaded a movie off a P2P network and it doesn't work!
473
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
474
Your file is most probably broken or a fake file. If you got it from
475
a friend, and he says it works, try comparing
476
<span class="application">md5sum</span> hashes.
477
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529892"></a><a name="id2529894"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
478
I'm having trouble getting my subtitles to display, help!!
479
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
480
Make sure you have installed fonts properly. Run through the steps in the
481
<a href="subosd.html#mpsub-install" title="2.7.2.�Installing OSD and subtitles">OSD and subtitle</a> part of the installation
482
section again. If you are using TrueType fonts, verify that you have the
483
<code class="systemitem">FreeType</code> library installed.
484
Other things include checking your subtitles in a text editor or with other
485
players. Also try converting them to another format.
486
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2529926"></a><a name="id2529928"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
487
Why doesn't <span class="application">MPlayer</span> work on Fedora Core?
488
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
489
There is a bad interaction on Fedora between exec-shield,
490
prelink, and any applications which use Windows DLLs
491
(such as <span class="application">MPlayer</span>).
493
The problem is that exec-shield randomizes the load addresses of all the
494
system libraries. This randomization happens at prelink time (once every
497
When <span class="application">MPlayer</span> tries to load a Windows DLL it
498
wants to put it at a specific address (0x400000). If an important system
499
library happens to be there already, <span class="application">MPlayer</span>
501
(A typical symptom would be a segmentation fault when trying
502
to play Windows Media 9 files.)
504
If you run into this problem you have two options:
505
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>Wait two weeks. It might start working again.</p></li><li><p>Relink all the binaries on the system with different
506
prelink options. Here are step by step instructions:</p><p>
507
</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol type="1"><li><p>Edit <tt class="filename">/etc/syconfig/prelink</tt> and change</p><p>
508
</p><pre class="programlisting">
513
</p><pre class="programlisting">
514
PRELINK_OPTS="-mR --no-exec-shield"
516
</p></li><li><p><span><strong class="command">touch /var/lib/misc/prelink.force</strong></span></p></li><li><p><span><strong class="command">/etc/cron.daily/prelink</strong></span>
517
(This relinks all the applications, and it takes
518
quite a while.)</p></li><li><p><span><strong class="command">execstack -s <em class="replaceable"><code>/path/to/</code></em>mplayer</strong></span>
519
(This turns off exec-shield for the <span class="application">MPlayer</span> binary.)
520
</p></li></ol></div><p>
521
</p></li></ul></div><p>
522
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530080"></a><a name="id2530082"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
523
<span class="application">MPlayer</span> dies with
524
</p><pre class="screen">MPlayer interrupted by signal 4 in module: decode_video</pre><p>
525
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
526
Don't use <span class="application">MPlayer</span> on a CPU different from the one
527
it was compiled on or recompile with runtime CPU detection
528
(<span><strong class="command">./configure --enable-runtime-cpudetection</strong></span>).
529
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530118"></a><a name="id2530120"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
530
When I try to grab from my tuner, it works, but colors are strange. It's OK with other
532
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
533
Your card probably reports some colorspaces as supported when in fact
534
it does not support them. Try with YUY2 instead of the
535
default YV12 (see the <a href="tv-input.html" title="10.1.�TV input">TV</a> section).
536
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530141"></a><a name="id2530143"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
537
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
538
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
539
It's an effect of the power management / power saving system of your notebook
540
(BIOS, not kernel). Plug the external power connector in
541
<span class="bold"><strong>before</strong></span> you power on your notebook. You can also
542
try whether <a href="http://www.brodo.de/cpufreq/" target="_top">cpufreq</a>
543
(a SpeedStep interface for Linux) helps you.
544
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530171"></a><a name="id2530173"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
545
The audio/video gets totally out of sync when I run <span class="application">MPlayer</span>
546
as root on my notebook. It works normal when i run it as a user.
547
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
548
This is again a power management effect (see above). Plug the external power
549
connector in <span class="bold"><strong>before</strong></span> you power on your notebook
550
or use the <tt class="option">-nortc</tt> option.
551
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530202"></a><a name="id2530205"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
552
While playing a movie it suddenly gets jerky and I get the following message:
553
</p><pre class="screen">Badly interleaved AVI file detected - switching to -ni mode...</pre><p>
554
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
555
Badly interleaved files and <tt class="option">-cache</tt> don't work well together.
556
Try <tt class="option">-nocache</tt>.
557
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-driver"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-driver"></a>5.5. Video/audio driver problems (vo/ao)</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530242">
558
When I go into fullscreen mode I just get black borders around the image
559
and no real scaling to fullscreen mode.
560
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530293">
561
I've just installed MPlayer. When I want to
562
open a video file it causes a fatal error:
564
Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (-vo) device.
566
How can I solve my problem?
567
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530361">
568
I have problems with [your window manager]
569
and fullscreen xv/xmga/sdl/x11 modes ...
570
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530390">
571
Audio goes out of sync playing an AVI file.
572
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530419">
573
My computer plays MS DivX AVIs with resolutions ~ 640x300 and stereo MP3 sound
574
too slow. When I use the -nosound option, everything is OK (but quiet).
575
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530439">
576
How can I use dmix with
578
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530474">
579
I have no sound when playing a video and get error messages similar to this one:
581
AO: [oss] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
582
audio_setup: Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: Device or resource busy
583
couldn't open/init audio device -> NOSOUND
587
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530519">
588
When starting MPlayer under KDE I just get a black
589
screen and nothing happens. After about one minute the video starts playing.
590
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530558">
591
I have A/V sync problems. Some of my AVIs play fine, but some play with double speed!
592
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530580">
593
When I play this movie I get video-audio desync and/or MPlayer
594
crashes with the following message:
595
DEMUXER: Too many (945 in 8390980 bytes) video packets in the buffer!
596
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530659">
597
How can I get rid of A/V desynchronization while seeking through RealMedia streams?
598
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530242"></a><a name="id2530244"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
599
When I go into fullscreen mode I just get black borders around the image
600
and no real scaling to fullscreen mode.
601
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
602
Your video output driver does not support scaling in hardware and since
603
scaling in software can be incredibly slow <span class="application">MPlayer</span>
604
does not automatically enable it. Most likely you are using the
605
<code class="systemitem">x11</code> instead of the <code class="systemitem">xv</code>
606
video output driver. Try adding <tt class="option">-vo xv</tt> to the command
607
line or read the <a href="video.html" title="Chapter�8.�Video output devices">video section</a> to find out
608
about alternative video output drivers. The <tt class="option">-zoom</tt>
609
option explicitly enables software scaling.
610
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530293"></a><a name="id2530296"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
611
I've just installed <span class="application">MPlayer</span>. When I want to
612
open a video file it causes a fatal error:
613
</p><pre class="screen">
614
Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (-vo) device.
616
How can I solve my problem?
617
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
618
Just change your video output device. Issue the following command to get
619
a list of available video output drivers:
620
</p><pre class="screen">
623
After you've chosen the correct video output driver, add it to
624
your configuration file. Add
625
</p><pre class="programlisting">
626
vo = <em class="replaceable"><code>selected_vo</code></em>
628
to <tt class="filename">~/.mplayer/config</tt> and/or
629
</p><pre class="programlisting">
630
vo_driver = <em class="replaceable"><code>selected_vo</code></em>
632
to <tt class="filename">~/.mplayer/gui.conf</tt>.
633
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530361"></a><a name="id2530363"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
634
I have problems with <em class="replaceable"><code>[your window manager]</code></em>
635
and fullscreen xv/xmga/sdl/x11 modes ...
636
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
637
Read the <a href="bugreports.html" title="Appendix�B.�How to report bugs">bug reporting guidelines</a> and send us
639
Also try experimenting with the <tt class="option">-fstype</tt> option.
640
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530390"></a><a name="id2530392"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
641
Audio goes out of sync playing an AVI file.
642
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
643
Try the <tt class="option">-bps</tt> or <tt class="option">-nobps</tt> option. If it does not
645
<a href="bugreports.html" title="Appendix�B.�How to report bugs">bug reporting guidelines</a>
646
and upload the file to FTP.
647
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530419"></a><a name="id2530421"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
648
My computer plays MS DivX AVIs with resolutions ~ 640x300 and stereo MP3 sound
649
too slow. When I use the <tt class="option">-nosound</tt> option, everything is OK (but quiet).
650
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
651
Your machine is too slow or your sound card driver is broken. Consult the
652
documentation to see if you can improve performance.
653
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530439"></a><a name="id2530441"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
654
How can I use <span class="application">dmix</span> with
655
<span class="application">MPlayer</span>?
656
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
657
After setting up your
658
<a href="http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php?page=DmixPlugin" target="_top">asoundrc</a>
659
you have to use <tt class="option">-ao alsa:device=dmix</tt>.
660
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530474"></a><a name="id2530476"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
661
I have no sound when playing a video and get error messages similar to this one:
662
</p><pre class="screen">
663
AO: [oss] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
664
audio_setup: Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: Device or resource busy
665
couldn't open/init audio device -> NOSOUND
669
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
670
Are you running KDE or GNOME with the aRts or ESD sound daemon? Try disabling
671
the sound daemon or use the <tt class="option">-ao arts</tt> or <tt class="option">-ao esd</tt>
672
option to make <span class="application">MPlayer</span> use aRts or ESD.
673
You might also be running ALSA without OSS emulation, try loading the ALSA OSS
674
kernel modules or add <tt class="option">-ao alsa</tt> to your command line to
675
directly use the ALSA audio output driver.
676
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530519"></a><a name="id2530521"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
677
When starting <span class="application">MPlayer</span> under KDE I just get a black
678
screen and nothing happens. After about one minute the video starts playing.
679
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
680
The KDE aRts sound daemon is blocking the sound device. Either wait until the
681
video starts or disable the aRts daemon in control center. If you want to use
682
aRts sound, specify audio output via our native aRts audio driver
683
(<tt class="option">-ao arts</tt>). If it fails or isn't compiled in, try SDL
684
(<tt class="option">-ao sdl</tt>) and make sure your SDL can handle aRts sound. Yet
685
another option is to start <span class="application">MPlayer</span> with artsdsp.
686
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530558"></a><a name="id2530560"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
687
I have A/V sync problems. Some of my AVIs play fine, but some play with double speed!
688
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
689
You have a buggy sound card/driver. Most likely it's fixed at 44100Hz, and you
690
try to play a file which has 22050Hz audio. Try the
691
<code class="systemitem">resample</code> audio filter.
692
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530580"></a><a name="id2530582"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
693
When I play this movie I get video-audio desync and/or <span class="application">MPlayer</span>
694
crashes with the following message:
695
</p><pre class="screen">DEMUXER: Too many (945 in 8390980 bytes) video packets in the buffer!</pre><p>
696
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
697
This can have multiple reasons.
698
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
699
Your CPU <span class="emphasis"><em>and/or</em></span> video card <span class="emphasis"><em>and/or</em></span>
700
bus is too slow. <span class="application">MPlayer</span> displays a message if
701
this is the case (and the dropped frames counter goes up fast).
703
If it is an AVI, maybe it has bad interleaving, try the
704
<tt class="option">-ni</tt> to work around this.
705
Or it may have a bad header, in this case <tt class="option">-nobps</tt>
706
and/or <tt class="option">-mc 0</tt> can help.
708
Your sound driver is buggy. See the <a href="audio.html" title="Chapter�9.�Audio output devices">audio section</a>.
709
</p></li></ul></div><p>
710
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530659"></a><a name="id2530661"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
711
How can I get rid of A/V desynchronization while seeking through RealMedia streams?
712
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
713
<tt class="option">-mc 0.1</tt> can help.
714
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-dvd"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-dvd"></a>5.6. DVD playback</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530686">
715
What about DVD navigation/menus?
716
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530733">
717
What about subtitles? Can MPlayer display them?
718
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530758">
719
How can I set the region code of my DVD-drive? I don't have Windows!
720
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530778">
721
Do I need to be (setuid) root to be able to play a DVD?
722
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530800">
723
Is it possible to play/encode only selected chapters?
724
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530817">
725
My DVD playback is sluggish!
726
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530848">
727
I copied a DVD using vobcopy. How do I play/encode it from my hard disk?
728
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530686"></a><a name="id2530688"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
729
What about DVD navigation/menus?
730
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
731
<span class="application">MPlayer</span> does not support DVD menus due to serious
732
architectural limitations that prevent proper handling of still images and
733
interactive content. If you want to have fancy menus, you will have to use
734
another player like <span class="application">xine</span>,
735
<span class="application">vlc</span> or <span class="application">Ogle</span>.
736
If you want to see DVD navigation in <span class="application">MPlayer</span> you
737
will have to implement it yourself, but be aware that it is a major
739
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530733"></a><a name="id2530735"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
740
What about subtitles? Can <span class="application">MPlayer</span> display them?
741
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
742
Yes. See the <a href="dvd.html" title="4.2.�DVD playback">DVD chapter</a>.
743
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530758"></a><a name="id2530761"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
744
How can I set the region code of my DVD-drive? I don't have Windows!
745
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
746
Use the <a href="http://linvdr.org/projects/regionset/" target="_top">regionset tool</a>.
747
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530778"></a><a name="id2530780"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
748
Do I need to be (setuid) root to be able to play a DVD?
749
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
750
No. However you must have the proper rights
751
on the DVD device entry (in <tt class="filename">/dev/</tt>).
752
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530800"></a><a name="id2530802"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
753
Is it possible to play/encode only selected chapters?
754
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
755
Yes, try the <tt class="option">-chapter</tt> option.
756
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530817"></a><a name="id2530819"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
757
My DVD playback is sluggish!
758
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
759
Use the <tt class="option">-cache</tt> option (described in the man page) and try
760
enabling DMA for the DVD drive with the <span><strong class="command">hdparm</strong></span> tool (described
761
in the <a href="drives.html" title="4.1.�CD/DVD drives">CD chapter</a>).
762
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530848"></a><a name="id2530851"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
763
I copied a DVD using vobcopy. How do I play/encode it from my hard disk?
764
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
765
Use the <tt class="option">-dvd-device</tt> option to refer to the directory
766
that contains the files:
767
</p><pre class="screen">
768
mplayer dvd://1 -dvd-device <em class="replaceable"><code>/path/to/directory</code></em>
770
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-features"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-features"></a>5.7. Feature requests</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530887">
771
If MPlayer is paused and I try to seek or press any key at all,
772
MPlayer ceases to be paused. I would like to be able
773
to seek in the paused movie.
774
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530915">
775
I'd like to seek +/- 1 frame instead of 10 seconds.
776
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530887"></a><a name="id2530889"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
777
If <span class="application">MPlayer</span> is paused and I try to seek or press any key at all,
778
<span class="application">MPlayer</span> ceases to be paused. I would like to be able
779
to seek in the paused movie.
780
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
781
This is very tricky to implement without losing A/V synchronization.
782
All attempts have failed so far, but patches are welcome.
783
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530915"></a><a name="id2530918"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
784
I'd like to seek +/- 1 frame instead of 10 seconds.
785
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
786
You can step forward one frame by pressing <span class="keycap"><b>.</b></span>.
787
If the movie was not paused it will be paused afterwards
788
(see the man page for details).
789
Stepping backwards is unlikely to be implemented anytime soon.
790
</p></td></tr><tr class="qandadiv"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><a name="faq-encoding"></a><h3 class="title"><a name="faq-encoding"></a>5.8. Encoding</h3></td></tr><tr class="toc" colspan="2"><td align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><dl><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530948">
792
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2530970">
793
How can I dump a full DVD title into a file?
794
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531009">
795
How can I create (S)VCDs automatically?
796
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531038">
797
How can I create (S)VCDs?
798
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531070">
799
How can I join two video files?
800
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531128">
801
How can I fix AVI files with a broken index or bad interleaving?
802
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531167">
803
How can I fix the aspect ratio of an AVI file?
804
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531205">
805
I can't encode DVD subtitles into the AVI!
806
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531222">
807
How can I encode only selected chapters from a DVD?
808
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531243">
809
I'm trying to work with 2GB+ files on a VFAT file system. Does it work?
810
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531257">
811
Why is the recommended bitrate printed by MEncoder negative?
812
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531278">
813
I can't encode an ASF file to AVI/MPEG-4 (DivX) because it uses 1000 fps.
814
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531296">
815
How can I put subtitles in the output file?
816
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531323">
817
How do I encode only sound from a music video?
818
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531375">
819
Why do third-party players fail to play MPEG-4 movies encoded by
820
MEncoder versions later than 1.0pre7?
821
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531490">
822
How can I encode an audio only file?
823
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531518">
824
How can I play subtitles embedded in AVI?
825
</a></dt><dt>Q: <a href="faq.html#id2531553">
827
</a></dt></dl></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530948"></a><a name="id2530950"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
829
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
830
Read the <a href="mencoder.html" title="Chapter�12.�Basic usage of MEncoder"><span class="application">MEncoder</span></a>
832
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2530970"></a><a name="id2530972"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
833
How can I dump a full DVD title into a file?
834
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
835
Once you have selected your title, and made sure it plays fine with
836
<span class="application">MPlayer</span>, use the option <tt class="option">-dumpstream</tt>.
838
</p><pre class="screen">
839
mplayer dvd://5 -dumpstream -dumpfile <em class="replaceable"><code>dvd_dump.vob</code></em>
841
will dump the 5th title of the DVD into the file
842
<em class="replaceable"><code>dvd_dump.vob</code></em>
843
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531009"></a><a name="id2531011"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
844
How can I create (S)VCDs automatically?
845
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
846
Try the <tt class="filename">mencvcd</tt> script from the <tt class="filename">TOOLS</tt>
847
subdirectory. With it you can encode DVDs or other movies to VCD or SVCD format
848
and even burn them directly to CD.
849
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531038"></a><a name="id2531040"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
850
How can I create (S)VCDs?
851
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
852
Newer versions of <span class="application">MEncoder</span> can directly
853
generate MPEG-2 files that can be used as a base to create a VCD or SVCD and
854
are likely to be playable out of the box on all platforms (for example,
855
to share a video from a digital camcorder with your computer-illiterate
858
<a href="menc-feat-vcd-dvd.html" title="13.6.�Using MEncoder to create VCD/SVCD/DVD-compliant files.">Using MEncoder to create VCD/SVCD/DVD-compliant files</a>
860
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531070"></a><a name="id2531072"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
861
How can I join two video files?
862
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
863
MPEG files can be concatenated into a single file with luck.
864
For AVI files, you can use <span class="application">MEncoder</span>'s
865
multiple file support like this:
866
</p><pre class="screen">
867
mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -o <em class="replaceable"><code>out.avi</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>file1.avi</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>file2.avi</code></em>
869
This will only work if the files are of the same resolution
870
and use the same codec.
872
<a href="http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/" target="_top">avidemux</a> and
873
<span class="application">avimerge</span> (part of the
874
<a href="http://www.transcoding.org/" target="_top">transcode</a>
876
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531128"></a><a name="id2531130"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
877
How can I fix AVI files with a broken index or bad interleaving?
878
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
879
To avoid having to use <tt class="option">-idx</tt> to be able to seek in
880
AVI files with a broken index or <tt class="option">-ni</tt> to play AVI
881
files with bad interleaving, use the command
882
</p><pre class="screen">
883
mencoder <em class="replaceable"><code>input.avi</code></em> -idx -ovc copy -oac copy -o <em class="replaceable"><code>output.avi</code></em>
885
to copy the video and audio streams into a new AVI file while
886
regenerating the index and correctly interleaving the data.
887
Of course this cannot fix possible bugs in the video and/or audio streams.
888
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531167"></a><a name="id2531169"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
889
How can I fix the aspect ratio of an AVI file?
890
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
891
You can do such a thing thanks to <span class="application">MEncoder</span>'s
892
<tt class="option">-force-avi-aspect</tt> option, which overrides the aspect
893
stored in the AVI OpenDML vprp header option. For example:
894
</p><pre class="screen">
895
mencoder <em class="replaceable"><code>input.avi</code></em> -ovc copy -oac copy -o <em class="replaceable"><code>output.avi</code></em> -force-avi-aspect 4/3
897
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531205"></a><a name="id2531207"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
898
I can't encode DVD subtitles into the AVI!
899
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
900
You have to properly specify the <tt class="option">-sid</tt> option.
901
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531222"></a><a name="id2531224"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
902
How can I encode only selected chapters from a DVD?
903
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
904
Use the <tt class="option">-chapter</tt> option correctly, like: <tt class="option">-chapter 5-7</tt>.
905
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531243"></a><a name="id2531245"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
906
I'm trying to work with 2GB+ files on a VFAT file system. Does it work?
907
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
908
No, VFAT doesn't support 2GB+ files.
909
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531257"></a><a name="id2531259"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
910
Why is the recommended bitrate printed by <span class="application">MEncoder</span> negative?
911
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
912
Because the bitrate you encoded the audio with is too large to fit the
913
movie on any CD. Check if you have libmp3lame installed properly.
914
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531278"></a><a name="id2531280"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
915
I can't encode an ASF file to AVI/MPEG-4 (DivX) because it uses 1000 fps.
916
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
917
Since ASF uses variable framerate but AVI uses a fixed one, you
918
have to set it by hand with the <tt class="option">-ofps</tt> option.
919
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531296"></a><a name="id2531298"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
920
How can I put subtitles in the output file?
921
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
922
Just pass the <tt class="option">-sub <filename></tt> (or <tt class="option">-sid</tt>,
923
respectively) option to <span class="application">MEncoder</span>.
924
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531323"></a><a name="id2531326"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
925
How do I encode only sound from a music video?
926
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
927
It's not possible directly, but you can try this (note the
928
<span class="bold"><strong>&</strong></span> at the end of
929
<span><strong class="command">mplayer</strong></span> command):
930
</p><pre class="screen">
932
mplayer -ao pcm -aofile encode dvd://1 &
933
lame <em class="replaceable"><code>your_opts</code></em> encode music.mp3
936
This allows you to use any encoder, not only <span class="application">LAME</span>,
937
just replace <span><strong class="command">lame</strong></span> with your favorite audio encoder in the
939
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531375"></a><a name="id2531377"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
940
Why do third-party players fail to play MPEG-4 movies encoded by
941
<span class="application">MEncoder</span> versions later than 1.0pre7?
942
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
943
<code class="systemitem">libavcodec</code>, the native MPEG-4
944
encoding library usually shipped with <span class="application">MEncoder</span>,
945
used to set the FourCC to 'DIVX' when encoding MPEG-4 videos
946
(the FourCC is an AVI tag to identify the software used to encode and
947
the intended software to use for decoding the video).
948
This led many people to think that
949
<code class="systemitem">libavcodec</code>
950
was a DivX encoding library, when in fact it is a completely different
951
MPEG-4 encoding library which implements the MPEG-4 standard much
952
better than DivX does.
953
Therefore, the new default FourCC used by
954
<code class="systemitem">libavcodec</code> is 'FMP4', but you
955
may override this behavior using <span class="application">MEncoder</span>'s
956
<tt class="option">-ffourcc</tt> option.
957
You may also change the FourCC of existing files in the same way:
958
</p><pre class="screen">
959
mencoder <em class="replaceable"><code>input.avi</code></em> -o <em class="replaceable"><code>output.avi</code></em> -ffourcc XVID
961
Note that this will set the FourCC to XVID rather than DIVX.
962
This is recommended as DIVX FourCC means DivX4, which is a very basic
963
MPEG-4 codec, whereas DX50 and XVID both mean full MPEG-4 (ASP).
964
Therefore, if you change the FourCC to DIVX, some bad software or
965
hardware players may choke on some advanced features that
966
<code class="systemitem">libavcodec</code> supports, but DivX
967
doesn't; on the other hand <code class="systemitem">XviD</code>
968
is closer to <code class="systemitem">libavcodec</code> in
969
terms of functionality, and is supported by all decent players.
970
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531490"></a><a name="id2531492"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
971
How can I encode an audio only file?
972
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
973
Use <tt class="filename">aconvert</tt> from the
974
<tt class="filename">TOOLS</tt>
975
subdirectory in the MPlayer source tree.
976
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531518"></a><a name="id2531520"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
977
How can I play subtitles embedded in AVI?
978
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
979
Use <tt class="filename">avisubdump.c</tt> from the
980
<tt class="filename">TOOLS</tt> subdirectory or read
981
<a href="http://xlife.zuavra.net/curse/0012/" target="_top">this document about extracting/demultiplexing subtitles embedded in OpenDML AVI files</a>.
982
</p></td></tr><tr class="question"><td align="left" valign="top"><a name="id2531553"></a><a name="id2531555"></a><b>Q:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
984
</p></td></tr><tr class="answer"><td align="left" valign="top"><b>A:</b></td><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
985
Have a look at the <tt class="filename">TOOLS</tt>
986
subdirectory for a collection of random scripts and hacks.
987
<tt class="filename">TOOLS/README</tt> contains documentation.
988
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