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1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
2 <!-- $Revision$ -->
3 <chapter id="faq" xreflabel="FAQ">
4 <title>Frequently Asked Questions</title>
6 <qandaset defaultlabel="qanda">
8 <qandadiv id="faq-development">
9 <title>Development</title>
11 <qandaentry>
12 <question><para>
13 How do I create a proper patch for <application>MPlayer</application>?
14 </para></question>
15 <answer><para>
16 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
17 </para></answer>
18 </qandaentry>
20 <qandaentry>
21 <question><para>
22 How do I translate <application>MPlayer</application> to a new language?
23 </para></question>
24 <answer><para>
25 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
26 </para></answer>
27 </qandaentry>
29 <qandaentry>
30 <question><para>
31 How can I support <application>MPlayer</application> development?
32 </para></question>
33 <answer><para>
34 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
35 </para></answer>
36 </qandaentry>
38 <qandaentry>
39 <question><para>
40 How can I become an <application>MPlayer</application> developer?
41 </para></question>
42 <answer><para>
43 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
44 </para></answer>
45 </qandaentry>
47 <qandaentry>
48 <question><para>
49 Why don't you use autoconf/automake?
50 </para></question>
51 <answer><para>
52 We have a modular, handwritten build system. It does a reasonably good
53 job, so why change? Besides, we dislike the auto* tools, just like
54 <ulink url="http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/889/">other people</ulink>.
55 </para></answer>
56 </qandaentry>
57 </qandadiv>
59 <!-- ********** -->
61 <qandadiv id="faq-compilation-installation">
62 <title>Compilation and installation</title>
64 <qandaentry>
65 <question><para>
66 Compilation fails with an error and <application>gcc</application> bails out
67 with some cryptic message containing the phrase
68 <systemitem>internal compiler error</systemitem> or
69 <systemitem>unable to find a register to spill</systemitem> or
70 <systemitem>can't find a register in class `GENERAL_REGS'
71 while reloading `asm'</systemitem>.
72 </para></question>
73 <answer><para>
74 You have stumbled over a bug in <application>gcc</application>. Please
75 <ulink url="http://gcc.gnu.org/bugs.html">report it to the gcc team</ulink>
76 but not to us. For some reason <application>MPlayer</application> seems to
77 trigger compiler bugs frequently. Nevertheless we cannot fix them and do not
78 add workarounds for compiler bugs to our sources. To avoid this problem,
79 either stick with a compiler version that is known to be reliable and
80 stable, or upgrade frequently.
81 </para></answer>
82 </qandaentry>
84 <qandaentry>
85 <question><para>
86 Are there binary (RPM/Debian) packages of <application>MPlayer</application>?
87 </para></question>
88 <answer><para>
89 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
90 </para></answer>
91 </qandaentry>
93 <qandaentry>
94 <question><para>
95 How can I build a 32 bit <application>MPlayer</application> on a 64 bit Athlon?
96 </para></question>
97 <answer><para>
98 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
99 </para></answer>
100 </qandaentry>
102 <qandaentry>
103 <question><para>
104 During 'make', <application>MPlayer</application> complains about
105 missing X11 libraries. I don't understand, I <emphasis>do</emphasis>
106 have X11 installed!?
107 </para></question>
108 <answer><para>
109 ... but you don't have the X11 development package installed. Or not correctly.
110 It's called <filename>XFree86-devel*</filename> under Red Hat,
111 <filename>xlibs-dev</filename> under Debian Woody and
112 <filename>libx11-dev</filename> under Debian Sarge. Also check if the
113 <filename class="directory">/usr/X11</filename> and
114 <filename class="directory">/usr/include/X11</filename> symlinks exist.
115 </para></answer>
116 </qandaentry>
118 </qandadiv>
120 <!-- ********** -->
122 <qandadiv id="faq-general">
123 <title>General questions</title>
125 <qandaentry>
126 <question><para>
127 Are there any mailing lists on <application>MPlayer</application>?
128 </para></question>
129 <answer><para>
130 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
131 </para></answer>
132 </qandaentry>
134 <qandaentry>
135 <question><para>
136 I've found a nasty bug when I tried to play my favorite video!
137 Who should I inform?
138 </para></question>
139 <answer><para>
140 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
141 </para></answer>
142 </qandaentry>
144 <qandaentry>
145 <question><para>
146 How can I make a screenshot?
147 </para></question>
148 <answer><para>
149 You have to use a video output driver that does not employ an overlay to be
150 able to take a screenshot. Under X11, <option>-vo x11</option> will do, under
151 Windows <option>-vo directx:noaccel</option> works.
152 </para>
153 <para>
154 Alternatively you can run <application>MPlayer</application> with the
155 <systemitem>screenshot</systemitem> video filter
156 (<option>-vf screenshot</option>), and press the <keycap>s</keycap>
157 key to grab a screenshot.
158 </para></answer>
159 </qandaentry>
161 <qandaentry>
162 <question><para>
163 What is the meaning of the numbers on the status line?
164 </para></question>
165 <answer><para>
166 Example:
167 <screen>
168 A: 2.1 V: 2.2 A-V: -0.167 ct: 0.042 57/57 41% 0% 2.6% 0 4 49% 1.00x
169 </screen>
170 <variablelist>
171 <varlistentry>
172 <term><systemitem>A: 2.1</systemitem></term>
173 <listitem><para>audio position in seconds</para></listitem>
174 </varlistentry>
175 <varlistentry>
176 <term><systemitem>V: 2.2</systemitem></term>
177 <listitem><para>video position in seconds</para></listitem>
178 </varlistentry>
179 <varlistentry>
180 <term><systemitem>A-V: -0.167</systemitem></term>
181 <listitem><para>audio-video difference in seconds (delay)</para></listitem>
182 </varlistentry>
183 <varlistentry>
184 <term><systemitem>ct: 0.042</systemitem></term>
185 <listitem><para>total A-V sync correction done</para></listitem>
186 </varlistentry>
187 <varlistentry>
188 <term><systemitem>57/57</systemitem></term>
189 <listitem><para>
190 frames played/decoded (counting from last seek)
191 </para></listitem>
192 </varlistentry>
193 <varlistentry>
194 <term><systemitem>41%</systemitem></term>
195 <listitem><para>
196 video codec CPU usage in percent
197 (for slice rendering and direct rendering this includes video_out)
198 </para></listitem>
199 </varlistentry>
200 <varlistentry>
201 <term><systemitem>0%</systemitem></term>
202 <listitem><para>video_out CPU usage</para></listitem>
203 </varlistentry>
204 <varlistentry>
205 <term><systemitem>2.6%</systemitem></term>
206 <listitem><para>audio codec CPU usage in percent</para></listitem>
207 </varlistentry>
208 <varlistentry>
209 <term><systemitem>0</systemitem></term>
210 <listitem><para>frames dropped to maintain A-V sync</para></listitem>
211 </varlistentry>
212 <varlistentry>
213 <term><systemitem>4</systemitem></term>
214 <listitem><para>
215 current level of image postprocessing (when using <option>-autoq</option>)
216 </para></listitem>
217 </varlistentry>
218 <varlistentry>
219 <term><systemitem>49%</systemitem></term>
220 <listitem><para>
221 current cache size used (around 50% is normal)
222 </para></listitem>
223 </varlistentry>
224 <varlistentry>
225 <term><systemitem>1.00x</systemitem></term>
226 <listitem><para>playback speed as a factor of original speed</para></listitem>
227 </varlistentry>
228 </variablelist>
229 Most of them are for debug purposes, use the <option>-quiet</option>
230 option to make them disappear.
231 You might notice that video_out CPU usage is zero (0%) for some files.
232 This is because it is called directly from the codec and thus cannot
233 be measured separately. If you wish to know the video_out speed, compare
234 the difference when playing the file with <option>-vo null</option> and
235 your usual video output driver.
236 </para></answer>
237 </qandaentry>
239 <qandaentry>
240 <question><para>
241 There are error messages about file not found
242 <filename>/usr/local/lib/codecs/</filename> ...
243 </para></question>
244 <answer><para>
245 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
246 </para></answer>
247 </qandaentry>
249 <qandaentry>
250 <question><para>
251 How can I make <application>MPlayer</application> remember the options I
252 use for a particular file, e.g. <filename>movie.avi</filename>?
253 </para></question>
254 <answer><para>
255 Create a file named <filename>movie.avi.conf</filename> with the file-specific
256 options in it and put it in <filename class="directory">~/.mplayer</filename>.
257 Also see the manpage about <option>-use-filedir-conf</option>.
258 </para></answer>
259 </qandaentry>
261 <qandaentry>
262 <question><para>
263 How can I run <application>MPlayer</application> in the background?
264 </para></question>
265 <answer><para>
266 Use:
267 <screen>
268 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
269 </screen>
270 </para></answer>
271 </qandaentry>
272 </qandadiv>
274 <!-- ********** -->
276 <qandadiv id="faq-playback">
277 <title>Playback problems</title>
279 <qandaentry>
280 <question><para>
281 I cannot pinpoint the cause of some strange playback problem.
282 </para></question>
283 <answer><para>
284 Do you have a stray <filename>codecs.conf</filename> file in
285 <filename>~/.mplayer/</filename>, <filename>/etc/</filename>,
286 <filename>/usr/local/etc/</filename> or a similar location? Remove it,
287 an outdated <filename>codecs.conf</filename> file can cause obscure
288 problems and is intended for use only by developers working on codec
289 support. It overrides <application>MPlayer</application>'s internal
290 codec settings, which will wreak havoc if incompatible changes are
291 made in newer program versions. Unless used by experts it is a recipe
292 for disaster in the form of seemingly random and very hard to localize
293 crashes and playback problems. If you still have it somewhere on your
294 system, you should remove it now.
295 </para></answer>
296 </qandaentry>
298 <qandaentry>
299 <question><para>
300 How can I get subtitles to appear on the black margins around a movie?
301 </para></question>
302 <answer><para>
303 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
304 </para></answer>
305 </qandaentry>
307 <qandaentry>
308 <question><para>
309 How can I select audio/subtitle tracks from a DVD, OGM, Matroska or NUT file?
310 </para></question>
311 <answer><para>
312 You have to use <option>-aid</option> (audio ID) or <option>-alang</option>
313 (audio language), <option>-sid</option>(subtitle ID) or <option>-slang</option>
314 (subtitle language), for example:
315 <screen>
316 mplayer -alang eng -slang eng <replaceable>example.mkv</replaceable>
317 mplayer -aid 1 -sid 1 <replaceable>example.mkv</replaceable>
318 </screen>
319 To see which ones are available:
320 <screen>
321 mplayer -vo null -ao null -frames 0 -v <replaceable>filename</replaceable> | grep sid
322 mplayer -vo null -ao null -frames 0 -v <replaceable>filename</replaceable> | grep aid
323 </screen>
324 </para></answer>
325 </qandaentry>
327 <qandaentry>
328 <question><para>
329 I downloaded a movie off a P2P network and it doesn't work!
330 </para></question>
331 <answer><para>
332 Your file is most probably broken or a fake file. If you got it from
333 a friend, and he says it works, try comparing
334 <application>md5sum</application> hashes.
335 </para></answer>
336 </qandaentry>
338 <qandaentry>
339 <question><para>
340 I'm having trouble getting my subtitles to display, help!!
341 </para></question>
342 <answer><para>
343 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
344 </para></answer>
345 </qandaentry>
347 <qandaentry>
348 <question><para>
349 <application>MPlayer</application> dies with
350 <screen>MPlayer interrupted by signal 4 in module: decode_video</screen>
351 </para></question>
352 <answer><para>
353 Don't use <application>MPlayer</application> on a CPU different from the one
354 it was compiled on or recompile with runtime CPU detection
355 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
356 </para></answer>
357 </qandaentry>
359 <qandaentry>
360 <question><para>
361 When I try to grab from my tuner, it works, but colors are strange.
362 It's OK with other applications.
363 </para></question>
364 <answer><para>
365 Your card probably reports some colorspaces as supported when in fact
366 it does not support them. Try with YUY2 instead of the
367 default YV12 (see the <link linkend="tv-input">TV</link> section).
368 </para></answer>
369 </qandaentry>
371 <qandaentry>
372 <question><para>
373 While playing a movie it suddenly gets jerky and I get the following message:
374 <screen>Badly interleaved AVI file detected - switching to -ni mode...</screen>
375 </para></question>
376 <answer><para>
377 Badly interleaved files and <option>-cache</option> don't work well together.
378 Try <option>-nocache</option>.
379 </para></answer>
380 </qandaentry>
381 </qandadiv>
383 <!-- ********** -->
385 <qandadiv id="faq-driver">
386 <title>Video/audio driver problems (vo/ao)</title>
388 <qandaentry>
389 <question><para>
390 When I go into fullscreen mode I just get black borders around the image
391 and no real scaling to fullscreen mode.
392 </para></question>
393 <answer><para>
394 Your video output driver does not support scaling in hardware and since
395 scaling in software can be incredibly slow <application>MPlayer</application>
396 does not automatically enable it. Most likely you are using the
397 <systemitem>x11</systemitem> instead of the <systemitem>xv</systemitem>
398 video output driver. Try adding <option>-vo xv</option> to the command
399 line or read the <link linkend="video">video section</link> to find out
400 about alternative video output drivers. The <option>-zoom</option>
401 option explicitly enables software scaling.
402 </para></answer>
403 </qandaentry>
405 <qandaentry>
406 <question><para>
407 I've just installed <application>MPlayer</application>. When I want to
408 open a video file it causes a fatal error:
409 <screen>Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (-vo) device.</screen>
410 How can I solve my problem?
411 </para></question>
412 <answer><para>
413 Just change your video output device. Issue the following command to get
414 a list of available video output drivers:
415 <screen>mplayer -vo help</screen>
416 After you've chosen the correct video output driver, add it to
417 your configuration file. Add
418 <programlisting>
419 vo = <replaceable>selected_vo</replaceable>
420 </programlisting>
421 to <filename>~/.mplayer/config</filename>
422 </para></answer>
423 </qandaentry>
425 <qandaentry>
426 <question><para>
427 I have problems with <replaceable>[your window manager]</replaceable>
428 and fullscreen xv/xmga/sdl/x11 modes ...
429 </para></question>
430 <answer><para>
431 Read the <link linkend="bugreports">bug reporting guidelines</link> and send us
432 a proper bug report.
433 Also try experimenting with the <option>-fstype</option> option.
434 </para></answer>
435 </qandaentry>
437 <qandaentry>
438 <question><para>
439 How can I use <application>dmix</application> with
440 <application>MPlayer</application>?
441 </para></question>
442 <answer><para>
443 After setting up your
444 <ulink url="http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php?page=DmixPlugin">asoundrc</ulink>
445 you have to use <option>-ao alsa:device=dmix</option>.
446 </para></answer>
447 </qandaentry>
449 <qandaentry>
450 <question><para>
451 I have no sound when playing a video and get error messages similar to this one:
452 <screen>
453 AO: [oss] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
454 [AO OSS] audio_setup: Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: Device or resource busy
455 Could not open/initialize audio device -> no sound.
456 Audio: no sound
457 Starting playback...
458 </screen>
459 </para></question>
460 <answer><para>
461 Are you running KDE or GNOME with the aRts or ESD sound daemon? Try disabling
462 the sound daemon or use the <option>-ao arts</option> or
463 <option>-ao esd</option> option to make <application>MPlayer</application> use
464 aRts or ESD.
465 You might also be running ALSA without OSS emulation, try loading the ALSA OSS
466 kernel modules or add <option>-ao alsa</option> to your command line to
467 directly use the ALSA audio output driver.
468 </para></answer>
469 </qandaentry>
471 <qandaentry>
472 <question><para>
473 When starting <application>MPlayer</application> under KDE I just get a black
474 screen and nothing happens. After about one minute the video starts playing.
475 </para></question>
476 <answer><para>
477 The KDE aRts sound daemon is blocking the sound device. Either wait until the
478 video starts or disable the aRts daemon in control center. If you want to use
479 aRts sound, specify audio output via our native aRts audio driver
480 (<option>-ao arts</option>). If it fails or isn't compiled in, try SDL
481 (<option>-ao sdl</option>) and make sure your SDL can handle aRts sound. Yet
482 another option is to start <application>MPlayer</application> with artsdsp.
483 </para></answer>
484 </qandaentry>
486 <qandaentry>
487 <question><para>
488 I have A/V sync problems.
489 Some of my AVIs play fine, but some play with double speed!
490 </para></question>
491 <answer><para>
492 You have a buggy sound card/driver. Most likely it's fixed at 44100Hz, and you
493 try to play a file which has 22050Hz audio. Try the
494 <systemitem>resample</systemitem> audio filter.
495 </para></answer>
496 </qandaentry>
498 <qandaentry>
499 <question><para>
500 How can I get rid of A/V desynchronization
501 while seeking through RealMedia streams?
502 </para></question>
503 <answer><para>
504 <option>-mc 0.1</option> can help.
505 </para></answer>
506 </qandaentry>
507 </qandadiv>
509 <!-- ********** -->
511 <qandadiv id="faq-dvd">
512 <title>DVD playback</title>
514 <qandaentry>
515 <question><para>
516 What about DVD navigation/menus?
517 </para></question>
518 <answer><para>
519 <application>MPlayer</application> should support DVD menus nowadays.
520 Your mileage may vary.
521 </para></answer>
522 </qandaentry>
524 <qandaentry>
525 <question><para>
526 What about subtitles? Can <application>MPlayer</application> display them?
527 </para></question>
528 <answer><para>
529 Yes. See the <link linkend="dvd">DVD chapter</link>.
530 </para></answer>
531 </qandaentry>
533 <qandaentry>
534 <question><para>
535 How can I set the region code of my DVD-drive? I don't have Windows!
536 </para></question>
537 <answer><para>
538 Use the
539 <ulink url="http://linvdr.org/projects/regionset/">regionset tool</ulink>.
540 </para></answer>
541 </qandaentry>
543 <qandaentry>
544 <question><para>
545 I can't play a DVD, MPlayer hangs or outputs "Encrypted VOB file!" errors.
546 </para></question>
547 <answer><para>
548 CSS decryption code does not work with some DVD drives unless you set
549 the region code appropriately. See the answer to the previous question.
550 </para></answer>
551 </qandaentry>
553 <qandaentry>
554 <question><para>
555 Do I need to be (setuid) root to be able to play a DVD?
556 </para></question>
557 <answer><para>
558 No. However you must have the proper rights
559 on the DVD device entry (in <filename class="directory">/dev/</filename>).
560 </para></answer>
561 </qandaentry>
563 <qandaentry>
564 <question><para>
565 Is it possible to play/encode only selected chapters?
566 </para></question>
567 <answer><para>
568 Yes, try the <option>-chapter</option> option.
569 </para></answer>
570 </qandaentry>
572 <qandaentry>
573 <question><para>
574 My DVD playback is sluggish!
575 </para></question>
576 <answer><para>
577 Use the <option>-cache</option> option (described in the man page) and try
578 enabling DMA for the DVD drive with the <command>hdparm</command> tool.
579 </para></answer>
580 </qandaentry>
582 <qandaentry>
583 <question><para>
584 I copied a DVD using vobcopy. How do I play/encode it from my hard disk?
585 </para></question>
586 <answer><para>
587 Use the <option>-dvd-device</option> option to refer to the directory
588 that contains the files:
589 <screen>
590 mplayer dvd://1 -dvd-device <replaceable>/path/to/directory</replaceable>
591 </screen>
592 </para></answer>
593 </qandaentry>
594 </qandadiv>
597 <qandadiv id="faq-features">
598 <title>Feature requests</title>
600 <qandaentry>
601 <question><para>
602 I'd like to seek +/- 1 frame instead of 10 seconds.
603 </para></question>
604 <answer><para>
605 You can step forward one frame by pressing <keycap>.</keycap>.
606 If the movie was not paused it will be paused afterwards
607 (see the man page for details).
608 Stepping backwards is not currently implemented, but note that you can make
609 small seeks using the <option>-hr-seek</option> functionality.
610 </para></answer>
611 </qandaentry>
612 </qandadiv>
614 <!-- ********** -->
616 <qandadiv id="faq-encoding">
617 <title>Encoding</title>
619 <para>
620 OUTDATED CONTENT REMOVED
621 </para>
622 </qandadiv>
624 </qandaset>
626 </chapter>