[MPlayer-users] mms multi-bitrate streams

[Jan Pieter Cornet]

I'm trying to play a mms:// stream that's multi-bitrate, when starting
to play, mplayer says something like:

| MPlayer CVS-021213-22:08-2.95.4 (C) 2000-2002 Arpad Gereoffy (see DOCS)
| 
| CPU: Intel Celeron 2/Pentium III Coppermine,Geyserville (Family: 6, Stepping: 6)
| CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 0
| Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE
[...]
| data object
| mmst packet_length = 2888
| Cache size set to 16 KBytes
| Connected to server: dsltv.xs4all.nl
| Cache fill:  0.00% (0 bytes)    Detected ASF file format!
| ============ ASF Stream group == START ===
|  object size = 50
|  stream count=[0x4][4]
|    stream id=[0x1][1]
|    max bitrate=[0x150a8][86184]
|    stream id=[0x2][2]
|    max bitrate=[0xb37d2][735186]
|    stream id=[0x3][3]
|    max bitrate=[0x5e0a2][385186]
|    stream id=[0x4][4]
|    max bitrate=[0x2a482][173186]
| ============ ASF Stream group == END ===
| VIDEO:  [WMV2]  384x288  24bpp
| Clip info: 
|  name: dslTV test
|  author: dslTV test
|  comments: dslTV test
| ==========================================================================
| Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
| AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, 16 bit (0x10), ratio: 10003->176400 (80.0 kbit)
| Selected audio codec: [ffwmav2] afm:ffmpeg (DivX audio v2 (ffmpeg))
| ==========================================================================
| vo: X11 running at 1600x1200 with depth 16 and 16 bpp (":0.0" => local display)
| ==========================================================================
| Opening video decoder: [dshow] DirectShow video codecs
| Decoder supports the following YUV formats: YUY2 IYUV UYVY YV12 YVYU I420 YVU9 
| Decoder is capable of YUV output (flags 0x7f)
| VDec: vo config request - 384 x 288 (preferred csp: Packed YUY2)
| [PP] Using codec's postprocessing, max q = 4
| VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
| Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
| VO: [xv] 384x288 => 384x288 Planar YV12 
| Selected video codec: [wmv8] vfm:dshow (Windows Media Video 8)
| ==========================================================================
| AO: [oss] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
| Building audio filter chain for 44100Hz/2ch/16bit -> 44100Hz/2ch/16bit...
| Start playing...

This stream contains something like 850kbps, 450kbps, 250kbps streams
(if you include audio).

However, quality is extremely jerky, and since bandwidth negotiation
is missing in the documentation, i fear mplayer fetches all streams,
and thus overflowing my (DSL, 1Mbps) bandwidth.

I tried calling mplayer using "-aid 1 -vid 3" or a number of other
combinations, but nothing helped.

Any other tips I could use? Or is this feature simply not present in the
streaming library? If so, is anyone working on it, or does anyone have
tips on attacking this problem?

My info (as far as that is useful):

linux debian 3.0 (well, "sid" actually)
kernel 2.4.19-686-smp
/lib/libc-2.3.1.so
XFree86 Version 4.2.1.1 (Debian 4.2.1-4 20021123003806 branden at debian.org),
gcc version 2.95.4 20011002 (Debian prerelease)
GNU ld version 2.13.90.0.14 20021114 Debian GNU/Linux
GNU assembler 2.13.90.0.14 20021114 Debian GNU/Linux
 $ cat /proc/cpuinfo 
processor       : 0
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 8
model name      : Pentium III (Coppermine)
stepping        : 6
cpu MHz         : 1002.302
cache size      : 256 KB
fdiv_bug        : no
hlt_bug         : no
f00f_bug        : no
coma_bug        : no
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 2
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse
bogomips        : 1998.84

processor       : 1
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 8
model name      : Pentium III (Coppermine)
stepping        : 6
cpu MHz         : 1002.302
cache size      : 256 KB
fdiv_bug        : no
hlt_bug         : no
f00f_bug        : no
coma_bug        : no
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 2
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse
bogomips        : 1998.84

Video: nVidia Corporation NV11 [GeForce2 MX DDR] (rev b2)
nvidia binary-only kernel driver 1.0.3123
Creative Labs SB Live! EMU10k1 (rev 08)
1Mbps DSL connection to the internet (and the streaming server in question).

-- 
#!perl -pl	# This kenny-filter is virus-free as long as you don't copy it
$p=3-2*/[^\W\dmpf_]/i;s.[a-z]{$p}.vec($f=join('',$p-1?chr(sub{$_[0]*9+$_[1]*3+
$_[2]}->(map{/p|f/i+/f/i}split//,$&)+97):('m',p,f)[map{((ord$&)%32-1)/$_%3}(9,
3,1)]),5,1)='`'lt$&;$f.eig;				   # Jan-Pieter Cornet