[MPlayer-users] Re: [Fwd: gmplayer 0.9-1]

[Jonathan Rogers]

Graeme Nichols wrote:
> I installed a GUI version of mplayer (from the APC cover CD for August
> 2003) and cannot get it to play properly. I am testing it on a promo DVD
> for Harry Potter.
> 

You're probably going to have to give more information, like the precise 
version of mplayer.

> There were three rpms to install, mplayer-common-*, mplayer.gui-* and
> mplayer.skin.*. The install of them all at once, as root, went without
> any errors being notified.
> 
> I adjusted the CD preferences Preferences->CD Properties->DVD Run
> Command which I ticked and then altered to /usr/bin/gmplayer dvd:%d
> which apart from /usr/bin/gmplayer is the same as the entry that was
> already there.
> 

I can only assume you're referring to some desktop environment, like KDE 
or GNOME. I use Gnome 2 and I haven't seen such settings, but I mostly 
use the command line anyway.

> When I insert the promo DVD mplayer starts up then gives the following
> error: File not found: /home/graeme/dvd:dev/cdrom. If I remove the
> 'dvd:' from the run command the behaviour is somewhat different. all
> appears to be starting up OK but the about 4 errors flash up with the
> last one as follows: dmux:File doesn't contain the selected audio or
> video stream. I think at least one of the other errors is: error
> opening/initialising the selected video_out (vo) device. If I then
> remove the %d from the command leaving only the /usr/bin/gmplayer
> command then mplayer opens but doesn't try to play anything.
> 

The command to play the first title of a DVD is either "gmplayer -dvd 1" 
or "gmplayer dvd://1", depending on the version of mplayer. Make sure 
you have a device node called "/dev/dvd" that is (or is a link to) your 
DVD-ROM drive. Read the manpage or the HTML documentation in the link at 
the bottom of this message.

> The DVD contains two directories, audio_ts and video_ts. audio_ts is an
> empty directory and video_ts contains files like video_ts.bup, *.ifo and
> *.vop. There are no files in the root directory of the DVD.
> 

Sounds like a pretty standard DVD-Video.

> How do I set up the video_out device? What else have I failed to
> configure correctly? and why is it looking in /home/graeme/dvd for the
> video file? Is dvd the video_out device? There is no dvd device in /dev

Depending on your video hardware and X driver, you may have to 
experiment with MPlayer's video out drivers. You'll have to read the 
manuals or give more detail. If you are uncomfortable with reading 
manpages or using the command line, you may find Xine more friendly. I 
hope recommending it here isn't sacrilegious, but it is more newbie 
friendly, though somewhat less flexible than MPlayer.

Jonathan Rogers