[mythtv-users] Internal player has problems in myth

Allen Edwards allen.p.edwards at gmail.com
Sat Dec 12 22:06:48 UTC 2009


On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 1:51 PM, Kevin Ross <kevin at familyross.net> wrote:
> Allen Edwards wrote:
>>
>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 1:18 PM, Kevin Ross <kevin at familyross.net> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Allen Edwards wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 12:58 PM, Kevin Ross <kevin at familyross.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Allen Edwards wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Is this the right string to play videos?
>>>>>> mplayer -fs -zoom -quiet -vo xv %s
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have a few problems.
>>>>>> 1) On some videos, I get to a still, like the parental warning, and
>>>>>> everything hangs there.  Have to restart X to get out.
>>>>>> 2) On some videos, the menu shows only cursor positions, no text or
>>>>>> background image so you can't tell what to do.
>>>>>> 3) There are skips on the audio.  This I can live with and think it is
>>>>>> probably in the video itself but thought I would list it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The only one I trouble shot is the first and mplayer can play past the
>>>>>> parental warning when started outside myth.  In cases 1 and 2 using
>>>>>> VLC
>>>>>> plays the video fine but the WAF is non-existent for this mode so I
>>>>>> have to
>>>>>> do it.  If myth won't play the video when I am not there, the video
>>>>>> doesn't
>>>>>> get watched.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I updated mplayer to 1.0rc2-4.2.4 which I think is the latest one.  No
>>>>>> change.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Allen
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 1 and 2 make it sound as if you're trying to play DVDs (.iso images or
>>>>> VIDEO_TS folders), as opposed to, say, .avi or .mkv files.  I've never
>>>>> had
>>>>> good results playing DVDs with mplayer.  I always use Internal for
>>>>> DVDs.
>>>>>  Internal player also has much higher WAF than mplayer.
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> OK, I am stupid.  The mplayer command is the "default" player but
>>>> "mythdvd.DVDPlayerCommand" is set to "Internal" so I guess I am not
>>>> using mplayer.  So, I just changed the subject (causing the thread to
>>>> break sorry).
>>>>
>>>> You are correct that I am playing .iso images.
>>>>
>>>> Same problems, but with the internal player.
>>>>
>>>> Allen
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Actually, playing .iso files uses whatever you have configured under
>>> Media
>>> Settings->Videos Settings->File Types.  Go to "iso" and see what it is
>>> configured to use.  If set to "use default player", then it will use the
>>> default video player command, NOT the DVD player command.  So, in this
>>> case,
>>> if "iso" was set to "use default player", it would in fact be using
>>> mplayer,
>>> not Internal.
>>>
>>> Also, what version of MythTV?  The internal player in 0.22 works much
>>> better
>>> for DVDs than the one in 0.21.  There were many DVDs that the menu
>>> wouldn't
>>> work, or would cause the player to freeze, in 0.21, that now work fine in
>>> 0.22.
>>>
>>> Hope this helps!
>>> -- Kevin
>>>
>>> ____
>>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks for the reply.  It is set to internal. I am using 0.21.  I
>> guess that is the problem.  I am afraid to upgrade because it seems
>> like there are significant differences and some of them don't seem
>> like they are helpful for my use.  Plus, I have been of the opinion if
>> it isn't broke, don't fix it but perhaps what you are saying is that
>> it is broke.  Every significant upgrade I have done has crashed the
>> system so that is also an issue.  What to do?  I have an old CRT TV
>> that we use most of the time. For movies we use a 10 ft screen and a
>> projector but my understanding is that 0.22 has smaller fonts that are
>> difficult to see with an old TV.  That in and of itself is a killer.
>> Not sure what to do.
>>
>> Allen
>>
>
>
> It IS a fairly significant change.  I understand why you wouldn't want to
> touch a working production system.
>
> Have you tried other media players for .iso's?  How about xine?  I've heard
> it's a good DVD player, but I haven't tried it myself.
>
> As for fonts, I found they are bigger in .22, not smaller.  I had to tweak
> the xml files for my favorite theme to make the fonts smaller.  Also, the
> themes are different in .22 than in .21.  For example, there is a theme
> called MythCenter in both .21 and .22, but the one in .22 isn't like the one
> in .21 at all.
>

I think when I upgrade it will be with a new HD and a fresh install.
Not now though.

I can play with videos with VLC just fine and I have considered
switching to that to try and improve the WAF of video watching.

This http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/VLC seems to give a pretty good
overview but also seems to leave a few things out.  For example, it
says what the command is but it doesn't say where to put it.  Should
be obvious right.  Like the internal default issue I had at first
nothing is obvious imho.  I try to be very clear in my digital audio
wiki but I am sure many people find it cryptic.

VLC seems to have some other nice features so I might spend time
trying to use it rather than upgrading right now.  I just wanted to
give the internal player a chance by asking this list before going
away from it.  That was a suggestion from one of the wikis I read
before posting.

Thanks again,

Allen


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