[mythtv-users] mplayer options when xvideo fails

[kedlm at charter.net]

> 
> Ever try one of the other MPlayer output methods?  I've used SDL and 
> OpenGL in the past with some success.  Try "mplayer -vo help" for a 
> list.
I already tried all the choices compiled into my version.  SDL looked bad and OpenGL looked worse.

> 
> Also, you could wrap MPlayer in a script that uses XrandR to change the 
> display resolution to the movie's native resolution on playback, so no 
> scaling would be required.
Well.....
I am currrently trying to display HD on my 36" Tube TV.  I'm thinking it can handle 1280 and 1920 natively :-)

I know scaling the HD down to say 1024x768 (what I use now) won't look as nice as on an HDTV, but at least it will be a) digital b) high quality and c) very nice to look at at opposed to analog TV.

I've been busy, but I did notice the other post that talked about forcing the overlay to be on the 2nd display.  I'm going to try this when I have time.  I think it has a chance of working.

My current problem is not that I have no overlay.  The problem is that (at least) in my current setup I have a 1280x1024 display and the 1024x768 display merged in Big Head mode so they are one screen/display.  Overlays work on both, as does OpenGL.  BUT, I couldn't previously get an xvideo overlay bigger than 1000x1000.  AND, apparently it needs say 1920x1080 overlay so it can scale it down nicely to 1024x768.  With my recent beating on xfree 4.3, xorg 6.8.2 (I think), newer/older fglrx drivers, etc.  Now I can only get a display of 1000x500 sometimes.  Very odd.  I think its because I have the Big Head mode enabled.  But I really want that so I can play UT2004 on the flat panel while my wife watches TV.  (which works fine).  But now that I want to scale 1920x1080 to 1024x768 so we can watch HD I have a problem.  I'm going to try going to 2 separate displays and forcing the overlay to the TV.  If that works I can just switch X setting files between game mode and TV mode for!
  now. (last time I tried 2 separate displays I couldn't get the video overlay to the TV head; I hope that option someone posts fixes that problem)

Sorry for the rambling,
Mike