[mythtv-users] Internal player has problems in myth

Sun Dec 13 13:12:18 UTC 2009

>On Sat Dec 12 23:43 , Allen Edwards <allen.p.edwards at gmail.com> wrote:On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 2:20 PM, Kevin Ross <kevin at familyross.net> wrote:
>> Allen Edwards wrote:
>>>
>>> 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
>>>
>>
>> Okay since you are familiar with VLC and you know it works, use that.  As
>> for where to put the command, it's really up to you.  Do you want to use it
>> for all videos, or just .iso files?  If you want it for all videos, go to
>> Media Settings->Videos Settings->Player Settings, and make it your default
>> video player.  If you want it for only .iso's, go to Media Settings->Videos
>> Settings->File Types, go to "iso" and put the player command there.
>>
>> Follow the advice of the wiki.  Make it fullscreen.  Disable the OSD.  Map
>> the key bindings so they match what MythTV uses.  Add commands to the
>> .lircrc file if you're using LIRC.  These last two items should drastically
>> improve the WAF.
>>
>> -- Kevin
>>
>>
>
>Thanks.  That helps.  I now have a new project for the next rainy day
>(tomorrow).
>
>Allen

I haven't found "Internal" ready for primetime either in 0.22

Issues: 
Bad sync issues from some files: Both audio and subtitle
Can't play my h264/mkv rips due to the blocking problem. I haven't tried the patch, but to be honest don't want to be bothered with recompiling it every time there's an update. I stick to the Avenard repos, and presumably at some point the issues will be fixed.

The good news is that with Jean Yves framerate sync patch it plays less jerkily than the alternatives. So I do use it for files which it can handle.

Otherwise I use Mplayer for h264/mkv rips and xine for isos.

It's not ideal, but at least I can play my media.

As for the waf, I have it mostly sorted using sensible lirc mappings.

Cheers!
Marius