comparison DOCS/xml/en/faq.xml @ 10042:47ebc28813aa

various fixes and updates

10041:78557a55801f

<question><para>
I am still having trouble compiling with SDL support. gcc says something
about &quot;undefined reference to `SDL_EnableKeyRepeat'&quot;. What now?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Where did you install the SDL library? If you installed in <filename>/usr/local</filename>
(the default) then edit the top level <filename>config.mak</filename> and add
&quot;-L/usr/local/lib&quot; after &quot;X_LIBS=&quot;. Now type
<command>make</command>. You're done!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Are there rpm/deb/... packages of MPlayer?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You can make a .deb package for yourself, check the
<link linkend="debian">Debian packaging</link> section. There are links to
official Red Hat RPM packages available on our

<qandadiv id="faq-general">
<title>General questions</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How do I create a proper patch for MPlayer?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We made a <ulink url="../../tech/patches.txt">short document</ulink>
describing all the necessary details. Please follow the instructions.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I support MPlayer development?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We are more than happy to accept your hardware and software
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/donations.html">donations</ulink>.
They help us in continuously improving MPlayer.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I become an MPlayer developer?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We always welcome coders and documenters. Read the
<ulink url="../../tech/">technical documentation</ulink>
to get a first grasp. Then you should subscribe to the

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Can I run multiple instances of MPlayer?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. Some video out drivers like xv, dga or (x)mga are exclusive, some are
exclusive in combination with certain graphics boards and drivers. You will
not be able to run more than one instance of MPlayer with one of those video

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Are there any mailing lists on MPlayer?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. See the bottom of the info page on
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/info.html">our homepage</ulink>
to subscribe.

<question><para>
I've found a nasty bug when I tried to play my favorite video! Who should I inform?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Please read the
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/bugreports.html">bug reporting guidelines</ulink>
and follow the instructions.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
And what is &quot;Faszom(C)ounter&quot;
</para></question>
<answer><para>
&quot;Fasz&quot; is a Hungarian word you don't want to know, the others are
connected to the perverted minds of the MPlayer developers.
</para></answer>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What exactly is this libavcodec thing?
</para></question>
<answer><para>

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
But configure tells me &quot;Checking for libavcodec ... no&quot;!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
See the <link linkend="ffmpeg">libavcodec section</link>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Icewm's taskbar keeps covering the movie in fullscreen mode!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You need to get libavcodec from FFmpeg's CVS. Read the instructions in the
<link linkend="ffmpeg">libavcodec section</link>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I can't access the GUI menu. I press right click, but I can't
access any menu items!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This shouldn't happen anymore, if it still does use the <option>-fstype</option>
layer option and report it to the <ulink url="http://mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/">mplayer-users</ulink>
mailing list.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

    Requested audio codec family [divx] (afm=4) not available (enable it at
    compile time!)
</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Probably the audio uses a codec not natively supported by MPlayer. Install the
Win32 codec package as described in the README or in the
<link linkend="install">Installation</link> section.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
... works with avifile/aviplay but doesn't with <application>MPlayer</application>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
MPlayer is not avifile. The only common thing between these players is the Win32
DLL loader. The codecs (DLL) set, synchronization, demultiplexing etc is totally
different and shouldn't be compared. If something works with aviplay it doesn't
mean that MPlayer will work and vice versa.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Audio goes out of sync playing an AVI file.

The KDE arts sound daemon is blocking the sound device. Either wait until the
video starts or disable the arts-daemon in kontrol center. If you want to use
arts sound, specify audio output via our native arts audio driver
(<option>-ao arts</option>). If it fails or isn't compiled in, try SDL
(<option>-ao sdl</option>) and make sure your SDL can handle arts sound. Yet
another option is to start MPlayer with artsdsp.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an AVI that produces a gray screen when played with <option>-vc odivx</option>

<question><para>
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It's an effect of the power management / power saving system of your notebook
(BIOS, not kernel). Plug the external power connector in before you power on
your notebook. You can also try whether
<ulink url="http://www.brodo.de/cpufreq/">cpufreq</ulink> (a SpeedStep interface for Linux) helps you.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
The audio/video gets totally out of sync when I run <application>MPlayer</application>

or use the <option>-nortc</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry> 
<question><para>
While playing a movie it suddenly gets jerky and I get     
the following message:
<screen>Badly interleaved AVI file detected - switching to -ni mode...</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Badly interleaved files and <option>-cache</option> don't work well together.       
Try <option>-nocache</option>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

which is present in <application>MPlayer</application> source, and used by default.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What about subtitles? Can MPlayer display them?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. See the <link linkend="dvd">DVD chapter</link> of the documentation.
</para></answer>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I set the region code of my DVD-drive? I don't have Windows!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <ulink url="http://www.linuxtv.org/download/dvd/dvd_disc_20000215.tar.gz">regionset tool</ulink>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Do I need to be (setuid) root/setuid fibmap_mplayer to be able to play a DVD?

<qandadiv id="faq-encoding">
<title>Encoding</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
My tuner works, I can hear the sound and watch the video with MPlayer,
but MEncoder doesn't encode audio!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
TV audio encoding for Linux is currently unimplemented, we're working
on it. At the moment it works only on BSD.
</para></answer>

You have to specify the <option>-sid</option> option correctly!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
MEncoder segfaults on startup!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Upgrade DivX4Linux.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

No, VFAT doesn't support 2GB+ files.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Why is the recommended bitrate printed by MEncoder negative?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Because the bitrate you encoded the audio with is too large to fit the
movie on any CD. Check if you have libmp3lame installed properly.
</para></answer>

10042:47ebc28813aa

<question><para>
I am still having trouble compiling with SDL support. gcc says something
about &quot;undefined reference to `SDL_EnableKeyRepeat'&quot;. What now?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Where did you install the SDL library? If you installed in
<filename class="directory">/usr/local</filename> (the default) then edit the
top level <filename>config.mak</filename> and add &quot;-L/usr/local/lib&quot;
after &quot;X_LIBS=&quot;. Now type <command>make</command>. You're done!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Are there rpm/deb/... packages of <application>MPlayer</application>?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You can make a .deb package for yourself, check the
<link linkend="debian">Debian packaging</link> section. There are links to
official Red Hat RPM packages available on our

<qandadiv id="faq-general">
<title>General questions</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How do I create a proper patch for <application>MPlayer</application>?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We made a <ulink url="../../tech/patches.txt">short document</ulink>
describing all the necessary details. Please follow the instructions.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I support <application>MPlayer</application> development?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We are more than happy to accept your hardware and software
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/donations.html">donations</ulink>.
They help us in continuously improving MPlayer.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I become an <application>MPlayer</application> developer?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We always welcome coders and documenters. Read the
<ulink url="../../tech/">technical documentation</ulink>
to get a first grasp. Then you should subscribe to the

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Can I run multiple instances of <application>MPlayer</application>?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. Some video out drivers like xv, dga or (x)mga are exclusive, some are
exclusive in combination with certain graphics boards and drivers. You will
not be able to run more than one instance of MPlayer with one of those video

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Are there any mailing lists on <application>MPlayer</application>?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. See the bottom of the info page on
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/info.html">our homepage</ulink>
to subscribe.

<question><para>
I've found a nasty bug when I tried to play my favorite video! Who should I inform?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Please read the
<link linkend="bugreports">bug reporting guidelines</link>
and follow the instructions.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>

</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
And what is &quot;Faszom(C)ounter&quot;?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
&quot;Fasz&quot; is a Hungarian word you don't want to know, the others are
connected to the perverted minds of the MPlayer developers.
</para></answer>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What exactly is this libavcodec thing?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
See the <link linkend="ffmpeg">libavcodec section</link>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
But configure tells me &quot;Checking for libavcodec ... no&quot;!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You need to get libavcodec from FFmpeg's CVS. Read the instructions in the
<link linkend="ffmpeg">libavcodec section</link>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Icewm's taskbar keeps covering the movie in fullscreen mode!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This shouldn't happen anymore, if it still does use the <option>-fstype</option>
layer option and report it to the <ulink url="http://mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/">mplayer-users</ulink>
mailing list.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I can't access the GUI menu. I press right click, but I can't
access any menu items!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Are you using FVWM? Try the following:
<orderedlist>
<listitem><para>Start -> Settings -> Configuration -> Base Configuration</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Set &quot;Use Applications position hints&quot; to &quot;Yes&quot;</para></listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

    Requested audio codec family [divx] (afm=4) not available (enable it at
    compile time!)
</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Probably the audio uses a codec not natively supported by <application>MPlayer</application>.
Install the Win32 codec package as described in the <filename>README</filename>
or in the <link linkend="install">Installation</link> section.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
... works with <application>avifile/aviplay</application> but doesn't with
<application>MPlayer</application>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
<application>MPlayer</application> is not <application>avifile</application>.
The only common thing between these players is the Win32 DLL loader. The codecs
(DLL) set, synchronization, demultiplexing etc is totally different and shouldn't
be compared. If something works with <application>aviplay</application> it doesn't
mean that <application>MPlayer</application> will work and vice versa.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Audio goes out of sync playing an AVI file.

The KDE arts sound daemon is blocking the sound device. Either wait until the
video starts or disable the arts-daemon in kontrol center. If you want to use
arts sound, specify audio output via our native arts audio driver
(<option>-ao arts</option>). If it fails or isn't compiled in, try SDL
(<option>-ao sdl</option>) and make sure your SDL can handle arts sound. Yet
another option is to start <application>MPlayer</application> with artsdsp.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an AVI that produces a gray screen when played with <option>-vc odivx</option>

<question><para>
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It's an effect of the power management / power saving system of your notebook
(BIOS, not kernel). Plug the external power connector in
<emphasis role="bold">before</emphasis> you power on your notebook. You can also
try whether <ulink url="http://www.brodo.de/cpufreq/">cpufreq</ulink>
(a SpeedStep interface for Linux) helps you.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
The audio/video gets totally out of sync when I run <application>MPlayer</application>

or use the <option>-nortc</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry> 
<question><para>
While playing a movie it suddenly gets jerky and I get the following message:
<screen>Badly interleaved AVI file detected - switching to -ni mode...</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Badly interleaved files and <option>-cache</option> don't work well together.
Try <option>-nocache</option>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

which is present in <application>MPlayer</application> source, and used by default.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Can I compile libdvdread and libdvdcss on my sweet SPARC under Solaris?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Who knows ... It's said to work, so please test it and send feedback. Refer to
the documentation of libdvdread and its homepage as well. We're not the authors
of libdvdread. Use <emphasis role="bold">libmpdvdkit2</emphasis>, which is present
in <application>MPlayer</application> source, and used by default.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What about subtitles? Can MPlayer display them?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. See the <link linkend="dvd">DVD chapter</link> of the documentation.
</para></answer>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I set the region code of my DVD-drive? I don't have Windows!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <ulink url="http://www.linuxtv.org/download/dvd/dvd_disc_20000215.tar.gz">regionset tool</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Do I need to be (setuid) root/setuid fibmap_mplayer to be able to play a DVD?

<qandadiv id="faq-encoding">
<title>Encoding</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I encode?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Read the <application>MEncoder</application> <link linkend="mencoder">documentation</link>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I create VCDs?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Try the <filename>mencvcd</filename> script from the <filename class="directory">TOOLS</filename>
subdirectory. With it you can encode DVDs or other movies to VCD or SVCD format
and even burn them directly to CD.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I join two video files?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This has been discussed to no end on mplayer-users. Go search the
<ulink url="http://mplayerhq.hu/cgi-bin/htsearch?restrict=/mplayer-users/">archives</ulink>
for a complete answer. This is a complicated topic and your mileage may vary a
lot depending on the kind of files you want to merge. MPEGs can be concatenated
into a single file with luck. For AVIs there are two tools,
<ulink url="http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/">avidemux</ulink> and
<application>avimerge</application> (part of the
<ulink url="http://www.theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de/~ostreich/transcode/">transcode</ulink>
tool set), available that might do the job. You can also try <application>MEncoder</application>
if you have two files sharing the same dimensions and codec. Try
<screen>
     cat file1 file2 > file3
     mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -o out.avi -forceidx file3.avi
</screen>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
My tuner works, I can hear the sound and watch the video with <application>MPlayer</application>,
but <application>MEncoder</application> doesn't encode audio!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
TV audio encoding for Linux is currently unimplemented, we're working
on it. At the moment it works only on BSD.
</para></answer>

You have to specify the <option>-sid</option> option correctly!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
<application>MEncoder</application> segfaults on startup!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Upgrade DivX4Linux.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

No, VFAT doesn't support 2GB+ files.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Why is the recommended bitrate printed by <application>MEncoder</application> negative?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Because the bitrate you encoded the audio with is too large to fit the
movie on any CD. Check if you have libmp3lame installed properly.
</para></answer>