comparison DOCS/xml/en/faq.xml @ 10373:9d36646579fa

sync with HTML switched to "Q-and-A" style added trailing spaces between entries

10372:17554a75a654

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<chapter id="faq" xreflabel="FAQ">
<title>Frequently Asked Questions</title>

<qandaset defaultlabel="number">

<qandadiv id="faq-compilation">
<title>Compilation</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Compilation stops with an error message similar to this one:
<screen>
    In file included from mplayer.c:34:

<screen>Your gcc does not support even i386 for '-march' and '-mcpu'</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Your gcc isn't installed correctly, check the <filename>config.log</filename>
file for details.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What does &quot;No such file or directory&quot; mean?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Probably there is no such file or directory.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

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

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have a G200/G400, how do I compile/use the mga_vid driver?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Read the <link linkend="mga_vid">mga_vid documentation</link>.
</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
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/dload.html">download page</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

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

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Hmm, strange. When loading the <filename>mga_vid.o</filename> kernel module, I
found this in the logs:
<programlisting>
Warning: loading mga_vid.o will taint the kernel: no license
</programlisting>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
The latest kernel modutils require a flag indicating the license (mainly to avoid
kernel hackers debugging closed source drivers). Upgrade your kernel, modutils
and <application>MPlayer</application>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When compiling <application>MEncoder</application>, it segfaults at linking!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This is a linker problem. Upgrading binutils should help (2.11.92.*
or newer should be good). Since it is not our fault, please do

</qandadiv>

<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
<ulink url="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-dev-eng">mplayer-dev-eng</ulink>
mailing list and start coding.
</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
out drivers. To a lesser degree this also applies to audio drivers. Not all
allow playback of multiple streams on the same device.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

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

<qandaentry>
<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>
<question><para>
I have problems playing files with the ... codec. Can I use them?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Check the <ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/codecs-status.html">codec status</ulink>,
if it doesn't contain your codec, read the <link linkend="codecs">codec documentation</link>,
especially the <link linkend="win32-codecs">codec importing HOWTO</link> and contact us.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Umm, what is &quot;IdegCounter&quot;?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
A combination of a Hungarian and an English word. &quot;Ideg&quot; in Hungarian
means the same as "nerve" in English, and is pronounced as something like

<qandadiv id="faq-playback">
<title>Playback problems</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I can play certain AVIs but I get no sound and this kind of error:
<screen>
    Detected audio codec: [divx] afm:4 (DivX audio (WMA))
    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.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Try the <option>-bps</option> or <option>-nobps</option> option. If it does not
improve, read <link linkend="bugreports">this</link> and upload the file to FTP.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
<application>MPlayer</application> exits with some error when using <filename>l3codeca.acm</filename>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>

non-relocatable DLL, it must be loaded to <literal>0x00400000</literal>, we can't
change this. You should use a non-patched kernel, or use MPlayer's
<option>-afm 1</option> option to disable using <filename>l3codeca.acm</filename>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
My computer plays MS DivX AVIs with resolutions ~ 640x300 and stereo mp3 sound
too slow. When I use <option>-nosound</option> option, everything is OK (but quiet).
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Your machine is too slow or your soundcard driver is broken. Consult the
documentation to see if you can improve performance.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
<application>MPlayer</application> dies with &quot;MPlayer interrupted by
signal 4 in module: decode_video&quot;.
</para></question>

CPU detection (<command>./configure --enable-runtime-cpudetection</command>).
Don't use MPlayer on a CPU different from the one it was compiled on, without
using the feature mentioned just now.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have problems with [your window manager] and fullscreen xv/xmga/sdl/x11 modes ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Read the <link linkend="bugreports">bug reporting guidelines</link> and send us
a proper bug report.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I got this playing MPEG files: Can't find codec for video format 0x10000001!
</para></question>
<answer><para>

<filename class="directory">/etc/</filename>.
<emphasis role="bold">OR</emphasis> you have the <option>vc=</option> option or
something similar in your config file(s).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When starting <application>MPlayer</application> under KDE I just get a black
screen and nothing happens. After about one minute the video starts playing.
</para></question>

(<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>
and a green one with <option>-vc divx4</option>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It's not a DivX file, but an MS MPEG4v3. Update your <filename>codecs.conf</filename>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I play this movie I get video-audio desync and/or <application>MPlayer</application>
crashes with the following message:
<screen>DEMUXER: Too many (945 in 8390980 bytes) video packets in the buffer!</screen>

The AVI has a bad header, try the <option>-nobps</option> option, and/or <option>-mc 0</option>.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an MJPEG file which works with other players but displays only a black image in
<application>MPlayer</application>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Disable the Windows DLL in <filename>codecs.conf</filename>, or use the
<option>-vc ffmjpeg</option> option (compile MPlayer with libavcodec for this to work).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I try to grab from my tuner, it works, but colors are strange. It's OK with other
applications.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Your card probably misreports its colorspace capacity. Try with YUY2 instead of
default YV12 (see the <link linkend="tv-input">TV input documentation</link>).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I start playing, I get this message but everything seems fine:
<screen>Linux RTC init: ioctl (rtc_pie_on): Permission denied</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You need root privileges or a specially set up kernel to use the new timing
code. For details see the <link linkend="rtc">RTC section</link> of the documentation.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have A/V sync problems. Some of my AVIs play fine, but some play with double speed!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You have a buggy sound card/driver. Most likely it's fixed at 44100Hz, and you
try to play a file which has 22050Hz audio. Try the resample audio plugin.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
All the WMV (or other..) files I play create a green/gray window and there is
only sound! <application>MPlayer</application> prints:
<screen>Detected video codec: [null] drv:0 (NULL codec (no decoding))</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Update your <filename>codecs.conf</filename>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
</para></question>
<answer><para>

<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>
as root on my notebook. It works normal when i run it as a user.
</para></question>

This is again a power management effect (see above). Plug the external power
connector in <emphasis role="bold">before</emphasis> you power on your notebook
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>

Are you running KDE or GNOME with the ARTS or ESD sound daemon? Try disabling
the sound daemon or use the <option>-ao arts</option> or <option>-ao esd</option>
option to make MPlayer use ARTS or ESD.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What about the DGA driver? I can't find it!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
<filename>./configure</filename> autodetects your DGA driver. If <option>-vo help</option>
doesn't show DGA, then there's a problem with your X installation. Try
<command>./configure --enable-dga</command> and read the
<link linkend="dga">documentation</link>. Alternatively, try SDL's DGA driver
with the <option>-vo sdl:dga</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
OK, <option>-vo help</option> shows DGA driver, but it complains about permissions.
Help me!
</para></question>

other users can gain root privileges through SUID root MPlayer.
<emphasis role="bold">You have been warned</emphasis>.
</para></warning>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When using Xvideo, my Voodoo 3/Banshee says:
<screen>
X Error of failed request: BadAccess (attempt to access private resource denied)

of the XFree86 4.1.0 CVS log</ulink>. So upgrade to XFree86 4.1.0 or later.
Alternatively, either download (at least) DRI version 0.6 from the
<ulink url="http://dri.sourceforge.net">DRI homepage</ulink>, or use CVS DRI.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
OpenGL (<option>-vo gl</option>) output doesn't work (hang/black window/X11
errors/...).
</para></question>

Utah-GLX/DRI and Matrox G400 cards. Also with DRI and Radeon cards. It won't
work with DRI and other cards. it will not work with 3DFX cards because of
the 256x256 texture size limit.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an nVidia TNT/TNT2 card, and I have a band with strange colors, right
under the movie! Whose fault is this?
</para></question>

This is a bug of nVidia's binary X driver. These bugs appear ONLY with the
TNT/TNT2 cards, and we can't do anything about it. To fix the problem, upgrade
to the latest nVidia binary driver version. If still bad, complain to nVidia!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an nVidia XYZ card, and when I click on the GUI's display window to
toggle displaying the GUI panel, a black square appears where I clicked. I have
the newest driver.

Yes, nVidia corrected a previous bug (above), and introduced a new one.
Let's congratulate them. UPDATE: According to <link linkend="nvidia">nVidia</link>,
this has already been fixed.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I use the GUI with SDL video output, a second video window is created.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Known, don't use SDL for the GUI yet.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Oh the world is cruel ...! SDL has only <systemitem>x11</systemitem> target,
but not <systemitem>xv</systemitem>!
</para></question>

have to use another player like <application>Xine</application> or
<application>Ogle</application>. If you care about DVD navigation, send a
<ulink url="../../tech/patches.txt">patch</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
While playing a DVD, I encountered this error:
<screen>mplayer: ifo_read.c:1143: ifoRead_C_ADT_internal: Assertion nfo_length / sizeof(cell_adr_t) >= c_adt->nr_of_vobs' failed.</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This is a known libdvdread 0.9.1/0.9.2 bug. Use <emphasis role="bold">libmpdvdkit2</emphasis>,
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>

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>
<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?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
No, only for old-style DVD support. However you must have the proper rights
on the DVD device entry (in <filename class="directory">/dev/</filename>).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Where can I get libdvdread and libdvdcss packages?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You don't need to. Use <emphasis role="bold">libmpdvdkit2</emphasis>, which is
present in the MPlayer source, and used by default. You can get the mentioned
packages from the <ulink url="http://www.dtek.chalmers.se/groups/dvd/">Ogle site</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Is it possible to play/encode only selected chapters?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes, try the <option>-chapter</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
My DVD playback is sluggish!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <option>-cache</option> option (described in the man page) and try
enabling DMA for the DVD drive with the <command>hdparm</command> tool (described
in the <link linkend="drives">CD chapter</link> of the documentation).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

<qandadiv id="faq-features">

<answer><para>
This is very tricky to implement without losing A/V synchronization.
All attempts have failed so far, but patches are welcome.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I'd like to seek +/- 1 frames instead of 10 seconds.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This won't be done. It was, but then it messed up A/V sync.
Feel free to implement it, and send a patch. Don't ask for it.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Where is the Windows version?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It's not released, and won't be. Look around the Windows scene (open source
ASF parsers, open source ASF encoders, etc) and you'll know why. We don't want
to go to jail. BTW you can compile it yourself, under <link linkend="cygwin">Cygwin</link>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I make MPlayer remember the options I use for this particular file?
</para></question>
<answer><para>

<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>

     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>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I can't encode DVD subtitles into the AVI!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
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>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I encode only selected chapters from a DVD?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <option>-chapter</option> option correctly, like: <option>-chapter 5-7</option>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I'm trying to work with 2GB+ files on a VFAT file system. Does it work?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
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>

10373:9d36646579fa

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<chapter id="faq" xreflabel="FAQ">
<title>Frequently Asked Questions</title>

<qandaset defaultlabel="qanda">

<qandadiv id="faq-development">
<title>Development</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
<ulink url="http://mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/mplayer-dev-eng">mplayer-dev-eng</ulink>
mailing list and start coding.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Why don't you use autoconf/automake?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
We have a modular, handwritten build system. It does a reasonably good
job, so why change? Besides, we dislike the auto* tools, just like
<ulink url="http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/889/">other people</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

<qandadiv id="faq-compilation">
<title>Compilation</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Are there binary (RPM/deb) packages of <application>MPlayer</application>?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
See the <link linkend="debian">Debian</link> and <link linkend="rpm">RPM</link>
section for details.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Compilation stops with an error message similar to this one:
<screen>
    In file included from mplayer.c:34:

<screen>Your gcc does not support even i386 for '-march' and '-mcpu'</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Your gcc isn't installed correctly, check the <filename>config.log</filename>
file for details.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

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

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have a Matrox G200/G400/G450/G550, how do I compile/use the mga_vid driver?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Read the <link linkend="mga_vid">mga_vid</link> section.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Hmm, strange. When loading the <filename>mga_vid.o</filename> kernel
module, I found this in the logs:
<screen>Warning: loading mga_vid.o will taint the kernel: no license</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
The latest kernel modutils require a flag indicating the license
(mainly to avoid kernel hackers debugging closed source drivers).
Upgrade your kernel, modutils and <application>MPlayer</application>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

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

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When compiling <application>MEncoder</application>, it segfaults at linking!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This is a linker problem. Upgrading binutils should help (2.11.92.*
or newer should be good). Since it is not our fault, please do

</qandadiv>

<qandadiv id="faq-general">
<title>General questions</title>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Are there any mailing lists on <application>MPlayer</application>?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes. See the <link linkend="mailinglists">mailing lists</link>
section.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<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>
<question><para>
I have problems playing files with the ... codec. Can I use them?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Check the <ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/codecs-status.html">codec status</ulink>,
if it doesn't contain your codec, read the <link linkend="codecs">codec documentation</link>,
especially the <link linkend="win32-codecs">codec importing HOWTO</link> and contact us.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I start playing, I get this message but everything seems fine:
<screen>Linux RTC init: ioctl (rtc_pie_on): Permission denied</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You need root privileges or a specially set up kernel to use the new timing
code. For details see the <link linkend="rtc">RTC section</link> of the documentation.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>

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

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Umm, what is &quot;IdegCounter&quot;?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
A combination of a Hungarian and an English word. &quot;Ideg&quot; in Hungarian
means the same as "nerve" in English, and is pronounced as something like

<qandadiv id="faq-playback">
<title>Playback problems</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
... works with <application>xine/avifile/...</application> but doesn't with
<application>MPlayer</application>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
<application>MPlayer</application> is not <application>xine/avifile/...</application>.
Although these players have some code in common, the codecs (DLL) set,
synchronization, demultiplexing etc is different and should not be
compared. If you have a file <application>MPlayer</application> fails to
play correctly but works in another player, please read the
<link linkend="bugreports">bug reporting guidelines</link> and upload
the file to our FTP server.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Audio goes out of sync playing an AVI file.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Try the <option>-bps</option> or <option>-nobps</option> option. If it does not
improve, read <link linkend="bugreports">this</link> and upload the file to FTP.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
<application>MPlayer</application> exits with some error when using <filename>l3codeca.acm</filename>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>

non-relocatable DLL, it must be loaded to <literal>0x00400000</literal>, we can't
change this. You should use a non-patched kernel, or use MPlayer's
<option>-afm 1</option> option to disable using <filename>l3codeca.acm</filename>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
My computer plays MS DivX AVIs with resolutions ~ 640x300 and stereo mp3 sound
too slow. When I use <option>-nosound</option> option, everything is OK (but quiet).
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Your machine is too slow or your soundcard driver is broken. Consult the
documentation to see if you can improve performance.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
<application>MPlayer</application> dies with &quot;MPlayer interrupted by
signal 4 in module: decode_video&quot;.
</para></question>

CPU detection (<command>./configure --enable-runtime-cpudetection</command>).
Don't use MPlayer on a CPU different from the one it was compiled on, without
using the feature mentioned just now.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have problems with [your window manager] and fullscreen xv/xmga/sdl/x11 modes ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Read the <link linkend="bugreports">bug reporting guidelines</link> and send us
a proper bug report.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I got this playing MPEG files: Can't find codec for video format 0x10000001!
</para></question>
<answer><para>

<filename class="directory">/etc/</filename>.
<emphasis role="bold">OR</emphasis> you have the <option>vc=</option> option or
something similar in your config file(s).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When starting <application>MPlayer</application> under KDE I just get a black
screen and nothing happens. After about one minute the video starts playing.
</para></question>

(<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>
and a green one with <option>-vc divx4</option>.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It's not a DivX file, but an MS MPEG4v3. Update your <filename>codecs.conf</filename>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I play this movie I get video-audio desync and/or <application>MPlayer</application>
crashes with the following message:
<screen>DEMUXER: Too many (945 in 8390980 bytes) video packets in the buffer!</screen>

The AVI has a bad header, try the <option>-nobps</option> option, and/or <option>-mc 0</option>.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an MJPEG file which works with other players but displays only a black image in
<application>MPlayer</application>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Disable the Windows DLL in <filename>codecs.conf</filename>, or use the
<option>-vc ffmjpeg</option> option (compile MPlayer with libavcodec for this to work).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When I try to grab from my tuner, it works, but colors are strange. It's OK with other
applications.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Your card probably misreports its colorspace capacity. Try with YUY2 instead of
default YV12 (see the <link linkend="tv-input">TV</link> section).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have A/V sync problems. Some of my AVIs play fine, but some play with double speed!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You have a buggy sound card/driver. Most likely it's fixed at 44100Hz, and you
try to play a file which has 22050Hz audio. Try the resample audio plugin.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
All the WMV (or other..) files I play create a green/gray window and there is
only sound! <application>MPlayer</application> prints:
<screen>Detected video codec: [null] drv:0 (NULL codec (no decoding))</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Update your <filename>codecs.conf</filename>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I get very strange percentage values (way too big) while playing files on my notebook.
</para></question>
<answer><para>

<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>
as root on my notebook. It works normal when i run it as a user.
</para></question>

This is again a power management effect (see above). Plug the external power
connector in <emphasis role="bold">before</emphasis> you power on your notebook
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>

Are you running KDE or GNOME with the ARTS or ESD sound daemon? Try disabling
the sound daemon or use the <option>-ao arts</option> or <option>-ao esd</option>
option to make MPlayer use ARTS or ESD.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What about the DGA driver? I can't find it!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
<filename>./configure</filename> autodetects your DGA driver. If <option>-vo help</option>
doesn't show DGA, then there's a problem with your X installation. Try
<command>./configure --enable-dga</command> and read the
<link linkend="dga">DGA</link> section. Alternatively, try SDL's DGA driver
with the <option>-vo sdl:dga</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
OK, <option>-vo help</option> shows DGA driver, but it complains about permissions.
Help me!
</para></question>

other users can gain root privileges through SUID root MPlayer.
<emphasis role="bold">You have been warned</emphasis>.
</para></warning>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
When using Xvideo, my Voodoo 3/Banshee says:
<screen>
X Error of failed request: BadAccess (attempt to access private resource denied)

of the XFree86 4.1.0 CVS log</ulink>. So upgrade to XFree86 4.1.0 or later.
Alternatively, either download (at least) DRI version 0.6 from the
<ulink url="http://dri.sourceforge.net">DRI homepage</ulink>, or use CVS DRI.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
OpenGL (<option>-vo gl</option>) output doesn't work (hang/black window/X11
errors/...).
</para></question>

Utah-GLX/DRI and Matrox G400 cards. Also with DRI and Radeon cards. It won't
work with DRI and other cards. it will not work with 3DFX cards because of
the 256x256 texture size limit.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an nVidia TNT/TNT2 card, and I have a band with strange colors, right
under the movie! Whose fault is this?
</para></question>

This is a bug of nVidia's binary X driver. These bugs appear ONLY with the
TNT/TNT2 cards, and we can't do anything about it. To fix the problem, upgrade
to the latest nVidia binary driver version. If still bad, complain to nVidia!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have an nVidia XYZ card, and when I click on the GUI's display window to
toggle displaying the GUI panel, a black square appears where I clicked. I have
the newest driver.

Yes, nVidia corrected a previous bug (above), and introduced a new one.
Let's congratulate them. UPDATE: According to <link linkend="nvidia">nVidia</link>,
this has already been fixed.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Oh the world is cruel ...! SDL has only <systemitem>x11</systemitem> target,
but not <systemitem>xv</systemitem>!
</para></question>

have to use another player like <application>Xine</application> or
<application>Ogle</application>. If you care about DVD navigation, send a
<ulink url="../../tech/patches.txt">patch</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
While playing a DVD, I encountered this error:
<screen>mplayer: ifo_read.c:1143: ifoRead_C_ADT_internal: Assertion nfo_length / sizeof(cell_adr_t) >= c_adt->nr_of_vobs' failed.</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This is a known libdvdread 0.9.1/0.9.2 bug. Use <emphasis role="bold">libmpdvdkit2</emphasis>,
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>

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

<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?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
No, only for old-style DVD support. However you must have the proper rights
on the DVD device entry (in <filename class="directory">/dev/</filename>).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Where can I get libdvdread and libdvdcss packages?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You don't need to. Use <emphasis role="bold">libmpdvdkit2</emphasis>, which is
present in the MPlayer source, and used by default. You can get the mentioned
packages from the <ulink url="http://www.dtek.chalmers.se/groups/dvd/">Ogle site</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Is it possible to play/encode only selected chapters?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Yes, try the <option>-chapter</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
My DVD playback is sluggish!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <option>-cache</option> option (described in the man page) and try
enabling DMA for the DVD drive with the <command>hdparm</command> tool (described
in the <link linkend="drives">CD chapter</link>).
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

<qandadiv id="faq-features">

<answer><para>
This is very tricky to implement without losing A/V synchronization.
All attempts have failed so far, but patches are welcome.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I'd like to seek +/- 1 frames instead of 10 seconds.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This won't be done. It was, but then it messed up A/V sync.
Feel free to implement it, and send a patch. Don't ask for it.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I make MPlayer remember the options I use for this particular file?
</para></question>
<answer><para>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I encode?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Read the <link linkend="mencoder">MEncoder</link> section.
</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>

     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>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I can't encode DVD subtitles into the AVI!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
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>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
How can I encode only selected chapters from a DVD?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <option>-chapter</option> option correctly, like: <option>-chapter 5-7</option>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I'm trying to work with 2GB+ files on a VFAT file system. Does it work?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
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>