view DOCS/xml/en/faq.xml @ 9675:62c5a17038ba

XML version of MPlayer's doc

<?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:
    mw.h: In function `mplMainDraw':
    mw.h:209: Internal compiler error in print_rtl_and_abort, at flow.c:6458
    Please submit a full bug report,
    with preprocessed source if appropriate.
</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This is a known problem of <application>gcc</application> 3.0.4, upgrade
to 3.1 to solve the problem. How to install gcc is described in the
<link linkend="gcc-296">gcc 2.96</link> section.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Configure ends with this text, and MPlayer won't compile!
<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>
What's the problem with gcc 2.96?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
<emphasis role="bold">We strongly discourage the use of gcc 2.96!</emphasis>
Read <link linkend="gcc-296">this</link> document for details about why Red Hat
released gcc 2.96 and what the problems are all about. If you still really really
want to use it, be sure to get the latest release and give the
<option>--disable-gcc-checking</option> option to configure. Remember that you
are on your own from this point. Do <emphasis role="bold">not</emphasis> report
bugs, do <emphasis role="bold">not</emphasis> ask for help on the mailing lists.
We will <emphasis role="bold">not</emphasis> provide any support in case you run
into problems.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Great, I have gcc 3.0.1 from Red Hat/Mandrake, then I'm fine!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
No, since there have been/are issues with these compilers as well.
To check the status of current compilers' MPlayer support, see the
<link linkend="install">Installation</link> section.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I tried to compile MPlayer, but I got this output:
<screen>
    In file included from /usr/include/g++-v3/bits/std_cwchar.h:42,
                     from /usr/include/g++-v3/bits/fpos.h:40,
                     from /usr/include/g++-v3/bits/char_traits.h:40,
                     from /usr/include/g++-v3/bits/std_string.h:41,
                     from /usr/include/g++-v3/string:31,
                     from libwin32.h:36,
                     from DS_AudioDecoder.h:4,
                     from DS_AudioDec.cpp:5:
    /usr/include/wchar.h: In function Long long int wcstoq(const wchar_t*,
       wchar_t**, int)':
    /usr/include/wchar.h:514: cannot convert `const wchar_t* __restrict' to
    `const
</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Upgrade your glibc to the latest release. On Mandrake, use 2.2.4-8mdk.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
.. gcc 2.96 ... (Yes, some people are STILL flaming about gcc 2.96!)
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Quoted from a <ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/2001-October/005351.html">mail</ulink>
A'rpi sent to the <ulink url="http://mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/">mplayer-users</ulink>
list (the word 'ideg' is described below):
<blockquote>
<para>
And we have idegs. And our idegcounter overflowed again and again.
</para>
<para>
Unfortunately MPlayer is out of our control. It's used by lamers, Linux
users who can't even use Windows, and never tried to compile a kernel. They
installed (with default options) Mandrake or Red Hat or SuSE, and without
RTFM'ing they send messages saying 'it doesn't work! help me! please! i'm
new to Linux! help! oh! help me!'. We can't stop them, but at least we try
to force them to RTFM and to read the messages of ./configure and MPlayer.
</para>
<para>
And you clever guys come and flame us with gcc 2.96 and binary packages.
Instead of helping users or making patches to help solve problems.
</para>
<para>
Half of our spare/free time is spent by answering silly mails here and
making newer tricks and checks to configure to avoid such mails.
</para>
<para>
And there is a balance. On the one side are you, clever guys, saying we
are very bad because we don't like buggy gcc 2.96, and on the other side
there are the 'new to Linux' guys who are showing us gcc 2.96 is buggy.
</para>
<para>
Conclusion: We can't be good. Half the people will always say we are bad.
</para>
<para>
Maybe we should close the project, make it closed source, commercial, and
provide install support for it. then we could leave current work, so development
could go faster, and we could earn lots of money with it and buy a big house,
etc etc. Do you really want it? It seems.
</para>
</blockquote>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
SDL output doesn't work or compile. The problem is ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It was tested to work with SDL 1.2.x and may run on SDL 1.1.7+. It does
<emphasis role="bold">not</emphasis> work with any previous version. So
if you choose to use such a version, you are on your own.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<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>
It doesn't compile, and it misses uint64_t inttypes.h and similar things ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Copy <filename>etc/inttypes.h</filename> to the MPlayer directory
(<command>cp etc/inttypes.h .</command>) and try again ...
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have Linux running on a Pentium III but <filename>./configure</filename>
doesn't detect SSE ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Only kernel versions 2.4.x support SSE (or try 2.2.19 or newer, but be
prepared for problems).
</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 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
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/dload.html">download page</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
During 'make', MPlayer complains about X11 libraries. I don't understand,
I DO have X installed!?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
... but you don't have the X development package installed. Or not correctly.
It's called <filename>XFree86-devel*</filename> under Red Hat, and
<filename>xlibs-dev</filename> under Debian. Also check if the
<filename class="directory">/usr/X11</filename> and
<filename class="directory">/usr/include/X11</filename> symlinks exist (this
can be a problem on Mandrake systems). They can be created with these commands:
<screen>
     $ ln -sf /usr/X11R6 /usr/X11
     $ ln -sf /usr/X11R6/include/X11 /usr/include/X11
</screen>
Your distribution may differ from the
<ulink url="http://www.pathname.com/fhs/">Filesystem Hierarchy Standard</ulink>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I can't compile SVGAlib. I'm using kernel 2.3/2.4 ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You have to edit SVGAlib's <filename>Makefile.cfg</filename> and comment
<systemitem>BACKGROUND = y</systemitem> out.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I compiled MPlayer with libdvdcss/libdivxdecore support, but when I try to start it, it says:
<screen>
error while loading shared libraries: lib*.so.0: cannot load shared object file: No such file or directory
</screen>
I checked up on the file and it IS there in <filename class="directory">/usr/local/lib</filename> ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Add <filename class="directory">/usr/local/lib</filename> to <filename>/etc/ld.so.conf</filename>
and run <command>ldconfig</command>.
</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
<emphasis role="bold">not</emphasis> report!
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
MPlayer dies with segmentation fault upon pthread check!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
<command>chmod 644 /usr/lib/libc.so</command>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I'd like to compile <application>MPlayer</application> on Minix!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Me too. :)
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

</qandadiv>

<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
<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 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
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>
There is a timer in the upper left corner. How can I get rid of it?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Press <keycap>o</keycap> and try the <option>-osdlevel</option> option.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
The <option>-xy</option> or <option>-fs</option> option doesn't work with
the x11 driver (<option>-vo x11</option>) ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It does, but you have to explicitly specify software scaling (very slow) with the
<option>-zoom</option> option. You better use XF86VidMode support: You must
specify the <option>-vm</option> and the <option>-fs</option> option, and you're
done. Make sure you have the right modelines in your <filename>XF86Config</filename>
file, and try to make the <link linkend="dga">DGA driver</link> and
<link linkend="sdl">SDL's DGA driver</link> work for you. It's much
faster. If SDL's DGA works, use that, it'll be even faster.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What is the meaning of the numbers on the status line?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Example:
<screen>A: 2.1 V: 2.2 A-V: -0.167 ct: 0.042 57/57 41% 0% 2.6% 0 4 49%</screen>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>A: audio position in seconds</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>V: video position in seconds</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>A-V: audio-video difference in seconds (delay)</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>ct: total A-V sync correction done</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>frames played (counting from last seek)</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>frames decoded (counting from last seek)</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>video codec cpu usage in percent (for slices and DR this includes
video_out)</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>video_out cpu usage</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>audio codec cpu usage in percent</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>frames needed to drop to maintain A-V sync</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>current level of image postprocessing (when using
<option>-autoq</option>)</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>current cache size used (around 50% is normal)</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
Most of them are for debug purposes and will be removed at some point.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What if I don't want them to appear?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use the <option>-quiet</option> option and read the man page.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Why is video_out cpu usage zero (0%) for some files?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
It's not zero, but it's called from the codec and thus cannot be measured
separately. You should try to play the file using <option>-vo null</option> and
then <option>-vo ...</option> and check the difference to see the video_out speed.
</para></answer>
<answer><para>
You are using Direct Rendering, where the codec renders to the video memory
itself. In this case, the decoding percentage contains the display percentage, too.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
There are error messages about file not found <filename>/usr/lib/win32/</filename> ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Download the Win32 codecs from our
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/releases/codecs/">codecs page</ulink>
(avifile's codec package has a different DLL set) and install it.
</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.
</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
<ulink url="http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/bugreports.html">bug reporting guidelines</ulink>
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
quot;ydaegh&quot;. It was first used to measure the nervousness of A'rpi, after
some (umm) &quot;mysterious&quot; disappearance of CVS code ;)
</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>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
LIRC doesn't work, because ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Are you sure you are using <command>mplayer</command> instead of
<command>mplayer_lirc</command>?  Note that it was <command>mplayer_lirc</command>
for a long time, including the 0.60 release, but it was recently changed back to
<command>mplayer</command>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
Subtitles are very nice, the most beautiful I've ever seen, but they
slow down playing! I know it's unlikely ...
</para></question>
<answer><para>
After running <filename>./configure</filename>, edit <filename>config.h</filename>
and replace <systemitem>#undef FAST_OSD</systemitem> with
<systemitem>#define FAST_OSD</systemitem>. Then recompile.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question><para>
The onscreen display (OSD) is flickering!
</para></question>
<answer><para>
You use a vo driver with single buffering (x11,xv). With xv, use the
<option>-double</option> option. Also try <option>-vop expand</option>.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>

<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>
How can I run MPlayer in the background?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Use:
<screen>mplayer <replaceable>options</replaceable> <replaceable>filename</replaceable> &lt; /dev/null &amp;</screen>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

<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 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.
</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>
Check <command>ldd /usr/local/bin/mplayer</command> output. If it contains
<screen>libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x4???????)</screen>
where &quot;?&quot; is any number then it's OK, the error is not here. If it is:
<screen>libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00??????)</screen>
then there is a problem with your kernel/libc. Maybe you are using some security
patches (for example Solar Designer's OpenWall patch) which forces loading
libraries to very low addresses. Because <filename>l3codeca.acm</filename> is a
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>
<answer><para>
Try running MPlayer on the machine you compiled on. Or recompile with runtime
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>
You have an old version of <filename>codecs.conf</filename> at
<filename class="directory">~/.mplayer/</filename>. Upgrade it from
<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>
<answer><para>
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>
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>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
This can have multiple reasons.
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
Your CPU <emphasis role="bold">and/or</emphasis> video card <emphasis role="bold">and/or</emphasis>
bus is too slow. MPlayer displays a message if this is the case (and the
dropped frames counter goes up fast).
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
If it is an AVI, maybe it has bad interleaving. Try the <option>-ni</option> option.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
Your sound driver is buggy, or you use ALSA 0.5 with <option>-ao oss</option>.
See the <link linkend="audio-dev">sound card section</link>.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
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>
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>
as root on my notebook. It works normal when i run it as a user.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
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>
</qandadiv>

<qandadiv id="faq-driver">
<title>Video/audio driver problems (vo/ao)</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
I have no sound when playing a video and get error messages similar to this one:
<screen>
    AO: [oss] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
    audio_setup: Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: Device or resource busy
    couldn't open/init audio device -> NOSOUND
    Audio: no sound!!!
    Start playing...
</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>
<answer><para>
It works only if running as root! It's a DGA limitation. You should become root
(<command>su -</command>), and try again. Another solution is making MPlayer SUID
root, but it's not recommended!
<screen>
     chown root /usr/local/bin/mplayer
     chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/mplayer
     chmod +s /usr/local/bin/mplayer
 </screen>
<warning><para>
This is a <emphasis role="bold">big</emphasis> security risk! <emphasis role="bold">Never</emphasis>
do this on a server or on a computer that you do not control completely because
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)
   Major opcode of failed request: 147 (MIT-SHM)
   Minor opcode of failed request: 1 (X_ShmAttach)
   Serial number of failed request: 26
   Current serial number in output stream:27
</screen>
</para></question>
<answer><para>
The &quot;tdfx&quot; driver in XFree86 4.0.2/4.0.3 had this bug. This was
solved by <ulink url="http://www.xfree86.org/cvs/changes_4_1.html">bugfix #621
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>
<answer><para>
Your OpenGL driver doesn't support dynamic texture changes (glTexSubImage).
It's known not to work with nVidia's binary mess. It's known to work with
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>
<answer><para>
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.
</para></question>
<answer><para>
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>
<answer><para>
Try that <systemitem>x11</systemitem> target again. Now try <option>-vo x11
-fs -zoom</option>. See the difference? No?! OK, here comes the enlightenment:
SDL's <systemitem>x11</systemitem> target uses xv when available, you don't have
to worry about it ... Note: you can force/disable Xv via SDL using
<option>-forcexv</option> and <option>-noxv</option>
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

<qandadiv id="faq-dvd">
<title>DVD playback</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
What about DVD navigation?
</para></question>
<answer><para>
Support for dvdnav in <application>MPlayer</application> is currently broken,
normal playback does work, though. If you want to have fancy menus, you will
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>
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">
<title>Feature requests</title>
<qandaentry>
<question><para>
If MPlayer is paused and I try to seek or press any key at all, MPlayer
ceases to be paused. I would like to be able to seek in the paused movie.
</para></question>
<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>
Create a file named <filename>movie.avi.conf</filename> with the file-specific
options in it and put it in <filename class="directory">~/.mplayer</filename> or
in the same directory as the file.
</para></answer>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>

<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>
</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>
MEncoder 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 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>
</qandaentry>
</qandadiv>
</qandaset>

</chapter>