MplayerInstallHowto
ContentsBRTableOfContents |
Introduction
[http://www.mplayerhq.hu mplayer] and it's graphical cousin, gmplayer, are versatile media players available from the [http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/components multiverse] repository. They can play all types of FreeFormats media, and with the addition of some packages available from outside of Ubuntu, they can also play most non-free media formats. See RestrictedFormats for instructions for enabling non-free formats in mplayer and gmplayer.
Before you start
You must have administration privileges to install packages. RootSudo explains how Ubuntu provides the necessary privileges.
In order to install mplayer, you will need to enable the [http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/components/document_view multiverse] repository. AddingRepositoriesHowto explains how to enable the multiverse repository.
Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger) and earlier
Choosing the right package
Mplayer comes in several flavors, some of which are optimized to take advantage of your CPU's capabilities. The following chart will help you choose the package that will best suit your computer. [:AddingRepositoriesHowto: Enable the multiverse repository] and install the correct package using your favorite package manager, or use the terminal command line that is provided in the chart.
Distribution |
processor family |
mplayer package |
terminal command |
32-bit PC (i386) |
all |
mplayer-386 |
sudo apt-get install mplayer-386 |
|
intel |
mplayer-586 |
sudo apt-get install mplayer-586 |
|
amd |
mplayer-k6 |
sudo apt-get install mplayer-k6 |
64-bit PC (amd64) |
all |
mplayer-amd64 |
sudo apt-get install mplayer-amd64 |
Mac (PPC) |
all |
mplayer-powerpc |
sudo apt-get install mplayer-powerpc |
|
g4 and above |
mplayer-g4 |
sudo apt-get install mplayer-g4 |
Configuration
Configuring mplayer and gmplayer is not obvious to the casual observer. The configurations options given below are mostly taken from Ubuntu 6.04, and should work on most computers. To use this configuration, first open your mplayer configuration file:
gedit ~/.mplayer/config
Then cut and paste the following block into the file:
# Specify default video driver (see -vo help for a list). vo=xv,sdl,x11 # Specify default audio driver (see -ao help for a list). ao=alsa,oss,sdl,esd,arts # Drop frames to preserve audio/video sync. framedrop = yes # get a default OSD font from fontconfig fontconfig = yes font = "Sans" subfont-text-scale = 3
Save and close the file.
Streaming Video
mplayer and gmplayer provide excellent streaming video support for mozilla, firefox, epiphany and konqueror. To enable support for streaming media install the package mozilla-mplayer using your favorite package manager, or, type in a terminal:
sudo apt-get install mozilla-mplayer