Linux  and Free Software :: MPlayer 0.90x



Hi all:
The MPlayer version used is 0.90rc2. (This is the version where the "builtin codecs.conf" feature was added for convenience -- so MPlayer no longer needs "~/.mplayer/codecs.conf" to work.)

With some hacking (remove seldom-used codecs from libavcodec/libmpcodecs and audio/video filters/outputs; disable encoders in libavcodec), the size is ~300K (using UPX 3.03 'upx --lzma -9 ./mplayer').
(Please refer to patch below.)

Was built with GCC 2.95.3 and Binutils 2.16.1.
CFLAGS="-march=i486 -Os -ffast-math -fomit-frame-pointer -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections -Wl,--gc-sections"

Patch here: http://pastebin.com/f292b4e25
MPlayer 0.90rc2 configuration: http://pastebin.com/f7bc14095

Could be useful as a command-line player that plays most avi's, aside from h264. Vorbis and AAC support can be compiled in if desired.

p.s.
Sorry, should have posted this in "Ideas and Suggestions".

Update: See improved patch above.
- Removed seldom-used codecs from libavcodec/libmpcodecs.
- Removed libmpeg2.
- Removed some demuxers.
- Removed some a/v filters and outputs.
MPlayer unstripped is 1488K.
Stripped is 864K.
UPX-compressed is 268K. ('upx --lzma -9 mplayer')
iirc it was decided that upx'd packages were not to be accepted - at least in the base.  What is its size beforehand?

I've used the gtk+ frontend (gmplayer) before and found it easy enough to use. What's slow and hard-to-use about it?
Interesting idea.

One thing to consider would be what support for which codecs would be included.

The MPlayer project takes an activist perspective on patents and IP - namely, they openly disregard these because they are ideologically opposed to the restrictions these attempt to impose.  Xine and VLC take similar standpoints, and have got away with it so far.  More power to them I say.

Not all linux distros are prepared to take that chance however.  Debian will not distribute these programs because their legal team cannot agree on the risk profile, though it is probably quite low if M$ codecs are not included.  However iirc lame support for encoding, libdvdcss decode, dts decode, faac and some others are controversial and in theory might incur license fees.
If I remember correctly, mplayer needs to be specifically compiled to check the processor in order to be usable on the greatest number of computers, but maybe it can be set to work only with x86 (I think i586 leaves out some older machines supported by DSL).

Also don't see *much* use in a gui for mplayer, although that's just opinion.  Even back when I did include the gui in my installs, I found that the only time I ever used it was for file browsing.  Mplayer has a very good and easy keyboard control for just about anything related to playback.
The real-time processor checking feature is enabled in my older mplayer uci.  It slows down mplayer starting by a small amount but is better left enabled.
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