VLC Media Player + mp4a audio codec

[techmum]

Trying to play a QuickTime file >
http://focus.ti.com/download/vf/video360_ep03.mov

using VLC Media Player 0.8.4

Video displays correctly, however there is no audio. The Stream and Media Info box says the audio codec is mp4a.

Any ideas how to get it working in VLC?

[buddha]

don't know much about VLC, but that video plays fine with mplayer and the mplayer firefox plugin, but make sure you have all the windows codecs for mplayer

the audio codec is SVQ3

Fourcc: SVQ3 Codec: 'Sorenson Video 3'

[techmum]

Egad buddha, mplayer works!

After my original message I also discovered VLC played video for a WMV file, but no sound. However VLC plays audio only MP3 and OGG files fine. So something wierd when the files are video + audio. Perhaps something in the VLC configuration file - but no sense of that yet, especially wierd since some Google searches I ran say that the SVQ3 codec is included in ffmpeg that I had installed.

My comment on mplayer, at least default install I have > unlike the latest VLC that seems to have integrated look & feel with GNOME Nautilus, mplayer opens an ugly file finder - am I missing something?

thanks heaps

[nlkrio]

about mplayer look here
http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_cor...tes_nocss.html
i use mplayer and works great!!!

[buddha]

Originally Posted by techmum

Egad buddha, mplayer works!

After my original message I also discovered VLC played video for a WMV file, but no sound. However VLC plays audio only MP3 and OGG files fine. So something wierd when the files are video + audio. Perhaps something in the VLC configuration file - but no sense of that yet, especially wierd since some Google searches I ran say that the SVQ3 codec is included in ffmpeg that I had installed.

My comment on mplayer, at least default install I have > unlike the latest VLC that seems to have integrated look & feel with GNOME Nautilus, mplayer opens an ugly file finder - am I missing something?

thanks heaps

techmum, you are quite welcome. I've tried VLC a little, but some GUI bugs put me off. I'm much more comfortable with Xine and Mplayer which I have been installing from source for years now. Both Xine and Mplayer will play most WMV files (wmv1 and wmv2, not wmv3) and all my mp3 and ogg files. Usually one or the other will properly play nearly any digital video I come across.

Xine also plays that video (with sound).

I've got latest ffmpeg (CVS) also, but it won't play that video properly. There seem to be some bugs with some quicktime audio playback in recent CVS versions.

I agree with you that VLC looks much better and looks like a "real" gnome application compared to the default user interfaces of xine or (g)mplayer. But I mostly use these players from the command line anyway and I've gotten used to the interfaces. Although the latest xine GUI, GXINE, is quite nice and looks like a regular gnome app.

[techmum]

Originally Posted by buddha

I've got latest ffmpeg (CVS) also, but it won't play that video properly.

Thanks buddha, interesting that you've confirmed the problem, but depressing. Reason is that I am keen to promote Fedora to my Mac and Windows friends. The integrated multimedia support on the Macs and Windows is pretty good, and certainly better than what I've been able to achieve on FC4 thus far. Depressing thing is it seems so close.

MPlayer
Seems to have excellent support for everything I can throw at it (understandable exceptions of DRM Apple and DRM MS media).
However as a FC4 GNOME user, haven't been able to find anything that integrates into the desktop vs what my friends are used to on Mac and Windows.
All the GNOME2 GUIs I tracked down seem to be moribund, mostly 2002 and 2003. Useless for FC4.

VLC
Version 0.8.4 fixes lots of niggling GUI bugs that were in 0.8.2 + now supports GNOME2 menu selection. Fantastic / but doesn't play various WMV and MOV files I've thrown at it.
Ability to stream looks promising although I haven't played with that as yet.

xine
Unfortunately failed on the same WMV and MOV files that VLC failed at. Also a ffmpeg problem perhaps?
Could be excellent for GNOME2 since Totem-xine or gxine seem to be possible GNOME2 integrated solutions. But not worth going that way until I have a solution for the codec glitches.


There, I've let off steam. Any ideas from anyone to reach that magical GNOME2 integrated solution are welcome!

[buddha]

BTW, xine can play that quicktime video in your first post. I have the latest version xine 1.1.1 which I think has updates/fixes for quicktime among other improvements. It won't play it streaming, but I downloaded the .mov file and xine plays it just fine.

[techmum]

ta buddha

I think from here I need to play around with MPlayer + xine + VLC for a while, ie didn't realize that using MPlayer or xine I can right click on video and bring up many menu options.

I've also logged VLC technical question on the VLC forum - and xine - I might take a deep breath and try and compile because my version installed via yum seems to be 0.99.4 rather than the 1.1.1 available from source.

will post an update next week

[buddha]

hi techmum,

you may have the latest xine actually. when installed from source or yum, xine comes in two parts, the library (xine-lib) and the user interface (xine). To see what versions of xine packages you have, you can run

rpm -qa | grep xine

or you can run xine from the command line with verbose option to show the version of the UI and library

xine --verbose

Here's what I have installed:

This is xine (X11 gui) - a free video player v0.99.4.
(c) 2000-2004 The xine Team.
Built with xine library 1.1.1 (1.1.1)
Found xine library version: 1.1.1 (1.1.1).

Fascinating that multimedia and digital video is the way you are trying to reach windows and mac users. The more I think about it, I kind of see what you mean. A great multimedia app on linux with a fantastic integrated UI that plays nearly everything would be quite a killer app.

[techmum]

Originally Posted by buddha

xine --verbose

Here's what I have installed:

This is xine (X11 gui) - a free video player v0.99.4.
(c) 2000-2004 The xine Team.
Built with xine library 1.1.1 (1.1.1)
Found xine library version: 1.1.1 (1.1.1).

Turns out I have xine library 1.1.0

Maybe I'll try to compile as Totem+xine or gxine might be the GNOME2 solution I'm seeking.

Originally Posted by buddha

Fascinating that multimedia and digital video is the way you are trying to reach windows and mac users. The more I think about it, I kind of see what you mean. A great multimedia app on linux with a fantastic integrated UI that plays nearly everything would be quite a killer app.

I think it is a critical issue for the home user. For example a friend uses Firefox and Thunderbird on Windows. Not yet with OpenOffice.org on Windows but getting closer. However all the girls live in Windows Media Player - CDs, MP3s, WMVs - as well as MSN Messenger.

So I think that Firefox has solved the web browser problem, Thunderbird the email client, OOo the office suite, GAIM an IM client, but Audio/Visual support in Linux is hard and a painful migration for users used to Windows Media Player or iTunes where all the most common formats just work.

If I'm struggling getting Linux audio/visual support to just work with all the common formats, my friends and relatives haven't a hope. Hence my quest to find a solution!

Thanks for helping. I'll continue experimenting with VLC, xine and MPlayer to see what I can conjure.

[buddha]

Originally Posted by techmum

I think it is a critical issue for the home user. For example a friend uses Firefox and Thunderbird on Windows. Not yet with OpenOffice.org on Windows but getting closer. However all the girls live in Windows Media Player - CDs, MP3s, WMVs - as well as MSN Messenger.

So I think that Firefox has solved the web browser problem, Thunderbird the email client, OOo the office suite, GAIM an IM client, but Audio/Visual support in Linux is hard and a painful migration for users used to Windows Media Player or iTunes where all the most common formats just work.

If I'm struggling getting Linux audio/visual support to just work with all the common formats, my friends and relatives haven't a hope. Hence my quest to find a solution!

Thanks for helping. I'll continue experimenting with VLC, xine and MPlayer to see what I can conjure.

techmum,

You sound like you could be a Fedora ambassador (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Ambassadors) but I agree with you that the media player side of linux could use a good makeover, something that looks great and works great. Wouldn't matter to me if the back end powering it were xine, mplayer, vlc, or some combination of them all.

To me, functionality-wise, not UI, xine or mplayer is like WMP+Quicktime player+Real Player+Divx player--they can handle so many more formats than any individual windows player. But it still comes back to user-friendliness and aesthetics I think, and not enough attention has been paid to that. I'll admit I still like the visualizations in WMP and have found nothing nearly as good on linux.

It's been my passion the last few months to discover everything I can about working with digital video on linux: playing, editing, capturing, and especially converting digital video to DVD so I can play back on my regular standalone video DVD player connected to my TV.

The good news is I have found linux tools to successfully convert nearly any digital video format to DVD. The "bad" news is that most of the tools are command line only (okay for a CLI guy like me), and many I have to compile from source. It's not easy or fast, but it really is possible to produce a complete video DVD with multiple titles, chapters, and menus, even animated menus.

Oh well, enough going on about this for now. I wish you well in your quest to bring linux multimedia to the masses.

[techmum]

Originally Posted by buddha

techmum,

You sound like you could be a Fedora ambassador (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Ambassadors)

Interesting - although I guess a female Fedora ambassador is actually a Fedora ambassadress!!

Originally Posted by buddha

The good news is I have found linux tools to successfully convert nearly any digital video format to DVD. The "bad" news is that most of the tools are command line only (okay for a CLI guy like me), and many I have to compile from source.

I envy you CLI guys, however my friends and I are all GUI gals.

Originally Posted by buddha

I wish you well in your quest to bring linux multimedia to the masses.

I guess I'll just keep patiently nagging all and sundry so that us GUI gals can soon sport an integrated GNOME multimedia desktop. I'm sure I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.