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StrangeAttractor

Member

From: Prague, CZ

Registered: 2010-06-14

Posts: 54

What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

Right now (while using XFCE) I've got nearly all commonly used sound-server (Alsa, PulseAudio, Phonon) and multimedia codec backend (mplayer, gstreamer, xine, vlc) installed and have some problems from time to time (sound does not play in some cases, video players freeze after some time of playback until reboot, in-browser Adobe Flash video consumes up to 100% CPU and works slower and slower until reboot), browsers (Flash actually) monopolize sound output. I suspect it is not necessary to have all those packages installed and this even can actually cause  problems (because of clashes of some kinds somewhere in the way multimedia streams flow).

I am going to reinstall the system (after a month of experimenting on it after migrating from Windows) from scratch now.

So the question is: what multimedia processing packages should I install to have the most pleasant experience possible?

I use XFCE in a dual monitor configuration. I use XFWM wit composition now, but think I am going to give Compiz a try. I use Skype (which can only use ALSA via PulseAudio, AFAIK). I like default minimalistic toolbarless mplayer GUI for watching videos very much. My favourite audio player is DeafBeeF.

I've got Intel 855 graphics, Pentium M 1.6 MHz "Dothan" CPU, 1.2 GB of RAM. The sound chip is a humble Intel/Conexant.

I've got video files of quite a zoo of different formats in my collection. Audio files formats I use are MP3, Vorbis and FLAC.

Last edited by StrangeAttractor (2010-07-17 22:15:41)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

mplayer plays whatever I throw at him.
I don't use in-browser flash much, I prefer to download the multimedia file and play it locally - with mplayer.

StrangeAttractor

Member

From: Prague, CZ

Registered: 2010-06-14

Posts: 54

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

I don't use in-browser flash much, I prefer to download the multimedia file and play it locally - with mplayer.

Exactly as I used to. But in-browser Flash video player is the only video player that works more-or-less reliable with XFCE on my system unfortunately :-( (I've described the problem here), so I was forced to sacrifise my behaviour for using XFCE (which I really really like).

Last edited by StrangeAttractor (2010-07-17 22:23:40)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

You have an old, (maybe) unsupported card.

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 79#p781479
Update: As I've found, actually, video works now, but only for some time after reboot.

Maybe your GPU hung and that's why you couldn't play videos.

Next time try

mplayer -vo x11 <filename(s)>
-- or --
mplayer -vo x11 -framedrop <filename(s)>

The video should play, but won't be scale fullscreen etc.

Last edited by karol (2010-07-17 22:28:39)

StrangeAttractor

Member

From: Prague, CZ

Registered: 2010-06-14

Posts: 54

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

You have an old

Sure I do. But it works perfect with Windows and with KDE (incl. latest beta). Sounds strange that XFCE could require a newer card than KDE does.

Maybe your GPU hung and that's why you couldn't play videos.

But how can everything else but video work ok if the GPU is hung?

mplayer -vo x11 <filename(s)>

Isn't -vo x11 fullscreen only? I like video to be played in a tiny window in a corner of a second display :-) while I work. And I get this if I use KDE or Windows, but I want XFCE :-)

Last edited by StrangeAttractor (2010-07-17 23:01:11)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

I'm not an mplayer guru, but for me 'mplayer -vo x11' plays the video in it's native resolution, e.g. 240x320. W/o the hardware acceleration offered by the GPU, all of the work has to be do by your CPU - which also is rather old and not very powerful (by today's standards, excluding Atom).

stqn

Member

Registered: 2010-03-19

Posts: 1,191

Website

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

I'm using XFCE and have got the same CPU as you, with a Radeon 9700 and integrated Intel AC97 sound. I've only installed ALSA and I don't have the problems you mention, except of course abysmal Flash performance (compared to a standalone player like smplayer or vlc - I can still watch 360p or even 480p Flash videos as long as it's not in fullscreen).

Some (lame) programs require exclusive sound access, but that's pretty rare in my experience; the rest of them behave correctly and share sound output (deadbeef, mplayer, vlc, even Flash!)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: What sound and multimedia packages to install for best experience?

@ stqn
You have Radeon 9700, OP has an oooold intel integrateg GPU.