2. Movie Applications

2.1. Introduction

The main problem with video players under GNU/Linux is that most popular video codecs are proprietary, and to implement them in a free software application (mainly due to the cost of licensing), the codecs have to be reverse-engineered. This is very complex and may not be legal in some countries, which limits the availability of such codecs, and thus the type of video files which may be displayed under GNU/Linux.

For example, it's virtually impossible to play some compressed digital video files or DVDs without downloading the corresponding codecs from the Internet.

[Warning]Warning

In some countries, the status of DVD playback and reverse-engineered codecs are still under review. That is why Mandriva does not include all the plugins to use those codecs[12]. The information included here is meant to help Mandriva Linux users who know that, in their country, using these codecs and plugins is legal. Mandriva does not encourage law violation and you should verify the law(s) which apply in your case before you download and use these codecs and plugins.

2.2. Kaffeine

Kaffeine is based on Xine libraries which can play video files and streams.

Double-clicking on a supported video file launches Kaffeine, opens the file, and starts playing it. You can also launch Kaffeine by selecting Multimedia+VideoKaffeine from the main menu.

[Note]Note

The first time you run Kaffeine, a configuration wizard pops up and we recommend you accept the default options.

Figure 11.4. Kaffeine's Interface

Kaffeine's Interface

Kaffeine's simple interface (Figure 11.4, “Kaffeine's Interface”) is comprised of the following:

  • Display Area. Where the movie being played is shown. Press the Ctrl-Shift-F keys to switch between full-screen and windowed modes.

  • Position Control. You can “jump” to any part of the movie by dragging the slider right (or press the right arrow key) to go forward; drag the slider left (or press the left arrow key) to rewind.

  • Volume Control. Drag the slider right (or press the plus key) to make the sound louder; drag the slider left (or press the minus key) to make it softer.

  • Play Controls. A reduced set of the usual VCR controls: Previous, Play/Pause (keyboard shortcut: Space Bar), Stop (keyboard shortcut: Backspace) and Next.

  • Status. Located at the bottom right of Kaffeine's window, it shows information about the playlist and the movie being played.

To play a DVD, simply insert the disc in the drive and Kaffeine starts playing the DVD title. We recommend you use full-screen mode to play DVDs.

2.3. Other Movie Applications for Linux

Xine

Xine is one of the most interesting video application for GNU/Linux. It supports a wide range of formats and input sources. It's fast, flexible and extensible. It's also provided as a library on which many players are based.

MPlayer

MPlayer is yet another interesting application and supports multiple output drivers, and even older video cards. It can also handle DVD, AVI, VideoCD, amongst others. However you'll probably have to download and install winDLLs and proprietary codecs to make it work with many popular video formats. On one hand this might seem unfortunate, but on the other it gives you access to all formats supported under Windows®.

Totem

Totem is a GNOME 2 application based on Xine's libraries. As you might imagine, its capabilities are very similar to those of its “parent”, but it's better integrated in the GNOME environment.



[12] The box set editions of Mandriva Linux do include some of the codecs.