Replace current video player

[jmv1]

Hello!

I would like to propose replacement for the video player in kJams. Current solution requires user to download multiple components to get all playback functionality. Also some of them are outdated software. It is cumbersome and gives a bit less professional feeling.

I am proposing that developers would consider using mpv as a backend https://mpv.io/ It is in active development (open source) and probably could be bundled with kJams. This player is clean and low on resources, cross platform, will play anything you throw at it, would be possible to use hardware acceleration and would remove separate installation of multiple components.

If this is out of the question then I would propose to have possibility for the user to add external player to be what he chooses (with advanced options).

kJams is already quite awesome for what it does and with this I think it would be awesomemest.

Thanks!

[DeusExMachina]

mpv uses mplayer, which uses ffmpeg, the same engine kJams already uses.

[jmv1]

Oh, didn't notice that. So it seems.

Well doesn't ffmpeg handle everything? In wiki it says I have to install mpeg2 codec, perian, Flip4Mac, DivX and AC3. And if I try to play for example mpeg2 in kJams it says I have to install mpeg2 codec. Shouldn't ffmpeg be sufficient for everything without any extra codecs? Could there be a setting that one could specify alternate location for ffmpeg if I have newer version installed somewhere and options to disable screens about missing codecs and just play with ffmpeg installed (some kind of expert option maybe?)

[DeusExMachina]

Funny you should bring that up. That is exactly an issue I brought up a month or two ago, which is why you can now put ffmpeg in /usr/local/bin.
As to playback, kJams uses Quicktime, which unfortunately requires Perian in order to play non-canonical codecs, which in turn requires the installation of additional codecs. especially since Perian is no longer being developed.

[dave]

that'd be great, and something i've known that i need to do for a LONG time now: completely remove any dependency on QuickTime.

just that, i'm just one guy, not making ANY money to speak of, and have no free time
it most definitely IS on my list. currently i ONLY use ffmpeg to decode mpeg1 audio streams. but i could use it to decode ALL of them, but ffmpeg doesn't provide hardware-accel playback, that's the piece that i NEED, and if "mpv" provides that then it's a shoe-in.

sorry for the non-news

[jmv1]

That is strange. Are we talking about same ffmpeg? https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/HWAccelIntro

Well anyhow, mpv also provides hardware acceleration (see: https://mpv.io/manual/master/#options-hwdec) Basically with auto option everything should be all set. It would do DirectX on Windows and Videotoolbox on macOS and if unavailable fallback to software decoding.

I would lean towards mpv because plethora of nice options and OSD (configurable) +LUA scripting (if needed).

I think mpv could be bundled with kJams, but probably better to have it as external dependency as people could freely download newer versions.

[DeusExMachina]

Was just about to post the exact same links!

[dave]

unfortunately mpv.io is licensed as GPL, not LGPL, so it's not something i can use.

[DeusExMachina]

Dave:
So, digging into it a little deeper, it appears that as a whole the mpv.io project is slowly trying to transition over to LGPL. Much of the code components are already LGPL, and any new additions must be LGPL. The only ones they will accept that are not are those that deriver form previous GPL code.
The few parts that are still GPL are listed, and it is these parts alone that put the overall license as GPLv2.

As such, I am wondering if it is not possible to remove those aspects that are GPL, recompile, and use the rest under their individual LGLP licenses.

https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv/blob/master/Copyright

[dave]

sorry, it's too sticky of a wicket, i'm not getting anywhere near it