Video playback on the 6000, Kino 2, etc. Options

[AsLan^]

To anyone who is interested... after playing around all night, these were the best settings I could get using ffmpeg.

For an aspect 4:3 using msmpeg4v2 codec
320x240 or 352x264 with 128kbps mp3 audio

For an aspect 16:9 using msmpeg4v2 codec
352x198 with 128kbps mp3 audio

If anyone has had any better results Id be interested to hear them.

Oh and thanks for the recommendation for Dr Z.

[AsLan^]

I broke down and loaded windows and divx5 and all the other crap....

unfortunately I really do think divx 5 performs the best with dr z.

encoding 4:3 cartoon 30 minutes long at 320x240 and 64kbps mp3 audio I was able to bring the file size down to 60mb with acceptable quality.

I did notice one other thing too, when watching a cartoon on the z away from my computer (on the bus) the quality seems improved. Its like all the tvs in the tv store, you can see the differences when they are all lined up next to each other but take any of them home and you probably couldnt tell the difference.

[gab74]

now i use mplayer on my sl6000l but i want to try DR Z video, problem is there is no demo version ?
Is that all rigth ?
i want to test dr z video before buying, anyone has a demo version ?

[gab74]

Surfing the usergroup it seems Kino 2 runs on SL6000
Is that rigth ?

Anyone can give me any infos ?

[AsLan^]

It didnt work for me... you could try it if you want though, its free.

[fierywater]

Didn't want to work for me, either.

[gab74]

I've read this topic
http://www.oesf.org/forums/inde...?showtopic=7726
it seems skoorb has kino2 installed on a SL6000, probably i does not understand the topics, i speak english not so well....

[GoLinux]

Hello folks,

thanks to few pointers I got from another SL-6000L owner, I was finally able to get Kino2 to work.

This is what to do:

- First, you have to install version 0.22. The newest version available, 0.3, has mplayer that comes with it apparently compiled specifically for the SL-Cxxx series and it doesn't work with the SL-6000L (don't ask me why, I'm still too new to the world of Zaurus....)
- Once installed, launch it without loading a movie
- Go to File/Preferences/Core and check "Direct Access to Frame Buffer"
- Go to File/Preferences/Video and check "Enable Doublebuffering"
- Go to File/Preferences/Audio and check "ffmpeg"
- All the other checkboxes in the three Preferences tabs should be unchecked. I found that especially "Enable Overlay" messes up with the player and prevent it from working.

Kino2 so configured should play almost anything you throw at it. I have played succesfully MPEG1, MPEG2 and Divx encoded movies (320x240, 300kpbs, 25fps).
Depending on the frame rate you are using you may have to check also "Drop Frames" in Preferences/Core.

With the above configuration Kino2 will play in portrait mode in a landscape video window of 320x240, which is quite small considering the potential of the SL-6000L screen.
As of today I have not yet been able to get it to play in full landscape and in QVGA mode, although the checkboxes in Preferences/Video/Fullscreen are supposed to allow to do just that and it is possible to do so with Kino2 installed on the SL-Cxxx series.

A possible cause is that Kino2, being just the GUI for the underlying mplayer, is for some reason unable to pass the commands to mplayer. In Preferences/Core the "Advanced mplayer options" box should allow to give addtional commans to mplayer. I'll try to experiment with that, but first I got to learn the mplayer command set


If anybody else has been able to get Kino2 to work in fullscreen landscape and 320x240 QVGA mode (just like you can do with the original Media Player with "Display with magnified screen" checked), I'll gladly accept suggestions!!!!!!

Happy Tweaking.

[coolass]

Veiw + scale = fullscreen but it slows down video .Ooops drop frames checked helps speed

[GoLinux]

Coolass,

Thanks, I had tried that already, but it still plays in portrait orientation (other than being awfully and unbearably slow.......)

Like I wrote, the Kino2 GUI does rotate using the hardware button on the Z, but then the movie still plays in portrait orientation, whether I select Fullscreen + Scale or not.

Using "Scale" is exactly what I want to avoid, too taxing on the CPU. That's why I want to find a way to run Kino2 in "Magnified Mode", as you can do with the Media Player that came with the Zaurus.

With the screen zoomed to emulate 320x240 mode in landscape the CPU would still decode at the "native" size of the movie but it would fill the whole screen from corner to corner.

Heck, it can be done on the SL-Cxxx series, why not on the SL-6000L!!!!!???

Do you happen to know what commands you would pass to mplayer in console mode to achieve that? Again: 320x240, landscape mode, full screen.

Thanks.

[gab74]

ok :

Kino 0.22 has no In Preferences/Core/"Advanced mplayer options, so we cannot pass any other parameter to mplayer with this GUI....

KIno 0.30 has this options so i try to install Kino 0.30 and i have substituted the mplayer from KIno 0.22

I try to pass in Advanced mplayer options some parameters but nothing happened,
all remains equal !

Anyone knows How this options can be passed ???

To rotate in landscape in mplayer : -vop rotate=1
if i try to put it in KIno2 no happens....
Any HELPS???


To play a video at full screen in landscape mode from commad line you have to :

1. Create a files called fb.modes in /etc

this is the file's body

mode "qvga"
geometry 240 320 240 320 16
timings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
endmode

from command line you can now :

mplayer -really-quiet -framedrop -cache 512 -vo fbdev -fbmode qvga -vm -vop rotate=1 <film_name>

[GoLinux]

Gabriele,

I did the same thing you did, I forgot to mention it on my previous posting. I installed Kino2 ver. 0.22 first, saved on my CF card the mplayer file, removed ver. 0.22, installed ver. 0.3 and replaced mplayer that came with that version with the mplayer from ver. 0.22 I had saved on the CF.

Doing so I have the Kino2 ver. 0.3 GUI with the mplayer file from ver. 0.22.

Having said that, I have not tried yet to pass commands to mplayer using the Preference/Core input box in Kino2. I'll experiment with that and report back.

However, I'm more and more convinced that the Kino2 GUI has some problem in passing commands to mplayer. For starter it is strange that you can rotate Kino2 in landscape mode using the hardware button on the SL-6000L, but then when you play a movie it plays in portrait orientation within the landscape oriented Kino2 GIU.

From some discussion I had with another SL-6000L owner that could be due to some differences between the SL-6000L and the SL-C7/8xx series, for which Kino2 has been originally written.

I have one question for you: It is not clear from your description of using mplayer from console if you have been able to get a 320x240 movie to play in landscape mode in QVGA resolution, WITHOUT scaling.

Did it work that way? if that's so I don't mind using just mplayer rather than Kino2 graphical user interface.

Thanks, Paolo.

[gab74]

By creating file fb.modes you set the screens' geometry so it switch the screen at 240x320 resolutions.

The film is played at this resolution without any resize..

I've configured Kino2+ mplayer to work well in this way :

On Kino2 I only select Fullscreen options :

I modified mplayer.conf and usign mplayer.conf copyed in /usr/local/etc/mplayer/mplayer.conf i can use Kino2 to see films at 320x240 qvga landscape mode.

When i hit cancel button on my SL6000 all desktop is rebuild correctly !

So now it works well !!!

You have to add in your mplayer.conf

vop=rotate=1

and enable qvga fbmode and vm..

All is rigth now !

if you want, i can send the modified mplayer.conf....

NOW ON SL6000 WE HAVE KINO2 WORKING...(think WELL)

[the_oak]

gab74:
Please send your modified mplayer.conf. I can't find mine to modify it. I am using kino2 version 0.22. Is that correct version?

[GoLinux]

Gabriele,

excellent job!!! As the_Oak said, would you be so kind to post somewhere the file? I'm new to the Zaurus and although I'm handy with the command line on computers, I have not yet much experience with Linux.

I'd rather not risk to screw up my two weeks old SL-6000L, I don't feel ready for a re-flash yet......

So, summarizing, let me se if I got it right:

Step 1: Create a file named fb.modes in /etc containing this:

mode "qvga"
geometry 240 320 240 320 16
timings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
endmode

Step 2: modify mplayer.conf in /usr/local/etc/mplayer/mplayer.conf adding:

vop=rotate=1

Step 3: Select Kino2 in "Fullscreen" mode

One thing I'm not sure I understood is how you enable qvga fbmode and vm.. Do you do that through the "Advanced mplayer options" input box in Kino2 or is it rather another line to add or modify in the mplayer.conf file?

Since you did such a good job in getting Kino2 to work on the SL-6000L, why don't you post an "how to" on this user group web site? I'm sure all the SL-6000L owners will be eternally grateful......

I expect a lot more SL-6000L related activity here, now that Amazon is selling it at such a good price.

It would be great to have dedicated "download" and "how to" sections for the SL-6000L. I'm sure the contributions would be plenty.

Paolo.