[MPlayer-dev-eng] Binary codecs

[Diego Biurrun]

Roberto Togni writes:
> 
> I'll apply everything that decode formats now unsupported, but what do  
> do with the rest?
> 
> In detail:
> 1) Add binary codecs for formats we can decode natively?
> 2) Add binary codecs for format already supported by other binary  
> codecs?
> 3) Add all variants of the same codec (ex. vfw and dshow)?

I'd say yes, since it helps debugging and mostly just requires a
codecs.conf entry so it should not bloat the code very much.  If you
fear bloating the codecs packages and missing bug reports due to user
laziness you could always drop everything but the essential codec
package and make the rest developer-only.

> The second question is about demo/trial codecs: support them or not?
> As an example, now we have an expired m3jpeg.dll in our codec package;  
> Cesar submitted an updated codec that solve the problem, at least until  
> the codec expires again.
> What to do? Try to keep the dll up to date (if possible), drop the  
> codec, patch the dll/the loader to "fix" the expiration problem?

Patch the loader once and never worry about this problem again I would
say.  This is legal thin ice of course (as is the whole codec
redistribution thing).

Diego