[MPlayer-users] Re: Mplayer as a Client for VideoLAN server

[Jon Burgess]

Rett Walters wrote:
> 
> Xine and VideoLAN Client are very good players, except I need something that is
> easily scriptable.

xine-ui may not run well from the commandline, but a lot of the heavy 
work is handled by xine-lib with a defined API for the frontend to 
drive. The xine download page http://xinehq.de/index.php/releases lists 
15 different frontends, including one specifically for use from the 
commandline http://toxine.sourceforge.net/

> Unfortunately xine does not work real well from a command line only enviroment, and
> VLC doesn't have the output device support I need (DXR3) - So I am left with Mplayer
> as my only other option....

I have seen another project (MythTV) drive a DXR3 card using SDL which 
VLC supports. I do not know how well this would work for video, I have a 
feeling that the SDL code used ffmpeg to MPEG encode every screen update.

Another option might be to look at VDR. It has a telnet/TCP based 
command line control interface. It normally acts as a PVR with a DVB 
card, but there are plugins to allow it to work with media streams and 
output to a DXR3 card.

	Jon