Quicktime Under Linux With MPlayer

Sark writes: "The latest version of the controversial MPlayer program for Linux supports Quicktime .mov files with the latest codecs. Apart from the closed source program Crossover, this is the first open source program that seems to work. Check out the Mplayer homepage for more info." According to formats page, Sorenson Quicktime is still not gonna happen any time soon.

Xanim Supports Quicktime

[Greyfox]

Xanim's supported Quicktime .mov files forever, just not the Sorensen codec. Of course, many of Xanim's modules don't have source code available either, due to IP issues. Also, its mpeg capabilities are questionable at best. Since I got the DSL line in, I usually just look for mpegs anyway and play them with gtv or plaympeg.

MPlayer + Quicktime = schweeetttt

[CDWert]

I have to say MPlayer and the folks working on it have done a great job, It is really nice stuff, although I think the project would benifift from a refined build process, building it with all the dependencies can be a bit of fun the first time around, divx, dvd, blah blah blah. I dont know if there is a simpole method of doing this with all the complie options.

I really love the GCC 2.96 RedHat warning, if you havent built it yet, HEED that warning.

Is there no chance the RIAA et al can shut this down being out of hungary? I hope not its becoming a wonderful piece of software.

Congrats to the guys making MPlayer happen !!

Xanim has done this for a while...

[null_session]

'Taco's real up on things, can't you tell? I've been playing .mov files (not the sorenson codec) for quite a while now using xanim. Try http://xanim.va.pubnix.com/home.html

Re:Where are the Debian packages?

[JanneM]

Mplayer is using some libraries whose licence forbids binary distribution. They are working on replacing these, but until then you won't have binaries of the thing.

/Janne

Re:Controversial?

[selmer]

One of the things that's controversial about the mplayer people is their approach to support. Read this linuxworld article [linuxworld.com] if you want to know all about it.

The short version:"They're a bunch of arrogant elitist bastards". (The article's opinion, I've never tried to install mplayer).

Re:Where are the Debian packages?

[ankit]

There are a few reasons behind that. Firstly, MPlayer has many options with regard to what kind of output it should use. These are bese selected during compilation.
Secondly, to be really useful, MPlayer requires several dlls, and codecs. These codecs either come from the windows dlls, or from closed source projects like the DivX(tm) MPEG-4 Codec.
Distribution of these is prevented by their license. There are just links to them on the mplayer page. It is best if you compile mplayer yourself.

Also, as a christmas gift, teach your mother the "./configure; make; make install" trick ;)

Xine does Quicktime too

[gagravarr]

Xine [sourceforge.net] does Quicktime to, has done for quite some time. Doesn't do Sorenson either, but they do support win32 codecs, so dropping in the Quicktime dlls isn't impossible futher down the line.

Re:Okay...

[Junta]

Of course, Sorenson is *licensed* by Apple, but not owned by...

And Wine CVS with the Quicktime player (basically what crossover is....) is a valid, free option.. I have verified it to work (though the UI is a bit quirky on redraw, the movie displays fine)... Of course it won't embed in a browser, but works fine stand alone...

Re:Okay...

[gabebear]

Apple has released the specs for almost every aspect of the Quicktime (.mov) standard. They rarely write their own codecs though.

The Sorenson codec is owned by Sorenson [sorenson.com] and Apple pays for it.

Re:Where are the Debian packages?

[Anonymous Coward]

apt-get install aviplay.

mplayer is illegal to use in binary form, and will likely always be that because of the stupidity of it's authors.

Re:Where are the Debian packages?

[dhamsaic]

try

./configure && make && make install

next time. that way, if configure dies, make doesn't try to run. and if make dies, make install doesn't try to run. you'll be happier.

Xine

[~-zman-~]

There are packages for xine in unstable and you can play all kinds of formats. There is a list here:

xine.sourceforge.net [sourceforge.net]

Apple to move away from Sorenson, will support MP4

[d0n quix0te]

Yes you heard it right. This seems to be good news for Linux users. According to Frank Casanova, the head honcho of Quicktime, Quicktime 6 will de-emphasise Sorenson for MPEG-4. In an interview with Creative:Mac he says

CASANOVA: It's the center of our universe. The Sorenson video CODEC has been an integral part of QuickTime since we had QuickTime 3. Sorenson is exclusive to QuickTime, a proprietary format, that has just produced incredible quality both for download of movie trailers and real-time streaming over the Internet. They've done incredibly well. And we're going to continue working with the Sorenson guys. We're not shutting that off. And people will probably opt to use Sorenson in some cases. But certainly the center of the work we do is going to be around standards.

Everything Apple does--from the Unix bases of OS X, to FireWire being IEEE 1394, to USB to all the various facets of what we do, from AirPort being 802.11--we want to make sure that every piece of our architecture and infrastructure are based on industry standards. QuickTime is no different. Our streaming protocols are RTP/RTSP as defined by the IETS; and now ... you'll see our file format of QuickTime is the file format for MPEG-4. As you may remember, [ISO has] selected the QuickTime format as the basis for MPEG-4. And then what we're doing is we're building our own audio and video CODEC, but based on the recipe as published by this standard body, by ISO, for ... video and audio for music and speech. There's a few different CODECs in there. And that's what we're doing going forward. And you can expect to see incredible video quality using these new MPEG-4 CODECs.

MPEG-4 continues the lineage of the MPEG family. MPEG-1 ... was great for CD-ROM distribution. MPEG-2 ... was targeted at a much higher data rate, much higher quality, and it found its way into areas like DVD playback and for HDTV and for some of the satellite communications where bandwidth is really not constrained. But MPEG-4 is the MPEG for the Internet. It takes lower than MPEG-1 data rates and practically MPEG-2 quality and makes it available for people to stream over the Internet, which is high and to the right, exactly where you want to see this go.

And the AAC audio component for music will likely replace MP3 as the default and brand new audio standard on the Web because I'll tell you what, ... you can do incredibly good jobs with audio at a much smaller file size and lower data rate and get even better sounding quality than MP3 is providing. I think, over time, we'll see AAC supplant MP3 as the digital audio standard. That's the direction we're headed.

Earlier [last] week, with Real Networks announcing their support for MPEG-4, we found that to be a sudden and abrupt change in direction for them, but nonetheless a welcome one. We're really happy here at Apple, and as members of the Internet Streaming Media Alliance--the ISMA--we're really happy that Real had decided to make this change in course. Real is a big company, at least from an Internet media streaming perspective, and their stamp of approval on MPEG-4 gives the whole space more momentum.

The rest of the interview can be found here...
http://www.creativemac.com/2001/12_dec/features/ ap plequicktimelive0112172.htm