gnome-mpv

hhh · 2017-03-15 13:12:37

gnome-mpv is a GUI front-end for mpv that I've been using very recently, and I like it very much. It's replaced VLC and SMplayer on my stretch system, but I haven't tested it enough to recommend it. If you're on stretch or sid, please have a look at it and post your feedback.

You don't need to install mpv as installing gnome-mpv will install the required libraries, but it won't harm anything if mpv is also installed.

sudo apt install --no-install-recommends gnome-mpv

If you leave off the "no recommends" switch you'll also get youtube-dl.

The GKT3 theme has Client-Side Decorations enabled by default, but it has a Preference setting to disable them (the first application I've seen to do so). It can be set as your default media player and works with "Open with..." context menus.

There is no 'man' page, but it recognizes the options available to mpv, so 'man mpv' is pretty essential. It does have an active GitHub page that outlines its features (see "Usage")...
https://github.com/gnome-mpv/gnome-mpv

Here's a simple configuration file (mpv.conf) to get you started, load it from any location via the player's preferences...

#Open the player in fullscreen mode
fullscreen=yes

#Resume playback of any file from where you last left off
save-position-on-quit

#Close the player when the playlist finishes
idle=once

Thanks for testing!

brontosaurusrex · 2017-03-15 13:53:15

pros
- I like how you can drag-drop youtube urls to playlist window and the playlist window itself.

cons
- It doesn't remember playlist between sessions.
- jump at playback start

Tested on real metal.

Last edited by brontosaurusrex (2017-03-17 11:12:45)

hhh · 2017-03-15 13:57:35

Thanks for the feedback! The window is behaving normally for you? @johnraff was feeling no joy, but he was using VirtualBox.

The window itself, with CSD disabled, looks almost exactly like gnome-mplayer did, IIRC.

BTW, the playlist is hidden by default, F9 opens and shuts it. There are 3 pages of keyboard shortcuts listed under the Help menu.

brontosaurusrex · 2017-03-15 13:58:54

Normally?

hhh · 2017-03-15 14:25:04

^We'll have to let him describe the behavior, I went all bone-head and deleted the post when I tried to split it. Report if you find any bugs while using it, if you'd be so kind.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-03-15 21:08:06

I much prefer this to vlc.

It uses GTK rather than Qt so I think that it matches my desktop better than vlc even with the CSD on (which I like, perversely) and it looks *much* nicer.

In respect of memory usage, for a blank window:

Helium: ~ $ su -c 'ps-mem' | grep 'vlc\|mpv'
 26.5 MiB +   3.7 MiB =  30.2 MiB	vlc
 45.1 MiB +   8.5 MiB =  53.7 MiB	gnome-mpv

Playing a 1080p video:

Helium: ~ $ su -c 'ps-mem' | grep 'vlc\|mpv'
101.3 MiB +  12.8 MiB = 114.1 MiB	gnome-mpv
139.8 MiB +   6.7 MiB = 146.5 MiB	vlc

+1 for switching to this.

Disclaimer: I use Kodi ]:D

johnraff · 2017-03-16 06:01:40

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

I use Kodi ]:D

Just installed it to try, and WOW!! That's quite an overwhelming interface - it just sort of takes over the whole scene...
Very impressive but not quite what I want for a bit of bgm. Thanks for the hint anyway.

------------------------------

Back to {gnome-,}mpv on Stretch, in Virtualbox 5.1.18 with Guest Additions updated:

First, the default setting is with Client-side decorations enabled, and that was totally unusable. Drop-down menus stayed dropped-down, but inert once clicked, and the button that launched them had to be clicked again to get a working one. Ghosts of the old menus still hung around, and eventually the whole thing crashed. Disabling CSD got a more sane interface that at least did what you'd expect.

The big issue is that it throws up an extra video window, whether needed or not. It looks like what mpv puts up when called with '--force-window' with the difference that it doesn't do anything. Drag and drop does nothing, and even after loading an audio file some other way the black extra window just sits there, above the window you actually want. It is possible to D&D files onto the main GUI window though, after you get it out from under the black box. BTW with 'fullscreen=yes' the black window is maximized.

If you open a video file the black box displays the video, while the main GUI window acquires an extra control panel for stop/start/pause, slightly detached from the window, while the proper one is unusable. (This with video only.)

Idle:

Playing audio:

Playing video:

Does nobody else get any of these problems? For me the whole thing was a mess. I installed vanilla mpv to compare and that was more sane. Unfortunately, the idle window, while displaying an invitation to D&D which was lacking in Jessie, actually failed to respond to D&D'd files at all. That works fine in Jessie.

Could it all be an issue with Virtualbox?

hhh · 2017-03-16 06:09:09

I'd say so. Not seeing any of that, with or without CSD, with or without compton, with or without mpv also installed. Just a nice, minimal GUI as seen in my scrot.

Have you tried with no config file?

@b-rex, so... normal, as opposed to FUBAR.

johnraff · 2017-03-16 06:40:30

hhh wrote:

Have you tried with no config file?

Yes, I added that file just today to see if it would help.

damo · 2017-03-16 06:43:30

johnraff wrote:

...
Does nobody else get any of these problems? For me the whole thing was a mess. I installed vanilla mpv to compare and that was more sane. Unfortunately, the idle window, while displaying an invitation to D&D which was lacking in Jessie, actually failed to respond to D&D'd files at all. That works fine in Jessie.
Could it all be an issue with Virtualbox?

No problems with gnome-mpv for me (Debian Stretch netinstall + BL helium-dev netinstall script, on bare metal). It is pretty cool, especially with no csd. D&D works fine, and I particularly like the screenshot facility

But since many people run BL in VBox, a seriously glitchy default application is something to be avoided IMO.

johnraff · 2017-03-16 07:40:55

Anyway, this is something for Helium, so it might get sorted out in the next couple of months. Even if it doesn't make default app we can certainly add it to the multimedia menu and bl-alternatives I'd have thought.
(Gnome-mplayer is gone from Stretch btw.)

nobody · 2017-03-16 21:11:08

(I've split the virtualbox/libvirt discussion into https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=3487 to not derail this thread.)

hhh · 2017-03-16 21:21:51

^Added a "Continued from..." link to the OP in the new thread.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-03-17 23:04:34

johnraff wrote:

Does nobody else get any of these problems?

The issue also occurs under QEMU/KVM (stretch host, stretch guest):

stevep · 2017-03-18 00:39:27

I'd have to guess that it has something to do with mpv using the opengl video output by default, and support for that can be sketchy in a virtual machine. Does Gnome-mpv have any way to switch the video output to something more generic, like x11?

Last edited by stevep (2017-03-18 00:40:02)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-03-18 00:40:28

stevep wrote:

Does Gnome-mpv have any way to switch the video output to something more generic, like x11?

Good call, it uses the mpv configuration files, I will test this soonest...

Head_on_a_Stick · 2017-03-18 01:12:26

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

I will test this soonest...

Using vo=x11 in ~/.config/mpv/mvp.conf disables hardware acceleration for gnome-mpv but the double-window problem persists

hhh · 2017-03-18 02:13:33

An issue could be opened at their GitHub page, but I'd imagine it would get low priority. How often do people fire up a VM to play media? If it's a must for someone, wouldn't they just ditch the GUI or use VLC or something?

johnraff · 2018-01-20 05:35:08

hhh wrote:

An issue could be opened at their GitHub page, but I'd imagine it would get low priority. How often do people fire up a VM to play media? If it's a must for someone, wouldn't they just ditch the GUI or use VLC or something?

Well, if the question is whether to make gnome-mpv the default BunsenLabs media player, then I think it ought to work OK in a VM too. There are people who live in a VM, right?

Anyway, I have just tried gnome-mpv in a real laptop, and there it works fine, so as an alternative in the install menu it's no problem, surely?

BTW does anyone know where gnome-mpv stores its own configuration settings, eg whether to use client-side-decorations or not? I've searched all over...

Head_on_a_Stick · 2018-01-20 12:37:25

johnraff wrote:

BTW does anyone know where gnome-mpv stores its own configuration settings

~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf

Sorry, try /usr/share/appdata/io.github.GnomeMpv.appdata.xml (not sure though).

client-side-decorations

Haven't we eliminated them anyway with https://packages.debian.org/stretch/gtk3-nocsd?

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2018-01-20 13:05:22)

#1 2017-03-15 13:12:37

gnome-mpv

#2 2017-03-15 13:53:15

Re: gnome-mpv

#3 2017-03-15 13:57:35

Re: gnome-mpv

#4 2017-03-15 13:58:54

Re: gnome-mpv

#5 2017-03-15 14:25:04

Re: gnome-mpv

#6 2017-03-15 21:08:06

Re: gnome-mpv

#7 2017-03-16 06:01:40

Re: gnome-mpv

#8 2017-03-16 06:09:09

Re: gnome-mpv

#9 2017-03-16 06:40:30

Re: gnome-mpv

#10 2017-03-16 06:43:30

Re: gnome-mpv

#11 2017-03-16 07:40:55

Re: gnome-mpv

#12 2017-03-16 21:11:08

Re: gnome-mpv

#13 2017-03-16 21:21:51

Re: gnome-mpv

#14 2017-03-17 23:04:34

Re: gnome-mpv

#15 2017-03-18 00:39:27

Re: gnome-mpv

#16 2017-03-18 00:40:28

Re: gnome-mpv

#17 2017-03-18 01:12:26

Re: gnome-mpv

#18 2017-03-18 02:13:33

Re: gnome-mpv

#19 2018-01-20 05:35:08

Re: gnome-mpv

#20 2018-01-20 12:37:25

Re: gnome-mpv

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