I'm bored, and I think Scott didn't bother actually using the software as should the moment his WMP problem popped up and thus had biased preconceptions before actually using the program. If he had actually used the software the way it's meant to be used (i.e. install and play your media, changing settings only after you have experienced playback problems (slow playback for example)), then he probably liked it more than he did and does now. Of course this is merely my guess since I don't know where he tripped over the software.
I installed it. I looked at it. It added ugly and useless icons to my system tray. All the configuration menus contained mostly useless or incomprehensible options. All of the configuration windows were cluttered and disorganized. There were too many separate programs at work, with no explanation of what they were supposed to do.
I was under the impression that it was just going to install codecs to allow my existing players to play videos that were encoded with strange codecs. Instead it just made an ugly mess that reminded me of the Windows 95 days. Installing mplayer, the xvid codec, quicktime, and using windows media player allowed me to play every video file I had on my machine, and it didn't make an ugly mess.
So basically you had not bothered checking what the hell you were going to install during the installation process? Or even before downloading the software? Weren't you the guy who said that you wouldn't get malware if one doesn't download stuff without thinking? As for the programs, eh, Haali media splitter, VSfilter, and two libavffdshow's (one for audio and one for video) are the icons iirc. Haali splits your mkv's, ogm's, etc, and sends it all out to the proper codecs, basically directing the whole playback, VSfilter manages the filters and subtitles, and other two are the codec managers. Mplayer does the same, only internally, whereas CCCP just gathers the best programs out there and bundles them for convenience. I do understand your point now though.
I was under the impression that it was just going to install codecs to allow my existing players to play videos that were encoded with strange codecs.
It did, you can play stuff back in WMP, but WMP is inadequate for some of the stuff (chokes on some MKV stuff) and butchered the video quality compared to MPC (at least, when I compared the two when I used Windows), and of course is very bloated compared to the supplied players.
Also, you have to seperately install the xvid codecs and quicktime alongside mplayer? Or were those for WMP to play in browsers?
Also, you have to seperately install the xvid codecs and quicktime alongside mplayer? Or were those for WMP to play in browsers?
Well, the xvid codec let xvid files play in windows media player. I don't think mplayer needed it. QuckTime installed itself with iTunes. I don't know if or when it is actually being used.
I was under the impression that CCCP was just codecs when I downloaded it. I figured that, like in Linux, you install codecs and that allows your existing media players to simply play back more types of video files. I did not expect it to install all this other junk that cluttered up my screen and made no sense. I don't wan't configurations, I don't want extra players. I want to be able to use whichever player I feel like, and I want every format of audio or video to "just work".
Well, the xvid codec let xvid files play in windows media player. I don't think mplayer needed it. QuckTime installed itself with iTunes. I don't know if or when it is actually being used.
Mplayer doesn't need the xvid codecs no, it uses its own FFmpeg codecs for that. Quicktime is indeed installed with iTunes, as for it being used, perhaps inside iTunes these days, but I doubt that, and else in your browser if mplayer doesn't integrate with browsers on Windows.
I understand your gripes now though. However it's easily explained why you are given the ability to change all those configurations and why media players are supplied.
Firstly the players, these are supplied simply because the majority of media players out there just don't work properly with the tools required for non-integrated playback under Windows. Only VLC* and mplayer are of the integrated playback kind (that is, the program has all the tools itself to playback files of all sorts, and uses specialized codecs afaik, also, not the proper term), at least, those are the only ones I know off.
As for the configuration stuff, CCCP is set up to pretty much be able to play anything on anything after installation. All the configuration is set so that the highest playback compatibility is achieved. Of course that means that no specific optimized settings are set, for example, you can't make screenshots in MPC with the standard renderer, and playback can be sped up in some cases, and, as I said earlier, you can change which codecs you wish to use, for example, if you have purchased or pirated the CoreAVC codecs, you certainly want to use it (30-ish% speed increase with H264 video over other H264 codecs oh yeah), and you can very easily, install the codec, open the config tool, select CoreAVC from the drop down menu under H264 which is under codecs (note, I'm doing this from memory, can be way off), and enjoy your faster decoding. Very, very useful for 720p anime fansubs on slow single core computers.
And installing codecs under Linux? BLASPHEMY! j/k. I really dislike the standard player stuff that is shipped with Ubuntu (Totem and Gstreamer), those are the first things I destroy as much as I can before apt-get installing mplayer and mplayer-mozplugin (or whatever it's called), and audacious.
* For all of you readers who watch any current fansubs, don't use VLC ffs, not ever or anywhere. Unless of course you're a masochistic and prefer to be unable to read anything that has been translated whenever a sign passes on screen or any special notes are added by the fansubbers.
The official new Windows Media Player seems to know when it doesn't have the codec for something, and it asks to go on the net and find one. However, it usually can't find one. All I want is for it to stop asking, and always just play.
Here's an article on the CCCP wiki about all/most of the media players out there and how well they work with the play all CCCP solution. If you read 'acceptable player', assume 'don't bother with this'.
As for WMP and it wanting to go outside to find codecs, I personally don't bother since it tends to find nothing. I think WMP calls home when it wants to find codecs, and as far as I know, Microsoft has no idea what OGM or MKV means, let alone have codecs for it. Are you bumping into any strange files on the internet or something? The Xvid codec should get you a long way through the internet video wise... What are you trying to playback?
For an image editor, I've been using Paint.NET. I've tried using The GIMP, but I found it to be sluggish and a memory hog, and the fact that I had to install AN ENTIRELY SEPARATE PROGRAM just to make the damn thing work (therefore, wasting even MORE space) didn't help matters; it's just ridiculous. Paint.NET is lighter, faster, has enough features to satisfy my editing needs, and updates automatically.
For browsers, I use Firefox 90% of the time. I would make it 100% if Adobe Flash would stop making the browser its personal bitch. Surprisingly, the universally despised IE retains a consistent speed with Flash-heavy sites after prolonged usage.
I was at a friend's house with an external HDD, and I needed to play a .mkv on his Windows PC.
All he had was WMP, so I downloaded mplayer to see what it was like, having heard of it. It did alright, but I noticed it skip a couple of times and I didn't see straight out how to turn subtitles on/off. (I only saw an option for subtitles in external files, not those included in the Matroska container).
So, I downloaded CCCP, which comes with Media Player Classic, and that worked great.
It did alright but I noticed it skip a couple of times and I didn't see straight out how to turn subtitles on/off (I only saw an option for subtitles in external files, not those included in the Matroska container.
That's because everything in mplayer is keyboard shortcuts. j changes subtitles, # changes audio, f is fullscreen, escape is exit, left and right arrows are obvious, up and down arrows are the same as left and right, but let you jump around faster. That's really all the mplayer shortcuts I ever use.
Fair enough. Nonetheless, no skipping > a bit of skipping, because I saw the latter on mplayer on my friend's PC. I admit the above does not count for a particularly reliable test though, and if I cared enough I'd conduct better ones.
Eh, mplayer skipping a bit could've been due to various reasons, perhaps the PC was too slow, or the USB interface was too slow, perhaps some background program (Firefox for example) was hogging resources away from mplayer, etc...
As for the keys, I use the same as Scott, though I also use / and * on the num pad for lowering or raising the volume, and space bar for pause.
As for the keys, I use the same as Scott, though I also use / and * on the num pad for lowering or raising the volume, and space bar for pause.
Oh yeah, I do use space for pause and resume. However, I didn't know about / and * for volume! I guess that's because so few keyboards in the house have numpads.
Eh, mplayer skipping a bit could've been due to various reasons, perhaps the PC was too slow, or the USB interface was too slow, perhaps some background program (Firefox for example) was hogging resources away from mplayer, etc...
True, but mplayer and mpc were running under the same circumstances and I didn't notice it happen with mpc.
In any case, I should have guessed that everything would be done with the keyboard; I have used vim, after all :P
True, but mplayer and mpc were running under the same circumstances and I didn't notice it happen with mpc.
That can be atributed to MPC caching more than mplayer in its default settings. Obviously the computer in that state was just fast enough to play the video, all it needed was a few clock steps more before a frame was shown to make it fluid. That, or MPC has faster default codecs for the file you tried to play. Basically there are just too many possibilities but none of that matters, since you were able to show the video to your friend either way.
I need another suggestion. With exams coming up and the study crunch this weekend, I need help focusing and not screwing around. On the Mac, I know of a program that will lock you off from the internet and selected programs so that you can get work done and not be distracted. You can't unlock it with out actually restarting the computer, then it can be used again.
Anything for the windows side that you know of? unfortunately I'm still stuck on my windows box and still don't have a Mac .
Whoops, thats what I meant. Unplug it and get someone to hold onto the end and go "no".
Yeah but I want it too lock me out of games and other time wasters.
If you are going to waste time nothing is REALLY going to stop you. Even boring mundane things can be more interesting than what you're supposed to be doing.
Yeah but I want it too lock me out of games and other time wasters.
Uninstall, uninstall.
Sorry. Bad joke. But you should do that, uninstall the games, it's not like you won't be able to reinstall them afterwards and unplug the Ethernet cable as has been said. And why do you need a computer when you're studying? What resources do you need?
Comments
I was under the impression that it was just going to install codecs to allow my existing players to play videos that were encoded with strange codecs. Instead it just made an ugly mess that reminded me of the Windows 95 days. Installing mplayer, the xvid codec, quicktime, and using windows media player allowed me to play every video file I had on my machine, and it didn't make an ugly mess.
Also, you have to seperately install the xvid codecs and quicktime alongside mplayer? Or were those for WMP to play in browsers?
I was under the impression that CCCP was just codecs when I downloaded it. I figured that, like in Linux, you install codecs and that allows your existing media players to simply play back more types of video files. I did not expect it to install all this other junk that cluttered up my screen and made no sense. I don't wan't configurations, I don't want extra players. I want to be able to use whichever player I feel like, and I want every format of audio or video to "just work".
I understand your gripes now though. However it's easily explained why you are given the ability to change all those configurations and why media players are supplied.
Firstly the players, these are supplied simply because the majority of media players out there just don't work properly with the tools required for non-integrated playback under Windows. Only VLC* and mplayer are of the integrated playback kind (that is, the program has all the tools itself to playback files of all sorts, and uses specialized codecs afaik, also, not the proper term), at least, those are the only ones I know off.
As for the configuration stuff, CCCP is set up to pretty much be able to play anything on anything after installation. All the configuration is set so that the highest playback compatibility is achieved. Of course that means that no specific optimized settings are set, for example, you can't make screenshots in MPC with the standard renderer, and playback can be sped up in some cases, and, as I said earlier, you can change which codecs you wish to use, for example, if you have purchased or pirated the CoreAVC codecs, you certainly want to use it (30-ish% speed increase with H264 video over other H264 codecs oh yeah), and you can very easily, install the codec, open the config tool, select CoreAVC from the drop down menu under H264 which is under codecs (note, I'm doing this from memory, can be way off), and enjoy your faster decoding. Very, very useful for 720p anime fansubs on slow single core computers.
And installing codecs under Linux? BLASPHEMY! j/k. I really dislike the standard player stuff that is shipped with Ubuntu (Totem and Gstreamer), those are the first things I destroy as much as I can before apt-get installing mplayer and mplayer-mozplugin (or whatever it's called), and audacious.
* For all of you readers who watch any current fansubs, don't use VLC ffs, not ever or anywhere. Unless of course you're a masochistic and prefer to be unable to read anything that has been translated whenever a sign passes on screen or any special notes are added by the fansubbers.
God I rant too much about this subject...
As for WMP and it wanting to go outside to find codecs, I personally don't bother since it tends to find nothing. I think WMP calls home when it wants to find codecs, and as far as I know, Microsoft has no idea what OGM or MKV means, let alone have codecs for it. Are you bumping into any strange files on the internet or something? The Xvid codec should get you a long way through the internet video wise... What are you trying to playback?
Very nice collection of opensource programs for windows. Most of them you probably have heard of before on the first page.
As for the 3D imaging if your serious go for Autodesk. If not http://www.reallusion.com/e3dstudio/
Effect 3D isn't bad for $99
As for 3D, google sketch up is pretty damn good.
Media Players:
VLC - Video
Winamp - Everything Else
Browser:
Firefox
IRC:
Xchat2
IM:
Pidgin
Psi
Torrent:
uTorrent
Image Editing:
Adobe Photoshop 7 (see above)
For an image editor, I've been using Paint.NET. I've tried using The GIMP, but I found it to be sluggish and a memory hog, and the fact that I had to install AN ENTIRELY SEPARATE PROGRAM just to make the damn thing work (therefore, wasting even MORE space) didn't help matters; it's just ridiculous. Paint.NET is lighter, faster, has enough features to satisfy my editing needs, and updates automatically.
For browsers, I use Firefox 90% of the time. I would make it 100% if Adobe Flash would stop making the browser its personal bitch. Surprisingly, the universally despised IE retains a consistent speed with Flash-heavy sites after prolonged usage.
All he had was WMP, so I downloaded mplayer to see what it was like, having heard of it. It did alright, but I noticed it skip a couple of times and I didn't see straight out how to turn subtitles on/off. (I only saw an option for subtitles in external files, not those included in the Matroska container).
So, I downloaded CCCP, which comes with Media Player Classic, and that worked great.
I admit the above does not count for a particularly reliable test though, and if I cared enough I'd conduct better ones.
As for the keys, I use the same as Scott, though I also use / and * on the num pad for lowering or raising the volume, and space bar for pause.
In any case, I should have guessed that everything would be done with the keyboard; I have used vim, after all :P
With exams coming up and the study crunch this weekend, I need help focusing and not screwing around.
On the Mac, I know of a program that will lock you off from the internet and selected programs so that you can get work done and not be distracted. You can't unlock it with out actually restarting the computer, then it can be used again.
Anything for the windows side that you know of?
unfortunately I'm still stuck on my windows box and still don't have a Mac
If you are going to waste time nothing is REALLY going to stop you. Even boring mundane things can be more interesting than what you're supposed to be doing.
Sorry. Bad joke. But you should do that, uninstall the games, it's not like you won't be able to reinstall them afterwards and unplug the Ethernet cable as has been said. And why do you need a computer when you're studying? What resources do you need?