(maybe) ReactOS Media Player

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SirTalon
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Post by SirTalon »

I like the idea of using 2 separate media players, one for audio and one for video (though I think most users would prefer only 1). For example in linux I use amaroK (best audio player I've ever used!) for playing all my music (includes a media library to make it easier to set up playlists), for video I generally use Kaffeine (Xine front end), or every now and then KPlayer (MPlayer front end).

I prefer them being separate apps because it doesn't feel right having both combined. Not sure about KPlayer, but Kaffeine though does support playlists, but I only use them if I'm setting up several videos to be played.

Even though Media Player Classic seems like a very good app, it probably doesn't have enough features for the average user (can it even use playlists?). MPC is a great video player, but lacks when you want audio. ROS needs a media player that supports playlists and preferably a media library (i.e. adds entries about all your music to its own DB, to make it easier to play and organize later.
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mf
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Post by mf »

Seeing that ReactOS is aiming for NT4/NT5.0 compatibility at first, it "needs" no more than a bare DirectShow player (and before that it needs DirectShow support). Media Player Classic is GPL, so it can be renamed to ReactOS Media Player and any needed features added along the way.
dcuny
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Post by dcuny »

I thought that creating an alternate implementation of Windows was about granting users freedom, not restricting them.

Projects like Freedows went down in flames because they got the idea that they could make a "better" version of Windows. People got mired in debating what should be changed, instead of focusing on actually getting work done.

I think the success of ReactOS has been that the developers have been very focused on a single, measurable goal: writing a binary compatible clone for Windows NT. Not something better, but something that's functionally equivalent. The freedom that ReactOS gives is the ability to choose. Restricting that compatibility ultimately restricts people's choice, and ability to use ReactOS as an alternative.

That's why Media Player Classic is an excellent choice: it provides a functionally equivalent application. It's philosophically neutral.
Elledan
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Post by Elledan »

Well said, dcuny :)
Asraniel
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Post by Asraniel »

i totaly agree, like on linux where you have 10 or more players that come with the installation and you can chose which one you want
Elledan
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Post by Elledan »

Asraniel wrote:i totaly agree, like on linux where you have 10 or more players that come with the installation and you can chose which one you want
It's only too bad that launching a Linux desktop environment for the first time after installation is like getting a couple of boxes of jigsaw puzzle pieces thrown in your face, together with the friendly request to make something interesting out of it.

Choice is good, but sensible default options are even better.
Asraniel
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Post by Asraniel »

well, like on a linux desktop. You have normaly one, on max, two players installed, but on the cds you have much more of them, so there is a default choice
Elledan
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Post by Elledan »

Asraniel wrote:well, like on a linux desktop. You have normaly one, on max, two players installed, but on the cds you have much more of them, so there is a default choice
Well yes, they may be installed, but sometimes (often?) the GUI you're using at that moment may not list them at all in the list of programs. Adding programs to, for example, KDE's menu is a nightmare.

One shouldn't have to manually locate, identify and add (newly) installed programs to the GUI's menu.

In my experience there's a severe lack of consistency between the different desktop environments/window managers in providing an accurate listing of installed programs, often leaving no choice but to browse through /usr, /opt and other (sub-)directories to find out what has actually been installed.

No consistency, lack of integration, fragmented GUIs. The complains I have about Linux's GUI(s) go way beyond the media players installed by default.
Asraniel
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Post by Asraniel »

im using mandrake and i nearly dont have any problems you have.. but i agree that there is much room to improve, but thats why freedesktop.org exists, to unify those things..
But thats a reactos forum, not a linux one ;-)
AcetoliNe
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Post by AcetoliNe »

*sigh*
As i've said so many times (so many that now it's beginning to lose it's meaning even to myself), this is NOT a linux clone!

Should I make myself clearer? Throw X windows, KDE desktops, buggy media players, and most of all, user frustration, into the trash.

95% of users don't use/like linux, so why use a linux-like system for doing stuff? Media player classic is a good idea that I support. I also support writing a new media player from scratch. But doing a messy double bypass brain transplant on operating systems is not good.

*edit* I also agree with Elledan on user-friendliness. One big failure of linux is that it does not try to be user-friendly. Quite the reverse -- it assumes the user has to know EVERYTHING, and blatantly disagrees to cooperate with newbies. The linux attitude is: "If you know it, great. If you don't, go and learn it".
I think I've made myself clear.
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we shall reinvent the wheel until it turns properly.
Quigs
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Post by Quigs »

Perhaps we should leave this up to the distro creator...to decide what to include, all media players that run on Windows should eventually run on ROS....so what more do you need... You've got all the capability you need...mostly freely available on the net...

Including a media player in ROS by ROS is a bad idea... having a distro creator include a media player in ROS by themselves is a good idea...

...but ROS might have to include functionality in ROSExplorer and such to display media information, preview stuff, etc, if wanted of course....
nothin2g
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Post by nothin2g »

the llama whipping users of reactos will simply install winamp *SCNR*
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Elledan
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Post by Elledan »

nothin2g wrote:the llama whipping users of reactos will simply install winamp *SCNR*
Those who like a particular media player, even if it's WMP 7.x+, will indeed install and use it over the default player (if any). I do think, however, that it's a good thing to provide a sane and usable default (OSS) choice, such as MPC and an audio player.
One big failure of linux is that it does not try to be user-friendly. Quite the reverse -- it assumes the user has to know EVERYTHING, and blatantly disagrees to cooperate with newbies. The linux attitude is: "If you know it, great. If you don't, go and learn it".
I think I've made myself clear.
Actually, Linux does try to be userfriendly. Only problem is that userfriendliness in Linux is akin to asking for assistance to consequently end up being assaulted by thousands of people all wanting to help you in their own way.
AcetoliNe
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Post by AcetoliNe »

Actually, Linux does try to be userfriendly. Only problem is that userfriendliness in Linux is akin to asking for assistance to consequently end up being assaulted by thousands of people all wanting to help you in their own way.
Reminds me of my trying to learn how to swim (don't have to explain how that went along :lol:)
Including a media player in ROS by ROS is a bad idea... having a distro creator include a media player in ROS by themselves is a good idea...
Great. Just plain great. We're back at the beginning again.
I give up.
caveman LIKES chocolate.
we shall reinvent the wheel until it turns properly.
Elledan
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Post by Elledan »

AcetoliNe wrote:
Actually, Linux does try to be userfriendly. Only problem is that userfriendliness in Linux is akin to asking for assistance to consequently end up being assaulted by thousands of people all wanting to help you in their own way.
Reminds me of my trying to learn how to swim (don't have to explain how that went along :lol:)
You drowned?
Including a media player in ROS by ROS is a bad idea... having a distro creator include a media player in ROS by themselves is a good idea...
Great. Just plain great. We're back at the beginning again.
I give up.
Give it some time, and before ROS 1.0's release we'll have figured out what to do ;)
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