How to use the command mplayer (with examples)

MPlayer is a cross-platform multimedia player that can play both local media files and stream content from URLs. It offers a wide range of features and options for playing and controlling multimedia playback. In this article, we will explore different use cases of the mplayer command along with examples.

Use case 1: Play the specified file or URL

Code:

mplayer path/to/file|url

Motivation: This use case allows you to play a specific media file or stream content from a URL using mplayer. It is useful when you want to quickly play a video or audio file without the need for a separate media player.

Explanation: The command mplayer is followed by the path to the file you want to play or the URL of the stream you want to play. You can use either the file path or the URL to specify the media source.

Example output: If you want to play a video file named “movie.mp4” located in the “videos” directory, you can use the following command:

mplayer videos/movie.mp4

This will start playing the video file in the mplayer window.

Use case 2: Play multiple files

Code:

mplayer path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...

Motivation: This use case allows you to play multiple media files one after another using mplayer. It is useful when you have a playlist of media files and want to enjoy uninterrupted playback.

Explanation: The mplayer command can accept multiple media file paths as arguments. Simply provide the paths to all the files you want to play separated by space.

Example output: Suppose you have two audio files named “song1.mp3” and “song2.mp3” located in the “music” directory. You can use the following command to play both files:

mplayer music/song1.mp3 music/song2.mp3

This will start playing the first audio file and, after completion, automatically start playing the second audio file.

Use case 3: Play a specific file repeatedly

Code:

mplayer -loop 0 path/to/file

Motivation: This use case allows you to play a specific media file repeatedly in a loop using mplayer. It is useful when you want to continuously enjoy a particular media file without having to manually restart it.

Explanation: The -loop option followed by a value is used to specify the number of loops. Setting the value to 0 tells mplayer to loop indefinitely. The command is then followed by the path to the media file you want to play repeatedly.

Example output: If you want to play a video file named “looped_movie.mp4” located in the “videos” directory in an infinite loop, you can use the following command:

mplayer -loop 0 videos/looped_movie.mp4

This will start playing the video file and keep repeating it until you stop mplayer.

Use case 4: Pause playback

Code:

<Space>

Motivation: This use case allows you to pause the playback of a media file using mplayer. It is useful when you need to momentarily pause the playback to attend to something and then resume from where you left off.

Explanation: The <Space> key is used to pause and resume playback in mplayer. When you press the spacebar while the media is playing, it will pause the playback. Pressing the spacebar again will resume the playback.

Example output: While a video is being played, pressing the spacebar will pause the playback. Pressing it again will resume the playback from the paused position.

Use case 5: Quit mplayer

Code:

<Escape>

Motivation: This use case allows you to quit and exit mplayer when you no longer need it, freeing up system resources. It is useful when you want to close mplayer after playing a media file.

Explanation: Pressing the <Escape> key while mplayer is running will quit and exit the program. This will close the media player window and free up system resources.

Example output: Pressing the <Escape> key will close the mplayer window and return you to the command line prompt.

Use case 6: Seek backward or forward 10 seconds

Code:

<Left> or <Right>

Motivation: This use case allows you to seek backward or forward in a media file by a specific duration using mplayer. It is useful when you want to quickly skip to a specific part of the media file.

Explanation: The <Left> and <Right> arrow keys are used to seek backward and forward, respectively, in a media file in mplayer. Each press of the <Left> key seeks backward by 10 seconds, while each press of the <Right> key seeks forward by 10 seconds.

Example output: While a video is being played, pressing the <Left> arrow key once will seek backward by 10 seconds, and pressing the <Right> arrow key once will seek forward by 10 seconds.