I finally complied something from source correcltly and I tryed to exicute mplayer -dvd 1 and I get the following message

Using GNU internationalization
Original domain: messages
Original dirname: /usr/share/locale
Current domain: mplayer
Current dirname: /usr/local/share/locale


MPlayer 0.90rc4-3.2 (C) 2000-2003 Arpad Gereoffy (see DOCS)

CPU: Intel (Family: 8, Stepping: 7)
Detected cache-line size is 64 bytes
CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE SSE2

Reading config file /usr/local/etc/mplayer/mplayer.conf: No such file or directory
Reading config file /root/.mplayer/config
Reading /root/.mplayer/codecs.conf: can't open '/root/.mplayer/codecs.conf': No such file or directory
Reading /usr/local/etc/mplayer/codecs.conf: 50 audio & 135 video codecs
font: can't open file: /root/.mplayer/font/font.desc
font: can't open file: /usr/local/share/mplayer/font/font.desc
Using Linux hardware RTC timing (1024Hz).
Can't open input config file /root/.mplayer/input.conf : No such file or directory
Can't open input config file /usr/local/etc/mplayer/input.conf : No such file or directory
Falling back on default (hardcoded) input config

Playing DVD title 1
libdvdread: Can't stat /dev/dvd
No such file or directory
Couldn't open DVD device: /dev/dvd


Exiting... (End of file)

any help as to what to do next ?

you all rock the house

sure. mplayer has no idea where your dvd player is.. and why should it? it assume it's /dev/dvd unless you specify somewhere else such as "mplayer -dvd-device /dev/hdc -dvd 1" you should creaet a symlink from the actual entry (hda - hdd) to /dev/dvd

ln -s /dev/hdc /dev/dvd

if you don't kbnow where the drive actually is, it's easiest to just try making mplayer play all off them. it'll fail hopelessly if you try to make it play a hard disk etc.... should be pretty obvious

now how should I go about chamging this ? I have no clue where to change the file I did the command as you said but no dice. which file do I edit in mplayer to point it to the right directory

you don't edit a file, you run the command i just gave you.....

I must have done that command at least a couple of times and I still get nothing.

[root@sausage root]# mplayer - /dev/hdd /dev/dvd
Using GNU internationalization
Original domain: messages
Original dirname: /usr/share/locale
Current domain: mplayer
Current dirname: /usr/local/share/locale


MPlayer 0.90rc4-3.2 (C) 2000-2003 Arpad Gereoffy (see DOCS)

CPU: Intel (Family: 8, Stepping: 7)
Detected cache-line size is 64 bytes
CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE SSE2

Reading config file /usr/local/etc/mplayer/mplayer.conf: No such file or directory
Reading config file /root/.mplayer/config
Reading /root/.mplayer/codecs.conf: can't open '/root/.mplayer/codecs.conf': No such file or directory
Reading /usr/local/etc/mplayer/codecs.conf: 50 audio & 135 video codecs
font: can't open file: /root/.mplayer/font/font.desc
font: can't open file: /usr/local/share/mplayer/font/font.desc
Using Linux hardware RTC timing (1024Hz).
Can't open input config file /root/.mplayer/input.conf : No such file or directory
Can't open input config file /usr/local/etc/mplayer/input.conf : No such file or directory
Falling back on default (hardcoded) input config

Playing -
Reading from stdin...

anything wrong with this ? it just hangs in term

that's nothing like what i actually said is it? how about you actually read it properly...?

That was IT sorry for COMPLEATE the miss under standing !!!! once i read it over I total under stood what you were trying to say. you rock acid.
I figured out that what I did wrong an honest mistake.................. I didnt get the message but now I compleatly understand. Thanks a ton!
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the play back is super choppy but I am doing some things to try and make it smoother.

Gotta turn DMA on on your dvd drive. Man hdparam or search the board.

well I brushed up on my termonlogy and I just realized that I had no clue what a symlink was so I read the entire man and I basically did just how you said it.

linuxquestion.org = best website ever.