K. I installed binaries.zip (the DivX codec for Linux) in /usr/lib/win32. I got avifile in a slackware package, which means it doesn't work. I'll still have to go after it.

Can anybody reccomend a good DivX AVI-compatible movie player for Red Hat? (I say "Red Hat" as opposed to "Linux" to ensure that it's available in an RPM; I have never, <i>ever</i> succesfully installed a tarball, Slackware, or Debian package. I tried to convert WordPerfect 8 from my Corel Linux CD to RPM using Alien--error messages. I've decided that anything but RPM's are just fancy error message generators. I have enough of them already)

Supposedly, Mandrake 8 is supposed to come with a DVD-compatible player--I bet that would work...but I can't get aKtion working in RedHat. Even the RPM. Nor can I get RealPlayer 8; I download the x86 package, and it says it's for a different architecture. pfft.

Mplayer from http://www.MPlayerHQ.hu/homepage/news.html

i was about to post a slimmyy message about mplayer in a minute, but either way:

USE MPLAYER. version 0.60 was released this morning 2/1/02. and it is sooooooooooooo good and fast. and has a stupidly easy divx encoder in it.

you need:

libdvdread 0.9
libdvdcss 0.0.3 (NOT greater)
libmp3lame
and i think that's about it really. and you only need the mp3 to encode.

install from SOURCE. That means tar files. it's NICER. FASTER. and makes you feel better when you've done it! alway, MUCH more likely to work nicely.

You might also want to search for the penguin liberation front. it contains nothing but Mandrake RPMS for doing realy cool stuff.

oh and those win32 codec's are necessary. they will help you play *some* fiels that are weirdly encoded, but you'll seldom need them.