I don't really have a problem, I just wanted to detail my experience and put it up for critique. Bear in mind that I have a x86_64 install of oSuSE 10.

WMV files would not play in Mplayer and I had all the codecs. Then I read somewhere in this forum that the windows codes are 32 bit and would need a 32 bit Mplayer. So I removed my 64 bit install of Mplayer and tried to install the 32 bit. But wait, the 32 bit relies on two files that are only availabe in the 32 bit version of those packages. So I went to install the 32 bit versions of those 2 packages. But wait, those 2 packages rely on 3 other packages and installing the 32 bit versions of one group would require me to install the 32 bit version of the other group. I'm thinking no problem. But wait, those 3 packages rely on....

And on and on I fall into the rabbit hole. All the while, I'm recalling some mention of backward compatibility for 64 bit versions of oSuSE 10.

I have no problems now, I can play WMV files. I understand that this 'problem' was started by the 32bit windows codecs, but I was wondering if could have just installed the 32bit Mplayer and kept all the supporting packages 64bit. I had all the files the packages were depending on from each other, just the 64bit version.

Also, if you can suggest something other way that I could have approached this problem, that would help. Besides apt.

Is this what they call RPM Hell?

no hell. You messed up something.
on 64-bit SuSE I can play most of multimedia (with exception of AAC/MP4 and midi).
SuSE is a hybrid not classic 64-bit system. If you would have pure 64-bit OS you would not be able to install 32-bit apps.
The only limitation are drivers (these must be 64-bit).

But can you play the different versions of WMV files (which rely on DLL files)?

When you say different version of WMV...are you referrring to the specialized avi files like divx and xvid? Or the specific encodings by Windows Media Player?

Either way, given 63bit can install the same software as my 32bit system, you should be able to play all those, as I can.

w32codecs are the same for both 32-bit and 64-bit

by the way what are you talkin about? 64-bit wmv? where you have got these?

I am referring to WMV version 8,9,10 files. As far as I know, there is a difference between the different versions which use, I think, different codecs.
I can install 32 bit software fine but sometimes 32 bit software rely on other files that I have, but just the 64 bit version. For example the 32 bit install of mplayer required libmp3lame.so.0 but I had libmp3lame.so.0()(64bit), both of which are in the lame package. So I had to reinstall the lame package but then it relied on some other files that......(repeat above with a different file)

Is your mplayer install 64bit or 32? and can you play WMV files? I think QuickTime files would also suffice.



You're right they are. They are 32bit and would not work for my 64bit install of mplayer.

The fact that 32 bit codecs did not work with my 64bit mplayer doesn't really concern me. What I am wondering about is that all the other supporting packages like:
lame
mad
libdv
ffmpeg
faad
faac
and a couple of others have to be either 32 bit or 64. Somehow, I was under the impression that the 64 bit files that have the lib prefix were backwards compatible.


Straight from gates, man. Me and him go waaaay back. He's a bit concerned about me using an occult OS, but I just tell him to take a chill pill.

That is incorrect. I have 64-bit Mplayer, xine, Koffeine. All 64-bit with w32codecs and all works great (because codecs are arch independent).
Never heard about 64-bit WMV. Ver 9 works, not sure about 10

Well the only reason I bailed on running 64 bit OS was because many media files simply would not play in 64 bit operating system. All the files play flawlessly on my 32 bit machines.

I have tried many different things, on many different installations and always run into the same problem of not being able to view my media files. Approximately half of my .avi, and .wmv files will not work, even some .mpg files won't play.

If someone would post a surefire method of getting this working properly, I would love to see it.

The dependency hell ball starts rolling, and gets so frustrating that it simply doesn't seem worth the effort.

I won't settle for it plays "most" files. Only it will play "all my files" as it does in the 32 bit versions of the OS.

Would love to see a detailed, complete how to, or documentation.

I have spent hours in the past attempting this.

well, I would say that you simply messed up something. That's all.

Don't see how, clean install, add packman as yast source, install mplayer, and codecs........

Explain which part of that is messed up.

Better yet, post the documentation, or simple instructions on getting the codecs working properly.

A simple google search will show that this is a very common problem. With nary an answer to the question, how to get it working.

Actually, not to be confrontational, but there are many sources to get the right answers as to how to get that video working.

Most notably: The Jem Report
Though I have seen others, all have a little note about a particular thing in 64 bit.

which media? Any sites? Anything?
What works under 32-bit and does not under 64-bit? What dependency hell (you can install the same 32-bit software under 64-bit)?

The Jem Report does absolutly nothing that I haven't known about or done. As a matter of fact it says to do exactly what I have done, add packman in Yast and install codecs and mplayer.

That simply does not work, it will work for some files, but more then half of my files will not play. Most noatbly .avi files in the wmv9 format.

So this kind of stuff you have exactly done before?

And there are a few other sites you are to add as repositories they list, hardly just packman.

Yes I rebuild libdvdcss from source. What in the world does libdvdcss have to do with playeing avi files. :lol:

The other sites listed also have nothing to do with the problem, they merely list things that are needed by opensuse, I have the retail version, and do not need to install acroread, flash.... not that they have anything to do with the problem anyways.

I seriously suggest some of you folks do more then read the very simplistic and "common" knowledge type stuff in that Jem Report.

There is nothing usefull or helpfull in it for the issue at hand.

Adding packman as a yast source isn't exactly rocket science.

I realize some folks may not play a lot of different types of media files, I also realize beyond a very few articles they have read, they don't understand that there is much more involved then simple yast sources.

There are many people reporting this problem.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/372761

http://www.google.com/search?hs=QFM&...v9&btnG=Search

As I said before I have done the usual yast source stuff, and have also compiled mplayer for 32 bit from source, and have also tried installing the 32 bit version from packman sources, the 64 bit versions do not work for everything, and the 32 bit version either crashes or refuses to do much of anything, other then complain about many needeeed files, then the problems begin, conficts with installed libraries and applications start and never seem to end.


While I appreciate the attempts to help, simply put, what you have offered does nothing to resolve the situation.