Herong's Tutorial Notes on CD/DVD
Dr. Herong Yang, Version 2.14

Playing VCD DAT Files with MPlayer

This section provides a tutorial on how to play a VCD DAT file with MPlayer.

The next test is to use MPlayer to play a VCD DAT file:

C:\temp>\local\mplayer\mplayer music_video.dat
MPlayer 1.0rc1-3.4.2 (C) 2000-2006 MPlayer Team
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU
   T7200  @ 2.00GHz (Family: 6, Model: 15, Stepping: 6)
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 0 SSE2: 0
Compiled with runtime CPU detection.
c:/windows/fonts/arial.ttf doesn't look like a bitmap font
   description, ignoring.
Cannot load bitmap font: c:/windows/fonts/arial.ttf

Playing \music_video.dat.
MPEG-PS file format detected.
VIDEO:  MPEG1  352x240  (aspect 12)  29.970 fps  1150.8 kbps
=====================================================================
Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough
VDec: vo config request - 352 x 240 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.
Try adding the scale filter, e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp.
VDecoder init failed :(
Opening video decoder: [libmpeg2] MPEG 1/2 Video decoder libmpeg2-...
Selected video codec: [mpeg12] vfm: libmpeg2 (MPEG-1 or 2 (libmpeg2))
=====================================================================
=====================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 224.0 kbit/15.87% (ratio: 28000->176400)
Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3)
=====================================================================
AO: [dsound] 44100Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Starting playback...
VDec: vo config request - 352 x 240 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 1.30:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
VO: [directx] 352x240 => 352x270 Planar YV12

MPlayer prints detailed information about the DAT file, and plays the content nicely.

Sections in This Chapter

Downloading and Installing MPlayer

Playing DVD VOB Files with MPlayer

Playing VCD DAT Files with MPlayer

Playing MPEG Video Files with MPlayer

Playing MP3 Music Files with MPlayer

Playing WAV Music Files with MPlayer

Playing WMA Music Files with MPlayer

Dr. Herong Yang, updated in 2007
Playing VCD DAT Files with MPlayer