mplayer

Play the specified file or URL

$ mplayer [path/to/file|url]

$ mplayer [path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...]

$ mplayer -loop [0] [path/to/file]

$ <Space>

$ <Esc>

$ [<ArrowLeft>|<ArrowRight>]

mplayer [options] [file|URL|device]...

Examples:
mplayer video.mp4
mplayer -fs dvd://1
mplayer http://example.com/stream.m3u8

-fs
    Enter full-screen mode immediately.

-zoom
    Allow software scaling (zooming) of the video output.

-quiet
    Suppress all non-error output.

-loop
    Loop playback N times (0 for infinite loop).

-ss
    Seek to a given time position (e.g., 00:01:30 or 90).

-endpos
    Stop playback at a given time position.

-framedrop
    Drop frames when CPU is too slow.

-vo
    Specify the video output driver (e.g., xv, gl, x11).

-ao
    Specify the audio output driver (e.g., alsa, pulseaudio).

-playlist
    Play files from a specified playlist file.

-aspect
    Set the display aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9, 4:3).

-channels
    Select the number of audio output channels.

mplayer is a powerful and highly versatile command-line media player for Linux and other Unix-like systems. It is renowned for its extensive support for a vast array of audio and video formats, including MPEG/VOB, AVI, Ogg/OGM, VIVO, ASF/ASX, WMV/WMA, QT/MOV/MP4, RealMedia, and many more. Beyond local files, it can play DVDs, VCDs, and various network streams. Its robust backend, leveraging libraries like FFmpeg, allows it to handle nearly any multimedia content. While primarily a command-line tool, it offers an on-screen display (OSD) and supports interactive keyboard controls during playback. mplayer is highly configurable, allowing users to fine-tune video and audio output, apply filters, and customize controls, making it a favorite among power users for its flexibility and performance.

While extremely powerful, mplayer's development has slowed significantly over time. Its spiritual successor and actively developed fork, mpv, is generally recommended for new installations and modern systems due to its cleaner codebase, improved performance, and more active maintenance. Configuring mplayer for advanced setups can sometimes be complex, requiring familiarity with various video/audio drivers and filter chains.

During playback, mplayer supports a wide range of keyboard shortcuts for interactive control. These include pausing/resuming (Space), volume control (9/0), seeking forward/backward (Left/Right arrow keys), changing subtitles (j), and adjusting audio delays (a/A). This allows users to control playback without external graphical interfaces.

mplayer leverages the libavcodec library from the FFmpeg project, providing it with an unparalleled range of supported audio and video codecs. This includes common formats like H.264, MPEG-4, AAC, MP3, and many more obscure or legacy formats, making it a reliable choice for playing diverse media collections.

mplayer development began around 2000, quickly gaining popularity for its ability to play almost any video or audio format thanks to its integration with FFmpeg's robust codec libraries. It filled a crucial niche for a powerful, cross-platform command-line media player. Its architecture proved influential, leading to forks like mpv, which aimed to refine mplayer's internal design and user experience while maintaining its core capabilities. Though less actively developed now, mplayer remains a testament to robust multimedia playback.

mpv(1), ffmpeg(1), vlc(1)