Let XScreenSaver play videos using MPlayer, in 3 easy steps:
Using Ubuntu 12.04 OS with Gnome 3, the Gnome-Screensaver is not working as it used to anymore.
Screensavers were actually removed back in Ubuntu 11.10. Ubuntu uses gnome-screensaver and inherited the change from upstream GNOME. The GNOME developers think a black screen that puts your monitor into lower-power mode is optimal.
http://www.howtogeek.com/114027/how-...-ubuntu-12.04/
So I removed Gnome-Screensaver and installed XScreenSaver
Code:
sudo apt-get purge gnome-screensaver
sudo apt-get install xscreensaver xscreensaver-gl-extra xscreensaver-data-extra
Details: http://www.distrogeeks.com/how-to-in...-ubuntu-12-04/
Then I installed MPlayer
Code:
sudo apt-get install mplayer
The next thing was to edit the XScreenSaver Preferences File
Code:
sudo gedit ~/.xscreensaver
Under
programs: \
I added
Code:
"My Movies" mplayer -shuffle -nosound -really-quiet \
-nolirc -nostop-xscreensaver -wid \
$XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW -fs -loop 0 \
$HOME/Path/to/my/movies/* \n\
Here I used ~/movies/* to play all the files in the ~/movies/ directory.
e.g. Use ~/movies/*.avi to play all avi files or ~/movies/mymovie.mp4 to loop one file.
The MPlayer option -shuffle plays the files in random order.
I also used -nosound for it to be a silent screensaver.
Source: http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/faq.html#mpeg
For further information check the manual links at the bottom of this post.
The XScreenSaver Preferences File then looks like this
Code:
# XScreenSaver Preferences File
# Written by xscreensaver-demo 5.15 for marric on Sat Aug 11 08:28:35 2012.
# http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/
timeout: 0:01:00
cycle: 0:10:00
lock: False
lockTimeout: 0:00:00
passwdTimeout: 0:00:30
visualID: default
installColormap: True
verbose: False
timestamp: True
splash: True
splashDuration: 0:00:05
demoCommand: xscreensaver-demo
prefsCommand: xscreensaver-demo -prefs
nice: 10
memoryLimit: 0
fade: True
unfade: False
fadeSeconds: 0:00:03
fadeTicks: 20
captureStderr: True
ignoreUninstalledPrograms:False
font: *-medium-r-*-140-*-m-*
dpmsEnabled: False
dpmsQuickOff: False
dpmsStandby: 2:00:00
dpmsSuspend: 2:00:00
dpmsOff: 4:00:00
grabDesktopImages: False
grabVideoFrames: False
chooseRandomImages: False
imageDirectory:
mode: one
selected: 0
textMode: url
textLiteral: XScreenSaver
textFile:
textProgram: fortune
textURL: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/feed
programs: \
"My Movies" mplayer -shuffle -nosound -really-quiet \
-nolirc -nostop-xscreensaver -wid \
$XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW -fs -loop 0 \
$HOME/Path/to/my/movies/* \n\
maze -root \n\
superquadrics -root \n\
attraction -root \n\
# Here might be a long list of programs
blitspin -root \n\
greynetic -root \n\
helix -root \n\
pointerPollTime: 0:00:05
pointerHysteresis: 10
windowCreationTimeout:0:00:30
initialDelay: 0:00:00
GetViewPortIsFullOfLies:False
procInterrupts: True
xinputExtensionDev: False
overlayStderr: True
Start XScreenSaver
Now I can choose the new program My Movies in the scrolling menu.
The display mode can be changed by clicking 'Settings...' and then 'Advanced >>'.
Links:
XScreenSaver
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xscreensaver
http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/xscreensaver
http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/man1.html Manual
MPlayer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mplayer
http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/mplayer
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html Manual
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