64 bit Ubuntu can not play MSS2 video encoded WMV files?

[focaccio]

Hello,

I'm running 64 bit Maverick.

I am able to play some WMV files fine...those with video encoded as: WMV1
...but, I am not able to play WMV files when the video is encoded as: MSS2

Help. How do I play these files? Can someone share a proven method to transcode the files?

I play them fine in an XP VM with VMWare Player, but I would much rather play them natively.

Why can't 64 bit Ubuntu play MSS2 encoded WMV files?

I've encluded some terminal output to make matters clear:

When it works:

root@55KG:/buffer# mplayer works1.wmv
MPlayer 1.0rc4-4.4.5 (C) 2000-2010 MPlayer Team
mplayer: could not connect to socket
mplayer: No such file or directory
Failed to open LIRC support. You will not be able to use your remote control.

Playing works1.wmv.
ASF file format detected.
[asfheader] Audio stream found, -aid 1
[asfheader] Video stream found, -vid 2
VIDEO:  [WMV1]  800x600  24bpp  1000.000 fps   74.6 kbps ( 9.1 kbyte/s)
open: No such file or directory
[MGA] Couldn't open: /dev/mga_vid
open: No such file or directory
[MGA] Couldn't open: /dev/mga_vid
[VO_TDFXFB] Can't open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory.
[VO_3DFX] Unable to open /dev/3dfx.
Failed to open VDPAU backend libvdpau_nvidia.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
[vdpau] Error when calling vdp_device_create_x11: 1
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg's libavcodec codec family
Selected video codec: [ffwmv1] vfm: ffmpeg (FFmpeg WMV1/WMV7)
==========================================================================
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 128.0 kbit/9.07% (ratio: 16002->176400)
Selected audio codec: [ffwmav2] afm: ffmpeg (DivX audio v2 (FFmpeg))
==========================================================================
AO: [pulse] 44100Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Starting playback...
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
VO: [xv] 800x600 => 800x600 Planar YV12 
A: 341.2 V: 341.2 A-V:  0.010 ct:  0.106 216/216  0%  0%  0.2% 0 0 
Exiting... (Quit)

When it does NOT work:

root@55KG:/buffer# mplayer problem1.wmv
MPlayer 1.0rc4-4.4.5 (C) 2000-2010 MPlayer Team
mplayer: could not connect to socket
mplayer: No such file or directory
Failed to open LIRC support. You will not be able to use your remote control.

Playing problem1.wmv.
ASF file format detected.
[asfheader] Audio stream found, -aid 1
[asfheader] Video stream found, -vid 2
VIDEO:  [MSS2]  800x600  24bpp  1000.000 fps   19.8 kbps ( 2.4 kbyte/s)
open: No such file or directory
[MGA] Couldn't open: /dev/mga_vid
open: No such file or directory
[MGA] Couldn't open: /dev/mga_vid
[VO_TDFXFB] Can't open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory.
[VO_3DFX] Unable to open /dev/3dfx.
Failed to open VDPAU backend libvdpau_nvidia.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
[vdpau] Error when calling vdp_device_create_x11: 1
==========================================================================
Requested video codec family [wmsdmod] (vfm=dmo) not available.
Enable it at compilation.
Requested video codec family [wms10dmod] (vfm=dmo) not available.
Enable it at compilation.
Cannot find codec matching selected -vo and video format 0x3253534D.
==========================================================================
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 22050 Hz, 1 ch, floatle, 20.0 kbit/2.83% (ratio: 2500->88200)
Selected audio codec: [ffwmavoice] afm: ffmpeg (WMA Voice audio (FFmpeg))
==========================================================================
AO: [pulse] 22050Hz 1ch floatle (4 bytes per sample)
Video: no video
Starting playback...
[wmavoice @ 0x25433f0]WMAPro-in-WMAVoice support not implemented. Update your FFmpeg version to the newest one from SVN. If the problem still occurs, it means that your file has a feature which has not been implemented.If you want to help, upload a sample of this file to ftp://upload.ffmpeg.org/MPlayer/incoming/ and contact the ffmpeg-devel mailing list.        
A:  11.7 (11.7) of 2047.5 (34:07.4)  1.0% 

MPlayer interrupted by signal 2 in module: play_audio
A:  11.8 (11.7) of 2047.5 (34:07.4)  1.0% 
Exiting... (Quit)

Any further information on this is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

[andrew.46]

Hi Greg,

The problem you are encountering is that MPlayer uses either wmsdmod.dll or wms10dmod.dll to playback these files, details here. These codecs are only available under 32 bit installations of MPlayer unfortunately. Test example here:

wget http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/V-codecs/MSS2/intro_windows.wmv

plays on a 32 bit system as follows:

andrew@skamandros~/Desktop$ mplayer intro_windows.wmv 
MPlayer SVN-r33076-4.5.2 (C) 2000-2011 MPlayer Team

Playing intro_windows.wmv.
ASF file format detected.
[asfheader] Audio stream found, -aid 1
[asfheader] Video stream found, -vid 2
VIDEO:  [MSS2]  800x548  24bpp  1000.000 fps  250.0 kbps (30.5 kbyte/s)
Load subtitles in ./
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [dmo] DMO video codecs
DMO dll supports VO Optimizations 0 1
DMO dll might use previous sample when requested
Decoder supports the following formats: RGB8 RGB555 RGB565 RGB24 RGB32 
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
[swscaler @ 0x8fa0fc0] BICUBIC scaler, from bgra to yuv420p using MMX2
VO: [xv] 800x548 => 800x548 Planar YV12 
Selected video codec: [wmsdmod] vfm: dmo (Windows Media Screen Codec 2)
==========================================================================
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 1 ch, s16le, 32.0 kbit/4.54% (ratio: 4006->88200)
Selected audio codec: [ffwmav2] afm: ffmpeg (DivX audio v2 (FFmpeg))
==========================================================================
AO: [oss] 44100Hz 1ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Starting playback...
A: 109.3 V: 109.1 A-V:  0.168 ct: -0.047 642/642  8%  5%  0.2% 0 0 


Exiting... (End of file)

It is possible I believe to compile a 32 bit MPlayer on a 64 bit system but I am unsure of the exact steps...

Andrew

[focaccio]

Thanks Andrew. I appreciate your well informed answer, even though it is not the answer I was hoping for.

I guess there was just not enough demand?

It'll be easier for me to watch in the VM than to compile a 32bit player, so I'll stick with that for now.

Thanks Again!

Greg

[zibou76]

hello,
i have the same problem with some cbt nuggets video i'm trying to watch on maverick 64 bit. i got all codecs installed and when i issue: mplayer -vc help it shows that wmsdmod is working. but smplayer play only sound no video.

my solution was to go back to win 7 convert them with movie maker and then play them on ubuntu, only problem is that a 13 mb file with mss2 is now 80 + with mp4.

[lz1dsb]

I've got exactly the same issue here. I'm running 64-bit Karmic Koala...

[حسان]

yesterday i installed Ubuntu 11.04 32bit version and i got the same problem

so how to fix it !

[minijoe]

Same here Lucid 64bit. The MSS2 file was playing fine with Karmic 32bit before I upgrade to Lucid 64bit.

[sumith_p]

Me also having the same issue...only audio in gm player,smplayer,vlc.....no video
I was actually trying to play cbt nuggets video...which is in .wmv format..
my system is 64 bit ubuntu 11.04..
wat to do..?

[andrew.46]

yesterday i installed Ubuntu 11.04 32bit version and i got the same problem

so how to fix it !

On a 32bit installation of MPlayer you should be able to install the so-called win32codecs from Medibuntu and this will allow playback of the file. No such luck for 64bit users I am afraid .

[sumith_p]

Thanks..andrew...
I installed ubuntu 10.10 32 bit....now i am able to play the wmv file....