mplayer does not work with proxies requiring authentication

[Bob Harvey]

Binary package hint: mplayer

I am attempting to use mplayer to stream bbc programmes via a proxy in the UK.

The proxy does not work because it require authentication, and mplayer appears to strip out but not use the username:password definition in the proxy name. I get the 407 error message

Reading the fora and mailing lists this appears to have been unchanged since at least 2003, but there are published patches to fix it.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: lpia
Date: Sat Nov 7 10:51:13 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.04
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
Package: mplayer 2:1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13.1
PackageArchitecture: lpia
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: mplayer
Uname: Linux 2.6.24-24-lpia i686
UnreportableReason: This is not a genuine Ubuntu package

[Reinhard Tartler (siretart)]

This is an upstream issue that needs forwarding. I've checked the upstream bugzilla at http://bugzilla.mplayerhq.hu/, but it does not seem that the mplayer developers are aware or working on this issue.

In order to compile a valid and complete bugreport upstream, could you please add links to previous discussion and patches for this? We can then link to the mplayer bugzilla and wait if a fix is developed and integrated.

[Bob Harvey (bobharvey)]

Hmm.. Needs googling again.
http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/2003-November/040019.html
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=216255
http://<email address hidden>/msg18591.html

http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-dev-eng/2007-May/051761.html

[Bob Harvey (bobharvey)]

any reference to the upstream? did you pass it on?

[Reinhard Tartler (siretart)]

no, I've opened an upstream report so that this list appears on this list:
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/mplayer/+bugs

I'm currently looking at other parts in mplayer, but I use that list to batch reports that need to be filed and link to here: the upstream bugzilla is here: http://bugzilla.mplayerhq.hu/ - that's more or less just bug housekeeping.

as for this specific report: it seems that there isn't anyone that is motivated enough to actually write a patch for this issue :-(

[SabreWolfy (sabrewolfy)]

Confrimed in Lucid Lynx Beta 1 wtih MPlayer UNKNOWN-4.4.3.

I have http_proxy environment variable set and I can "wget" the mp3 file I want to stream. Running mplayer to stream the file results in a "Proxy Authentication Required" messages.

I get the same result when I explicitly specify the proxy details in the URL given to mplayer (mplayer http_proxy://...etc).

<aside>
The workaround of getting the file wtih wget and piping it to mplayer didn't work reliably:

wget http://... -O - | mplayer -

played parts of the file (misse the beginning) only and seemed to skip sections. Including the suggested "cache" argument to mplayer resulted in nothing being played.
</aside>

[Bob Harvey (bobharvey)]

Lost interest.. Bug still valid, but no longer using Linux.