mencoder installs without subtitle font

[Gavin McCullagh]

Binary package hint: mencoder

When you install mencoder, its default subtitle font (should you wish to add subtitles to your video) is /usr/share/mplayer/subfont.ttf. However, this font is part of the mplayer and mplayer-nogui but not part of mencoder. It seems it should probably be part of a package called say, mplayer-common.

As a result of this issue, if you need mencoder to do subtitling, you need a whale load of other unnecessary packages to be installed:

gavinmc@deathcab:/var/lib/encoder.gcd.ie/videos$ sudo apt-get install mplayer-nogui
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  esound-common libaa1 libartsc0 libaudio2 libaudiofile0 libavc1394-0 libcaca0 libcucul0 libdbus-glib-1-2 libdirectfb-1.0-0
  libdrm2 libesd-alsa0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x libgl1-mesa-glx libice6 libiec61883-0 libjack0
  libopenal0a libpulse0 libraw1394-8 libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa libsm6 libsvga1 libxt6 libxv1 libxvmc1 libxxf86dga1
  libxxf86vm1
Suggested packages:
  nas esound libggi-target-emu libggi-target-monotext libggimisc2 jackd pulseaudio libraw1394-doc ladspa-sdk libdvdcss
  mplayer-doc w32codecs
Recommended packages:
  esound-clients libggi-target-x libggi-target
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  esound-common libaa1 libartsc0 libaudio2 libaudiofile0 libavc1394-0 libcaca0 libcucul0 libdbus-glib-1-2 libdirectfb-1.0-0
  libdrm2 libesd-alsa0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x libgl1-mesa-glx libice6 libiec61883-0 libjack0
  libopenal0a libpulse0 libraw1394-8 libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa libsm6 libsvga1 libxt6 libxv1 libxvmc1 libxxf86dga1
  libxxf86vm1 mplayer-nogui
0 upgraded, 33 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
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I guess maybe this is a debian packaging bug?

[Chafnan (chafnan)]

I found this works to get the font working again:

ln -s /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/arial.ttf .mplayer/subfont.ttf

[Chafnan (chafnan)]

Sorry, forgot to mention that the folder is in the home folder of the user.

ln -s /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts/arial.ttf ~/.mplayer/subfont.ttf

[Reinhard Tartler (siretart)]

I think you can avoid the symlink if you specify '-ass' or '-fontconfig' on the command line

can someone confirm this?