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(*.mp4) Where/how does Ubuntu store/re-create MPEG thumbnails?
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Mark Cassidy
Dec 16, 2015, 1:44:31 PM12/16/15
to
This is a question about how Ubuntu stores and creates MP4 thumbnails
when a file is displayed in icon view in the Nautilus/Dolphin file browser.
QUESTION:
How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
most importantly, (c) re-create missing MP4 thumbnails?
SITUATION:
I have flash disabled so for a lot of web sites, I end up downloading
videos that are MPEG files (*.mp4) to watch them outside of the browser.
That all works fine, but, Ubuntu is flaking out when it comes to reliably
creating and displaying thumbnail views for the resulting MP4 files.
I think the reason Ubuntu is confused is that the downloaded MPEG file
first appears to Ubuntu as both an incomplete *.mp4.part file and an
empty *.mp4 placeholder at the same time, neither of which has a thumbnail
view at the time of creation by Ubuntu.
Then, when the file download is complete, the browser (somehow) instructs
Ubuntu to rename the now-complete * mp4.part file and then delete the
placeholder *.mp4 file; but, more often than not, Ubuntu screws up in
creating the thumbnail.
I can actually reproduce the problem without using a browser, by
creating a dummy mp4 file (e.g., touch file.mp4), which, of course,
has no thumbnail, and Ubuntu will not re-create the missing thumbnail
even if I copy a known-good MP4 file on top of the existing dummy
MP4 file.
It's almost as if Ubuntu somehow *remembers* the original thumbnail
(which, in the test case above is the default MPEG icon) but Ubuntu
isn't smart enough to *update* the thumbnail when there is more
information available to it.
I can prove this by copying the known-good file to any other name
but an *existing* MP4 file, and *that* copy shows the thumbnail
perfectly.
So, there's something Ubuntu does that is associated with the file
name. But what?
How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
most importantly, (c) re-create errant MP4 thumbnails?
when a file is displayed in icon view in the Nautilus/Dolphin file browser.
QUESTION:
How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
most importantly, (c) re-create missing MP4 thumbnails?
SITUATION:
I have flash disabled so for a lot of web sites, I end up downloading
videos that are MPEG files (*.mp4) to watch them outside of the browser.
That all works fine, but, Ubuntu is flaking out when it comes to reliably
creating and displaying thumbnail views for the resulting MP4 files.
I think the reason Ubuntu is confused is that the downloaded MPEG file
first appears to Ubuntu as both an incomplete *.mp4.part file and an
empty *.mp4 placeholder at the same time, neither of which has a thumbnail
view at the time of creation by Ubuntu.
Then, when the file download is complete, the browser (somehow) instructs
Ubuntu to rename the now-complete * mp4.part file and then delete the
placeholder *.mp4 file; but, more often than not, Ubuntu screws up in
creating the thumbnail.
I can actually reproduce the problem without using a browser, by
creating a dummy mp4 file (e.g., touch file.mp4), which, of course,
has no thumbnail, and Ubuntu will not re-create the missing thumbnail
even if I copy a known-good MP4 file on top of the existing dummy
MP4 file.
It's almost as if Ubuntu somehow *remembers* the original thumbnail
(which, in the test case above is the default MPEG icon) but Ubuntu
isn't smart enough to *update* the thumbnail when there is more
information available to it.
I can prove this by copying the known-good file to any other name
but an *existing* MP4 file, and *that* copy shows the thumbnail
perfectly.
So, there's something Ubuntu does that is associated with the file
name. But what?
How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
most importantly, (c) re-create errant MP4 thumbnails?
Dirk T. Verbeek
Dec 16, 2015, 2:39:22 PM12/16/15
to
Op 16-12-15 om 19:44 schreef Mark Cassidy:
(As I don't use Ubuntu and don't care for video thumbnails I might be
totally wrong.)
You should get thumnails to show after installing ffmpegthumbs.
Additionally you might want to install mplayerthumbs.
It's probaly required to log out and in again, you might have to enable
it in your file manager.
totally wrong.)
You should get thumnails to show after installing ffmpegthumbs.
Additionally you might want to install mplayerthumbs.
It's probaly required to log out and in again, you might have to enable
it in your file manager.
Marek Novotny
Dec 16, 2015, 2:42:06 PM12/16/15
to
On 2015-12-16, Mark Cassidy <mcas...@dot.invalid> wrote:
> This is a question about how Ubuntu stores and creates MP4 thumbnails
> when a file is displayed in icon view in the Nautilus/Dolphin file browser.
>
> QUESTION:
> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
> most importantly, (c) re-create missing MP4 thumbnails?
It looks like they are generated and stored in $HOME/.cache/thumbnails/
> This is a question about how Ubuntu stores and creates MP4 thumbnails
> when a file is displayed in icon view in the Nautilus/Dolphin file browser.
>
> QUESTION:
> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
> most importantly, (c) re-create missing MP4 thumbnails?
I see three directories there:
fail
large and
normal
If I open some of the files in large I see the thumbnail of a video from
my Videos directory. If I delete it, I see it re-created. So if it
failed, perhaps delete the items in failed and see if that resolves the
issue. If not, try looking through the thumbnails in large and normal
for items that appear blank or not correct and delete them. See if the
problem resolves itself.
$HOME/.cache/thumbnails
> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
> most importantly, (c) re-create errant MP4 thumbnails?
Marek Novotny
https://github.com/marek-novotny
Wildman
Dec 16, 2015, 2:59:14 PM12/16/15
to
On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 11:42:03 -0800, Marek Novotny wrote:
> On 2015-12-16, Mark Cassidy <mcas...@dot.invalid> wrote:
>> This is a question about how Ubuntu stores and creates MP4 thumbnails
>> when a file is displayed in icon view in the Nautilus/Dolphin file browser.
>>
>> QUESTION:
>> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
>> most importantly, (c) re-create missing MP4 thumbnails?
>
> It looks like they are generated and stored in $HOME/.cache/thumbnails/
$HOME/.thumbnails is also used. I have no idea which directory is
> On 2015-12-16, Mark Cassidy <mcas...@dot.invalid> wrote:
>> This is a question about how Ubuntu stores and creates MP4 thumbnails
>> when a file is displayed in icon view in the Nautilus/Dolphin file browser.
>>
>> QUESTION:
>> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
>> most importantly, (c) re-create missing MP4 thumbnails?
>
> It looks like they are generated and stored in $HOME/.cache/thumbnails/
used by what tho. The two directories do not have the same thumbs
either.
--
<Wildman> GNU/Linux user #557453
"It is a dangerous notion that we need a
government to protect us from ourselves."
-Ron Paul
Mark Cassidy
Dec 16, 2015, 3:01:14 PM12/16/15
to
On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 20:39:20 +0100, Dirk T. Verbeek wrote:
> You should get thumnails to show after installing ffmpegthumbs.
> Additionally you might want to install mplayerthumbs.
Is there a trick to using ffmpegthumbs?
> You should get thumnails to show after installing ffmpegthumbs.
> Additionally you might want to install mplayerthumbs.
$ sudo apt-get install ffmpegthumbs
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
ffmpegthumbs
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 614 not upgraded.
Need to get 15.1 kB of archives.
After this operation, 95.2 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-updates/universe ffmpegthumbs amd64 4:4.13.3-0ubuntu0.1 [15.1 kB]
Fetched 15.1 kB in 3s (4,178 B/s)
Selecting previously unselected package ffmpegthumbs.
(Reading database ... 361147 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../ffmpegthumbs_4%3a4.13.3-0ubuntu0.1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking ffmpegthumbs (4:4.13.3-0ubuntu0.1) ...
Setting up ffmpegthumbs (4:4.13.3-0ubuntu0.1) ...
$
$ ffmpegthumbs
ffmpegthumbs: command not found
$ sudo updatedb; locate ffmpegthumbs
/usr/lib/kde4/ffmpegthumbs.so
/usr/share/doc/ffmpegthumbs
/usr/share/doc/ffmpegthumbs/changelog.Debian.gz
/usr/share/doc/ffmpegthumbs/copyright
/usr/share/kde4/services/ffmpegthumbs.desktop
/var/cache/apt/archives/ffmpegthumbs_4%3a4.13.3-0ubuntu0.1_amd64.deb
/var/lib/dpkg/info/ffmpegthumbs.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/ffmpegthumbs.md5sums
There is no "command" for ffmpegthumbs?
Mark Cassidy
Dec 16, 2015, 3:04:38 PM12/16/15
to
On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 11:42:03 -0800, Marek Novotny wrote:
> It looks like they are generated and stored in $HOME/.cache/thumbnails/
> I see three directories there:
>
> fail
> large and
> normal
>
> If I open some of the files in large I see the thumbnail of a video from
> my Videos directory. If I delete it, I see it re-created. So if it
> failed, perhaps delete the items in failed and see if that resolves the
> issue. If not, try looking through the thumbnails in large and normal
> for items that appear blank or not correct and delete them. See if the
> problem resolves itself.
That does seem to be where Ubuntu stores the thumbnails!
> I see three directories there:
>
> fail
> large and
> normal
>
> If I open some of the files in large I see the thumbnail of a video from
> my Videos directory. If I delete it, I see it re-created. So if it
> failed, perhaps delete the items in failed and see if that resolves the
> issue. If not, try looking through the thumbnails in large and normal
> for items that appear blank or not correct and delete them. See if the
> problem resolves itself.
$ ls -l $HOME/.cache/thumbnails/
total 8616
drwx------ 3 mark mark 4096 Oct 8 2014 fail
drwx------ 2 mark mark 7999488 Dec 16 10:48 large
drwx------ 2 mark mark 794624 Dec 16 10:27 normal
drwx------ 2 mark mark 4096 Feb 27 2015 original
drwx------ 2 mark mark 4096 Feb 27 2015 xlarge
I'll try deleting the directories (they're so huge that they
don't display for minutes on end in the file browser).
OK. I just deleted $HOME/.cache/ altogether.
I'll reboot and see what happens.
Mark Cassidy
Dec 16, 2015, 3:09:43 PM12/16/15
to
On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 13:59:12 -0600, Wildman wrote:
> $HOME/.thumbnails is also used. I have no idea which directory is
> used by what tho. The two directories do not have the same thumbs
> either.
You are correct that there is a SECOND thumbnail directory!
> $HOME/.thumbnails is also used. I have no idea which directory is
> used by what tho. The two directories do not have the same thumbs
> either.
$ ls -l $HOME/.thumbnails
total 144
drwx------ 4 mark mark 4096 Apr 13 2015 fail
drwx------ 2 mark mark 12288 Nov 12 01:34 large
drwx------ 2 mark mark 126976 Dec 16 08:10 normal
There were far fewer thumbnails in there than in the
$HOME/.cache thumbnail directories as you mentioned.
I'll delete this directory and reboot and see what happens.
Mark Cassidy
Dec 16, 2015, 4:24:27 PM12/16/15
to
On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 11:42:03 -0800, Marek Novotny wrote:
> It looks like they are generated and stored in $HOME/.cache/thumbnails/
Deleting that entire directory worked!
1. I had no thumbnails in a directory of a dozen MP4 files.
2. I deleted the $HOME/.cache directory in its entirety.
3. I went back to the directory of the dozen MP4 files
5. I watched, one by one, as each thumb was regenerated
Each thumbnail took about a second to regenerate.
I have no idea /what/ in Ubuntu regenerated it though.
There were only 3 directories this time:
$ ls -l $HOME/.cache/thumbnails
total 144
drwx------ 3 mark mark 4096 Dec 16 12:04 fail
drwx------ 2 mark mark 135168 Dec 16 13:03 large
drwx------ 2 mark mark 4096 Dec 16 12:08 normal
Oddly, there were far more thumbnails than the number of files
in the one directory I had visited, so, I think there is some
background process which generates thumbnails magically.
I also deleted $HOME/.thumbnails, which hasn't come back yet.
Andy Burns
Dec 16, 2015, 4:31:19 PM12/16/15
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Mark Cassidy wrote:
> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
> most importantly, (c) re-create errant MP4 thumbnails?
that is strange becuase the entire movie has a million frames.
> How does Ubuntu (a) create MP4 thumbnails, (b) store MP4 thumbnails, and,
> most importantly, (c) re-create errant MP4 thumbnails?
how does linux know which frame to use as the thumbnail?
the first frame?
the last frame?
the middle frame?
is there something in the magic number maybe?
Marek Novotny
Dec 16, 2015, 4:32:51 PM12/16/15
to
On 2015-12-16, Mark Cassidy <mcas...@dot.invalid> wrote:
> I also deleted $HOME/.thumbnails, which hasn't come back yet.
Marek Novotny
Dec 16, 2015, 4:36:35 PM12/16/15
to
file and wait for some bit-rate usage above some threshold so as to
ensure that there is some content in the thumbnail and not just an empty
black canvas. Or maybe they just skip forward a few seconds and assume
something will be there.
Dirk T. Verbeek
Dec 16, 2015, 5:02:28 PM12/16/15
to
Op 16-12-15 om 21:01 schreef Mark Cassidy:
As you noticed itis an autonomous program.
Now you have to hope your file manager and other programs that use
thumbnails know where to find them and link them to the original file.
Now you have to hope your file manager and other programs that use
thumbnails know where to find them and link them to the original file.
Dirk T. Verbeek
Dec 16, 2015, 5:04:36 PM12/16/15
to
Op 16-12-15 om 22:31 schreef Andy Burns:
It's a frame about one minute into the movie.
Mark Cassidy
Dec 16, 2015, 6:41:23 PM12/16/15
to
On Wed, 16 Dec 2015 23:02:26 +0100, Dirk T. Verbeek wrote:
> As you noticed itis an autonomous program.
>
> Now you have to hope your file manager and other programs that use
> thumbnails know where to find them and link them to the original file.
Based on this web page, it's a "video thumbnail generator using ffmpeg".
> As you noticed itis an autonomous program.
>
> Now you have to hope your file manager and other programs that use
> thumbnails know where to find them and link them to the original file.
http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/ffmpegthumbs
But what if ffmpeg isn't installed (which it isn't, for 14.04)?
It didn't ask.
There's precious little information about how to use it:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ffmpegthumbs+ubuntu
Paul
Dec 16, 2015, 7:59:50 PM12/16/15
to
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/f/ffmpegthumbs/ffmpegthumbs_15.08.2.orig.tar.xz
videothumbnailer.cpp
SMART_FRAME_ATTEMPTS = 25
generateHistogram(videoFrames[i], histograms[i]);
getBestThumbnailIndex(videoFrames, histograms);
//calculate root mean squared error
I don't know if that's the only code, but it
seems to sniff more than one frame, and pick
the frame that is closest to the average. In
an attempt to avoid perhaps, an all-white or
all-black fade section. So there is some
attempt to pick an "interesting" frame and
not just the frame at the one minute mark or
something.
In any case, someone more skilled in reading source
might be able to make more sense of it than I can.
I'm just focusing on the routine names, to get
some idea.
When the package is installed, it pulls in a bunch of
stuff to do the libAV-type part. I didn't bother to install
that, just looked at the package list quickly. The source
can be tiny, because the pulled-in packages do the
heavy lifting.
Paul
JJ
Dec 16, 2015, 9:36:05 PM12/16/15
to
Paul <nos...@needed.com> wrote in message n4t19d$hl4$1...@dont-email.me
> The algorithm is quite clever (in ffmpegthumbs).
What thumbnailer are you using?
cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
or
cat /desktop/gnome/thumbnailers
totem thumbnailer ?
ffmpegthumbnailer ?
ffmpegthumbs ?
sudo sed -i 's/^TryExec=.*$/TryExec=ffmpegthumbnailer/; s/^Exec=.*$/Exec=ffmpegthumbnailer -s %s -i %i -o %o -c png -f -t 10/' /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
MimeType=application/mxf;application/ogg;application/ram;application/sdp;application/vnd.ms-wpl;application/vnd.rn-realmedia;application/x-extension-m4a;application/x-extension-mp4;application/x-flash-video;application/x-matroska;application/x-netshow-channel;application/x-ogg;application/x-quicktimeplayer;application/x-shorten;image/vnd.rn-realpix;image/x-pict;misc/ultravox;text/x-google-video-pointer;video/3gpp;video/dv;video/fli;video/flv;video/mp2t;video/mp4;video/mp4v-es;video/mpeg;video/msvideo;video/ogg;video/quicktime;video/vivo;video/vnd.divx;video/vnd.rn-realvideo;video/vnd.vivo;video/webm;video/x-anim;video/x-avi;video/x-flc;video/x-fli;video/x-flic;video/x-flv;video/x-m4v;video/x-matroska;video/x-mpeg;video/x-ms-asf;video/x-ms-asx;video/x-msvideo;video/x-ms-wm;video/x-ms-wmv;video/x-ms-wmx;video/x-ms-wvx;video/x-nsv;video/x-ogm+ogg;video/x-theora+ogg;video/x-totem-stream;audio/x-pn-realaudio;audio/3gpp;audio/ac3;audio/AMR;audio/AMR-WB;audio/basic;audio/midi;audio/mp2;audio/mp4;audio/mpeg;audio/ogg;audio/prs.sid;audio/vnd.rn-realaudio;audio/x-aiff;audio/x-ape;audio/x-flac;audio/x-gsm;audio/x-it;audio/x-m4a;audio/x-matroska;audio/x-mod;audio/x-mp3;audio/x-mpeg;audio/x-ms-asf;audio/x-ms-asx;audio/x-ms-wax;audio/x-ms-wma;audio/x-musepack;audio/x-pn-aiff;audio/x-pn-au;audio/x-pn-wav;audio/x-pn-windows-acm;audio/x-realaudio;audio/x-real-audio;audio/x-sbc;audio/x-speex;audio/x-tta;audio/x-wav;audio/x-wavpack;audio/x-vorbis;audio/x-vorbis+ogg;audio/x-xm;application/x-flac;
#!/bin/bash
VIDEO_EXTENSIONS="video@flv video@webm video@mkv video@mp4 video@mpeg \
video@avi video@ogg video@quicktime video@x-avi video@x-flv video@x-mp4 \
video@x-mpeg video@x-webm video@x-mkv application@x-extension-webm \
video@x-matroska video@x-ms-wmv video@x-msvideo video@x-msvideo@avi \
video@x-theora@ogg video@x-theora@ogv video@x-ms-asf video@x-m4v"
THUMBNAIL_COMMAND="/usr/bin/ffmpegthumbnailer -s %s -i %i -o %o -c png -f -t 10"
for i in $VIDEO_EXTENSIONS; do
gconftool-2 -s "/desktop/gnome/thumbnailers/$i/command" -t string "$THUMBNAIL_COMMAND"
gconftool-2 -s "/desktop/gnome/thumbnailers/$i/enable" -t boolean 'true'
done
> The algorithm is quite clever (in ffmpegthumbs).
cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
or
cat /desktop/gnome/thumbnailers
totem thumbnailer ?
ffmpegthumbnailer ?
ffmpegthumbs ?
sudo sed -i 's/^TryExec=.*$/TryExec=ffmpegthumbnailer/; s/^Exec=.*$/Exec=ffmpegthumbnailer -s %s -i %i -o %o -c png -f -t 10/' /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
MimeType=application/mxf;application/ogg;application/ram;application/sdp;application/vnd.ms-wpl;application/vnd.rn-realmedia;application/x-extension-m4a;application/x-extension-mp4;application/x-flash-video;application/x-matroska;application/x-netshow-channel;application/x-ogg;application/x-quicktimeplayer;application/x-shorten;image/vnd.rn-realpix;image/x-pict;misc/ultravox;text/x-google-video-pointer;video/3gpp;video/dv;video/fli;video/flv;video/mp2t;video/mp4;video/mp4v-es;video/mpeg;video/msvideo;video/ogg;video/quicktime;video/vivo;video/vnd.divx;video/vnd.rn-realvideo;video/vnd.vivo;video/webm;video/x-anim;video/x-avi;video/x-flc;video/x-fli;video/x-flic;video/x-flv;video/x-m4v;video/x-matroska;video/x-mpeg;video/x-ms-asf;video/x-ms-asx;video/x-msvideo;video/x-ms-wm;video/x-ms-wmv;video/x-ms-wmx;video/x-ms-wvx;video/x-nsv;video/x-ogm+ogg;video/x-theora+ogg;video/x-totem-stream;audio/x-pn-realaudio;audio/3gpp;audio/ac3;audio/AMR;audio/AMR-WB;audio/basic;audio/midi;audio/mp2;audio/mp4;audio/mpeg;audio/ogg;audio/prs.sid;audio/vnd.rn-realaudio;audio/x-aiff;audio/x-ape;audio/x-flac;audio/x-gsm;audio/x-it;audio/x-m4a;audio/x-matroska;audio/x-mod;audio/x-mp3;audio/x-mpeg;audio/x-ms-asf;audio/x-ms-asx;audio/x-ms-wax;audio/x-ms-wma;audio/x-musepack;audio/x-pn-aiff;audio/x-pn-au;audio/x-pn-wav;audio/x-pn-windows-acm;audio/x-realaudio;audio/x-real-audio;audio/x-sbc;audio/x-speex;audio/x-tta;audio/x-wav;audio/x-wavpack;audio/x-vorbis;audio/x-vorbis+ogg;audio/x-xm;application/x-flac;
#!/bin/bash
VIDEO_EXTENSIONS="video@flv video@webm video@mkv video@mp4 video@mpeg \
video@avi video@ogg video@quicktime video@x-avi video@x-flv video@x-mp4 \
video@x-mpeg video@x-webm video@x-mkv application@x-extension-webm \
video@x-matroska video@x-ms-wmv video@x-msvideo video@x-msvideo@avi \
video@x-theora@ogg video@x-theora@ogv video@x-ms-asf video@x-m4v"
THUMBNAIL_COMMAND="/usr/bin/ffmpegthumbnailer -s %s -i %i -o %o -c png -f -t 10"
for i in $VIDEO_EXTENSIONS; do
gconftool-2 -s "/desktop/gnome/thumbnailers/$i/command" -t string "$THUMBNAIL_COMMAND"
gconftool-2 -s "/desktop/gnome/thumbnailers/$i/enable" -t boolean 'true'
done
JJ
Dec 16, 2015, 9:41:27 PM12/16/15
to
What thumbnailer are you using?
cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
or
cat /desktop/gnome/thumbnailers
totem-video-thumbnailer ?
cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
or
cat /desktop/gnome/thumbnailers
crankypuss
Dec 17, 2015, 2:09:25 AM12/17/15
to
something there that's doing it.
--
http://totally-portable-software.blogspot.com
[Sun Nov 22: "Total Portability is not binary"]
crankypuss
Dec 17, 2015, 2:13:43 AM12/17/15
to
directory as their own private garbage can. Apparently pulse is not the
only offender. Leaving large files around when they can be generated as
needed is simply bad programming practice.
crankypuss
Dec 17, 2015, 2:17:13 AM12/17/15
to
isn't shown when you issue "which gparted" because it's in /sbin rather
than /usr/bin.
Mark Cassidy
Dec 17, 2015, 2:45:13 AM12/17/15
to
On Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:09:21 -0700, crankypuss wrote:
> Nothing happens magically, check your autostart list and see if there's
> something there that's doing it.
I think, somehow, magically, Nautilus invokes totem-video-thumbnailer.
> Nothing happens magically, check your autostart list and see if there's
> something there that's doing it.
Here's the result of the suggested cat (edited to show only settings for "mp4" files).
$ cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
[Thumbnailer Entry]
TryExec=/usr/bin/totem-video-thumbnailer
Exec=/usr/bin/totem-video-thumbnailer -s %s %u %o
MimeType=...
... (removed)
application/x-extension-mp4;
... (removed)
video/mp4;
... (removed)
audio/mp4;
... (removed)
Mark Cassidy
Dec 17, 2015, 2:50:24 AM12/17/15
to
On Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:17:09 -0700, crankypuss wrote:
> It's probably just not in the path bash checks. For example gparted
> isn't shown when you issue "which gparted" because it's in /sbin rather
> than /usr/bin.
I think there is something "magical" about the "thumbnailers" directory:
> It's probably just not in the path bash checks. For example gparted
> isn't shown when you issue "which gparted" because it's in /sbin rather
> than /usr/bin.
/usr/share/thumbnailers
$ ls -l /usr/share/thumbnailers
total 16
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 171 Mar 22 2014 blender.thumbnailer
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 490 Mar 11 2015 evince.thumbnailer
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 196 May 28 2013 gnome-font-viewer.thumbnailer
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1731 Apr 1 2014 totem.thumbnailer
Dirk T. Verbeek
Dec 17, 2015, 5:58:40 AM12/17/15
to
Op 17-12-15 om 08:13 schreef crankypuss:
But there is a purpose that most/some of us like, thumbnails show up
near-instantly.
My camera takes pictures in the 10-18Mb range as jpg, ~100Mb as raw,
waiting for thumbnails again and again would get rather tiring.
Both Gwenview and Dolphin are very quick to do the association between
the original file and the thumbnail in the 'hidden' cache.
Certain Gnome/Unity applications probably work similar.
Some applications give you the choice to keep the thumbnail cache in the
working directory or in the common one.
They even give you the option to auto-delete the thumbnails on exit.
near-instantly.
My camera takes pictures in the 10-18Mb range as jpg, ~100Mb as raw,
waiting for thumbnails again and again would get rather tiring.
Both Gwenview and Dolphin are very quick to do the association between
the original file and the thumbnail in the 'hidden' cache.
Certain Gnome/Unity applications probably work similar.
Some applications give you the choice to keep the thumbnail cache in the
working directory or in the common one.
They even give you the option to auto-delete the thumbnails on exit.
Mark Cassidy
Dec 17, 2015, 10:57:38 AM12/17/15
to
On Thu, 17 Dec 2015 11:58:38 +0100, Dirk T. Verbeek wrote:
> Some applications give you the choice to keep the thumbnail cache in the
> working directory or in the common one.
> They even give you the option to auto-delete the thumbnails on exit.
Nobody will ever accuse me of understanding how thumbnails are generated,
> Some applications give you the choice to keep the thumbnail cache in the
> working directory or in the common one.
> They even give you the option to auto-delete the thumbnails on exit.
but I think it could be that Nautilus automagically consults this config:
/usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
That config file specifies the thumbnailer command:
Exec=/usr/bin/totem-video-thumbnailer -s %s %u %o
What we have no evidence of is whether Nautilus actually does consult
this totem configuration file.
Meanwhile, I've worked around the problem with this alias:
alias cleancache='rm -rf /home/mark/.cache/thumbnails;rm -rf /home/mark/.thumbnails'
When I run that command, nothing happens with open Nautilus windows,
but if I close and re-open a Nautilus window to a directory filled
with MP4 files, all the thumbnails are regenerated before my very eyes.
So, the only magic missing, I think, is to figure out whether it's
actually true the guess that Nautilus consults the totem configuration
file upon opening a Nautilus window.
Note that the word "thumbnail" or "totem" do not exist in the Nautilus
manpage but it does show up on the official Nautilus webpage:
https://wiki.gnome.org/action/show/Apps/Nautilus
But nowhere can I find a description of how thumbnails are generated
for Nautilus in Ubuntu.
Mark Cassidy
Dec 17, 2015, 11:07:34 AM12/17/15
to
On Thu, 17 Dec 2015 02:41:26 +0000, JJ wrote:
> What thumbnailer are you using?
> cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
> What thumbnailer are you using?
> cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
> totem-video-thumbnailer ?
> ffmpegthumbnailer ?
> ffmpegthumbs ?
I'm sure I'm on the default since I wouldn't know enough to change it.
> ffmpegthumbnailer ?
> ffmpegthumbs ?
Therefore, it seems I'm using the "totem-video-thumbnailer" specified
in the /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer file.
$ cat /usr/share/thumbnailers/totem.thumbnailer
[Thumbnailer Entry]
TryExec=/usr/bin/totem-video-thumbnailer
Exec=/usr/bin/totem-video-thumbnailer -s %s %u %o
... mime lines removed ...
So my guess is that Nautilus is hard coded to consult that config file.
I do see one only tangentially related setting in Nautilus preferences:
Nautilus: Settings > Preferences > Preview >
Files: Show Thumbnails > {Always, Local Files Only, Never}
Only for files smaller than > {list of sizes here}
https://i.imgur.com/j36Knqw.jpg
I have never messed with those settings.
Have you?
J G Miller
Dec 17, 2015, 11:08:06 AM12/17/15
to
On Wednesday, December 16th, 2015, at 23:41:22h +0000, Mark Cassidy asked:
> But what if ffmpeg isn't installed (which it isn't, for 14.04)?
If you used a package manager to install ffmpegthumbs (which you
did, namely apt-get) then it will have ensured that all the necessary
dependencies needed for ffmpegthumbs were installed before proceeding.
The ffmpeg library will not be installed on Ubuntu 14.04 but the
equivalent libav will be installed.
Eventually Ubuntu will most likely follow Debian's lead (whom they
followed in changing from ffmpeg to libav) and revert back from libav
to ffmpeg.
> Is there a trick to using ffmpegthumbs?
Have you ever heard of manual pages?
man ffmpegthumbnailer
QUOTE
NAME
ffmpegthumbnailer - fast and lightweight video thumbnailer
SYNOPSIS
ffmpegthumbnailer [options]
DESCRIPTION
Ffmpegthumbnailer is a lightweight video thumbnailer that can be used
by file managers to create thumbnails for your video files. The thumb-
nailer uses ffmpeg to decode frames from the video files, so supported
videoformats depend on the configuration flags of ffmpeg.
For the "executive summary" you can even just do
ffmpegthumbnailer -h
withouth having to look at the manual page.
> But what if ffmpeg isn't installed (which it isn't, for 14.04)?
did, namely apt-get) then it will have ensured that all the necessary
dependencies needed for ffmpegthumbs were installed before proceeding.
The ffmpeg library will not be installed on Ubuntu 14.04 but the
equivalent libav will be installed.
Eventually Ubuntu will most likely follow Debian's lead (whom they
followed in changing from ffmpeg to libav) and revert back from libav
to ffmpeg.
> Is there a trick to using ffmpegthumbs?
man ffmpegthumbnailer
QUOTE
NAME
ffmpegthumbnailer - fast and lightweight video thumbnailer
SYNOPSIS
ffmpegthumbnailer [options]
DESCRIPTION
Ffmpegthumbnailer is a lightweight video thumbnailer that can be used
by file managers to create thumbnails for your video files. The thumb-
nailer uses ffmpeg to decode frames from the video files, so supported
videoformats depend on the configuration flags of ffmpeg.
For the "executive summary" you can even just do
ffmpegthumbnailer -h
withouth having to look at the manual page.
J G Miller
Dec 17, 2015, 11:09:57 AM12/17/15
to
On Thursday, December 17th, 2015, at 07:50:23h +0000,
Mark Cassidy observed:
> I think there is something "magical" about the "thumbnailers" directory:
The magic only works if you have a gnome on your system.
Mark Cassidy observed:
> I think there is something "magical" about the "thumbnailers" directory:
crankypuss
Dec 18, 2015, 5:01:20 AM12/18/15
to
media without my permission is by my definition malware.
Of course the admins among us will claim that I've implicity given
permission by not hand-editing some configuration file somewhere, but
IMO that's BS.
Jonathan N. Little
Dec 18, 2015, 9:35:58 AM12/18/15
to
crankypuss wrote:
> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my storage
> media without my permission is by my definition malware.
Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever web
> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my storage
> media without my permission is by my definition malware.
browser you are using is located?
Personally I would rather have all temp/cache files located under the
restricted domain of my profile...think security.
--
Take care,
Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com
Marek Novotny
Dec 18, 2015, 12:18:27 PM12/18/15
to
On 2015-12-18, Jonathan N. Little <lws...@gmail.com> wrote:
> crankypuss wrote:
>
>> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my storage
>> media without my permission is by my definition malware.
>
> Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever web
> browser you are using is located?
>
> Personally I would rather have all temp/cache files located under the
> restricted domain of my profile...think security.
Absolutely +1
> crankypuss wrote:
>
>> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my storage
>> media without my permission is by my definition malware.
>
> Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever web
> browser you are using is located?
>
> Personally I would rather have all temp/cache files located under the
> restricted domain of my profile...think security.
Dirk T. Verbeek
Dec 18, 2015, 1:07:15 PM12/18/15
to
Op 18-12-15 om 15:35 schreef Jonathan N. Little:
> crankypuss wrote:
>
>> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my storage
>> media without my permission is by my definition malware.
>
> Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever web
> browser you are using is located?
>
> Personally I would rather have all temp/cache files located under the
> restricted domain of my profile...think security.
>
:)
>
>> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my storage
>> media without my permission is by my definition malware.
>
> Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever web
> browser you are using is located?
>
> Personally I would rather have all temp/cache files located under the
> restricted domain of my profile...think security.
>
crankypuss
Dec 19, 2015, 3:57:02 AM12/19/15
to
Jonathan N. Little wrote:
> crankypuss wrote:
>
>> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my
>> storage media without my permission is by my definition malware.
>
> Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever
> web browser you are using is located?
Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/ but maybe in /tmp, I don't
> crankypuss wrote:
>
>> Any application that stores large numbers of large files on my
>> storage media without my permission is by my definition malware.
>
> Really? Take a wild guess where your cached temp files for whatever
> web browser you are using is located?
monitor /tmp so who knows.
> Personally I would rather have all temp/cache files located under the
> restricted domain of my profile...think security.
concept/implementation only. Frankly firefox is on the list of future
evictees but one thing at a time.
Eef Hartman
Dec 19, 2015, 4:06:23 AM12/19/15
to
In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
/home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
/home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
crankypuss
Dec 19, 2015, 8:52:06 AM12/19/15
to
jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that the source
code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the Apple store or walk
away from the whole thing (to which I'm apparently a lifetime addict).
Cybe R. Wizard
Dec 19, 2015, 8:54:00 AM12/19/15
to
On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 06:52:02 -0700
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Eef Hartman wrote:
>
> > In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
> >
> > With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
> > /home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
> > they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
>
> I can't keep up with this shit, it's as bad as Windows was in terms
> of jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that the
> source code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the Apple store
> or walk away from the whole thing (to which I'm apparently a lifetime
> addict).
>
??? It involves a few seconds of reading changelogs when new
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Eef Hartman wrote:
>
> > In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
> >
> > With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
> > /home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
> > they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
>
> I can't keep up with this shit, it's as bad as Windows was in terms
> of jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that the
> source code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the Apple store
> or walk away from the whole thing (to which I'm apparently a lifetime
> addict).
>
software versions come out. Where's the problem?
Cybe R. Wizard
--
Nice computers don't go down.
Larry Niven, Steven Barnes
"The Barsoom Project"
crankypuss
Dec 19, 2015, 10:54:12 AM12/19/15
to
Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 06:52:02 -0700
> crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Eef Hartman wrote:
>>
>> > In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> >> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
>> >
>> > With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
>> > /home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
>> > they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
>>
>> I can't keep up with this shit, it's as bad as Windows was in terms
>> of jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that the
>> source code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the Apple store
>> or walk away from the whole thing (to which I'm apparently a lifetime
>> addict).
>>
> ??? It involves a few seconds of reading changelogs when new
> software versions come out. Where's the problem?
Please Cybe, tell me you're kidding.
> On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 06:52:02 -0700
> crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Eef Hartman wrote:
>>
>> > In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> >> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
>> >
>> > With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
>> > /home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
>> > they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
>>
>> I can't keep up with this shit, it's as bad as Windows was in terms
>> of jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that the
>> source code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the Apple store
>> or walk away from the whole thing (to which I'm apparently a lifetime
>> addict).
>>
> ??? It involves a few seconds of reading changelogs when new
> software versions come out. Where's the problem?
Cybe R. Wizard
Dec 19, 2015, 11:30:04 PM12/19/15
to
On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 08:54:14 -0700
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 06:52:02 -0700
> > crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >
> >> Eef Hartman wrote:
> >>
> >> > In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >> >> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
> >> >
> >> > With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
> >> > /home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
> >> > they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
> >>
> >> I can't keep up with this shit, it's as bad as Windows was in terms
> >> of jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that
> >> the source code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the
> >> Apple store or walk away from the whole thing (to which I'm
> >> apparently a lifetime addict).
> >>
> > ??? It involves a few seconds of reading changelogs when new
> > software versions come out. Where's the problem?
>
> Please Cybe, tell me you're kidding.
>
Not at all. I, like you, use synaptic. When it upgrades a package it
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 06:52:02 -0700
> > crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >
> >> Eef Hartman wrote:
> >>
> >> > In alt.os.linux crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >> >> Probably in /home/hazard/.mozilla/firefox/
> >> >
> >> > With newer versions of firefox (I believe 22 and higher)
> >> > /home/<loginname>/.cache/firefox
> >> > they've moved most caching out of the .mozilla tree.
> >>
> >> I can't keep up with this shit, it's as bad as Windows was in terms
> >> of jerking around interfaces. Thank all applicable deities that
> >> the source code is available, otherwise I'd have to go to the
> >> Apple store or walk away from the whole thing (to which I'm
> >> apparently a lifetime addict).
> >>
> > ??? It involves a few seconds of reading changelogs when new
> > software versions come out. Where's the problem?
>
> Please Cybe, tell me you're kidding.
>
displays the changelog for a second if no real changes are present. If
there are big(ish) changes (such as a change in where temporary files
are kept) the changelog stays up until one dismisses it.
I read 'em. Don't you?
crankypuss
Dec 20, 2015, 6:43:43 AM12/20/15
to
error of believing what they say.
Was there a changelog entry explaining why fdisk output now has a new
column in the midst of the existing columns so if you have a script that
parses fdisk output (as far as I know it has never offered a machine-
readable-output option) you have to rewrite your parsing code?
Was there a changelog entry about how nautilus scripts are now expected
to be in some different directory?
It's my experience that you don't find out what's changed by reading
changelogs, you find out what's changed by using the product. If the
product becomes broken you revert to a backup and start looking to see
whether it's worth fixing, or whether the neighborhood has gone
completely to hell and it's time to move. If things work as they
should, who cares what they've changed.
Oops, I guess "administrators" would care what's been changed, they're
stuck between a rock and a hard place, if the whole business quits
working I can just boot up something else until I have time to restore
from a backup that works, I don't have managers and users both kicking
on my ass from either side, I don't have to worry whether sudoku or
mario-brothers has quit working, I only need the things I use to work.
J G Miller
Dec 20, 2015, 10:31:31 AM12/20/15
to
On Saturday, December 19th, 2015, at 22:30:00h -0600, Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
> If there are big(ish) changes (such as a change in where temporary files
> are kept) the changelog stays up until one dismisses it.
I suggest a more rigorous approach is to install apt-listchanges and then
> If there are big(ish) changes (such as a change in where temporary files
> are kept) the changelog stays up until one dismisses it.
one may read the changes via e-mail whenever convenient in the mail reader
of one's choosing.
Package: apt-listchanges
Priority: optional
Section: utils
Architecture: all
Description: package change history notification tool
One may still use the frontend of more/less if one prefers to have the
installation require user intervention to review the changes in situ.
Cybe R. Wizard
Dec 21, 2015, 2:22:41 AM12/21/15
to
On Sun, 20 Dec 2015 04:43:38 -0700
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
[changelogs]
> > I read 'em. Don't you?
>
> Hell no, I've written too many changelog entries to bother risking
> the error of believing what they say.
>
> Was there a changelog entry explaining why fdisk output now has a new
> column in the midst of the existing columns so if you have a script
> that parses fdisk output (as far as I know it has never offered a
> machine- readable-output option) you have to rewrite your parsing
> code?
Don't know. I don't use it.
(although here:
<https://packages.debian.org/sid/i386/gnu-fdisk/filelist>
tells where it might be found on a Debian system)
listed above might also do that trick.
to keep up.
philosophy, have such a hard time keeping up with the changing pace of
today's Linux computerland.
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
[changelogs]
> > I read 'em. Don't you?
>
> Hell no, I've written too many changelog entries to bother risking
> the error of believing what they say.
>
> Was there a changelog entry explaining why fdisk output now has a new
> column in the midst of the existing columns so if you have a script
> that parses fdisk output (as far as I know it has never offered a
> machine- readable-output option) you have to rewrite your parsing
> code?
(although here:
<https://packages.debian.org/sid/i386/gnu-fdisk/filelist>
tells where it might be found on a Debian system)
>
> Was there a changelog entry about how nautilus scripts are now
> expected to be in some different directory?
Don't know. I don't use it. I assume that somewhere such as that
> Was there a changelog entry about how nautilus scripts are now
> expected to be in some different directory?
listed above might also do that trick.
>
> It's my experience that you don't find out what's changed by reading
> changelogs, you find out what's changed by using the product. If the
> product becomes broken you revert to a backup and start looking to
> see whether it's worth fixing, or whether the neighborhood has gone
> completely to hell and it's time to move. If things work as they
> should, who cares what they've changed.
It's my experience that, if you don't at least try, it's very difficult
> It's my experience that you don't find out what's changed by reading
> changelogs, you find out what's changed by using the product. If the
> product becomes broken you revert to a backup and start looking to
> see whether it's worth fixing, or whether the neighborhood has gone
> completely to hell and it's time to move. If things work as they
> should, who cares what they've changed.
to keep up.
>
> Oops, I guess "administrators" would care what's been changed,
> they're stuck between a rock and a hard place, if the whole business
> quits working I can just boot up something else until I have time to
> restore from a backup that works, I don't have managers and users
> both kicking on my ass from either side, I don't have to worry
> whether sudoku or mario-brothers has quit working, I only need the
> things I use to work.
What's strange to me is that you, with your least-necessary-stuff
> Oops, I guess "administrators" would care what's been changed,
> they're stuck between a rock and a hard place, if the whole business
> quits working I can just boot up something else until I have time to
> restore from a backup that works, I don't have managers and users
> both kicking on my ass from either side, I don't have to worry
> whether sudoku or mario-brothers has quit working, I only need the
> things I use to work.
philosophy, have such a hard time keeping up with the changing pace of
today's Linux computerland.
crankypuss
Dec 21, 2015, 5:36:39 AM12/21/15
to
Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
> What's strange to me is that you, with your least-necessary-stuff
> philosophy, have such a hard time keeping up with the changing pace of
> today's Linux computerland.
>
> Cybe R. Wizard
I totally suck at installing things, always have.
> What's strange to me is that you, with your least-necessary-stuff
> philosophy, have such a hard time keeping up with the changing pace of
> today's Linux computerland.
>
> Cybe R. Wizard
Cybe R. Wizard
Dec 21, 2015, 9:34:43 AM12/21/15
to
On Mon, 21 Dec 2015 03:36:35 -0700
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
>
> > What's strange to me is that you, with your least-necessary-stuff
> > philosophy, have such a hard time keeping up with the changing pace
> > of today's Linux computerland.
> >
> > Cybe R. Wizard
>
> I totally suck at installing things, always have.
>
;-}
crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
>
> > What's strange to me is that you, with your least-necessary-stuff
> > philosophy, have such a hard time keeping up with the changing pace
> > of today's Linux computerland.
> >
> > Cybe R. Wizard
>
> I totally suck at installing things, always have.
>
crankypuss
Dec 21, 2015, 2:01:29 PM12/21/15
to
0 new messages