Digging under Totem Media Player
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Totem Media Player is one of the most widely used media player amongst Linux user. Given its ability to handle many formats using the versatile G-Streamer framework, it has become a one stop all player for users who favor simplicity over the advanced VLC Player. Though the player offers a simple interface, there are some interesting features on offer which lie covered under the applications menu. Let’s dig in & unearth them!
Screenshot Taker:
If you need to take screenshot from your favourite movie, then simply press “CTRL+S” or go to Edit>Take Screenshot. Fill in the location to save the screenshot & you’ve your custom wallpapers from your favourite flick. The resolution of the screenshot will depend on the resolution of the video file you’re watching.
Screenshot Gallery:
Screenshot Gallery is useful if scenarios where you want screenshots taken at predefined intervals in your video/movie & then stitched together in single image file which can be displayed on forums or your website for illustration purposes. Its a bit rough & needs refinement but gets the job done satisfyingly enough. Screenshot Gallery can be accessed by navigating to Edit > Create Screenshot Gallery…
Aspect ratio:
Have problems viewing widescreen videos on your old square CRT monitor(or vice-versa)? The videos leave blackbars on your CRT monitor reducing the area of view. No problem, just navigate to View > Aspect Ratio and select the desired aspect ration for your monitor to get a fullscreen view. CRT monitors have aspect ration of 4:3 whereas Widescreen LCD monitors have ratio of 16:9.
Plugins:
Totem media Player has plugin support but its not enabled by default. Navigating to Edit > Plugins will present you with a list of installed plugins. A description alongside will help you to determine the utility of a particular plugin. Enable any plugin as per your preference.
Additional Preferences:
For additional preferences, navigate to Edit > Preferences. Here you can change the font of the subtitle, visualization, sound output & other miscellaneous options. Set it according to your tastes.
Once you do the above refinements, you’ll definitely have a improved Totem experience. I’ve done it & I’m enjoying it. Simplicity at its best, that’s what Totem Media Player shines for!








