Video Wallpaper Spanning Across Dual Monitors on Arch Linux

Video Wallpaper Spanning Across Dual Monitors on Arch Linux

In the world of Arch Linux, customization and flexibility are at the forefront of the user experience. One unique customization that users may want to implement is a video wallpaper spanning across dual monitors. This article will explore the necessary steps and tools to achieve this setup.

Feh: A Versatile Image Viewer

Feh is a lightweight and versatile image viewer for X Windows. It is often used in Arch Linux for managing wallpapers. However, feh does not have a built-in feature for spanning videos across dual monitors as a background.

Composite Extension: Enabling Video Playback on Desktop

To enable video playback on the desktop, the Composite extension must be enabled in the Xorg configuration. This extension allows for the layering of graphics and video on top of the desktop.

Section "Extensions"
	Option "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

MPV Media Player: A Powerful Tool for Video Playback

MPV is a powerful and customizable media player that supports a wide range of video formats. It also has a built-in scripting language, allowing for advanced customization. One such customization is the ability to play videos as a desktop background.

mpv --vo=x11 --geometry=1920x1080+0+0 --ontop=no --input-conf=/dev/null /path/to/video.mp4

In this command, --vo=x11 specifies the X11 video output, --geometry=1920x1080+0+0 sets the video resolution and position, and --ontop=no sets the video to play behind other windows. The input-conf option disables keyboard and mouse input during playback.

Scripting the Dual Monitor Setup

To span the video across dual monitors, a script can be written to launch two instances of mpv, each with a different geometry setting. The following is an example script:

#!/bin/bash

# Define video path and resolution
VIDEO_PATH="/path/to/video.mp4"
RESOLUTION="1920x1080"

# Calculate monitor positions
LEFT_MONITOR_POS="0x0"
RIGHT_MONITOR_POS="1920x0"

# Launch mpv on each monitor
mpv --vo=x11 --geometry=$LEFT_MONITOR_POS --ontop=no --input-conf=/dev/null $VIDEO_PATH &
mpv --vo=x11 --geometry=$RIGHT_MONITOR_POS --ontop=no --input-conf=/dev/null $VIDEO_PATH

In this script, the RESOLUTION variable should be set to the resolution of the monitors, and the LEFT\_MONITOR\_POS and RIGHT\_MONITOR\_POS variables should be set to the appropriate positions for each monitor. The script then launches two instances of mpv, each with the specified geometry setting.

While feh does not have a built-in feature for spanning videos across dual monitors, Arch Linux users can achieve this setup through the use of the Composite extension and the MPV media player. By writing a simple script, users can launch two instances of mpv, each with a different geometry setting, to span the video across both monitors.

• Feh is a versatile image viewer, but does not support spanning videos across dual monitors as a background.
• The Composite extension must be enabled in the Xorg configuration to enable video playback on the desktop.
• MPV is a powerful media player with a built-in scripting language, allowing for advanced customization.
• A script can be written to launch two instances of mpv, each with a different geometry setting, to span the video across dual monitors.

References

• Feh - Arch Wiki
• Xorg - Arch Wiki
• MPV Media Player