Preventing MPV from Clearing the Terminal Screen after Video Playback

Preventing MPV from Clearing Terminal Screen during Video Playback

MPV is a popular video player that can be used in the terminal to play videos directly. However, one issue that some users encounter is that MPV clears the terminal screen during video playback. This can be inconvenient, especially if you want to monitor the output of other commands while watching a video. In this article, we will explore how to prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen during video playback.

Using the --vo=tct flag

One way to prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen is to use the --vo=tct flag. This flag enables the tct video output driver, which stands for "terminal console terminal". When using this driver, MPV will not clear the terminal screen during video playback.

Note that the tct driver has some limitations. For example, it may not support all video formats, and it may not provide the same level of performance as other video output drivers. However, it is a simple and effective way to prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen during video playback.

Preventing MPV from Clearing the Terminal Screen using Terminal Settings

Another way to prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen is to modify the terminal settings. This approach varies depending on the terminal emulator that you are using. Here are some examples for popular terminal emulators:

GNU Screen

GNU Screen is a terminal multiplexer that allows you to run multiple terminal sessions within a single terminal window. To prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen in GNU Screen, you can use the following command:

This command starts a new GNU Screen session named mysession and runs MPV within that session. The --vo=tct flag ensures that MPV uses the tct video output driver, which prevents it from clearing the terminal screen.

tmux

tmux is another terminal multiplexer that allows you to run multiple terminal sessions within a single terminal window. To prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen in tmux, you can use the following command:

This command creates a new tmux session named mysession and runs MPV within that session. The single quotes around the MPV command ensure that it is executed within the tmux session, and the --vo=tct flag ensures that MPV uses the tct video output driver, which prevents it from clearing the terminal screen.

xterm

xterm is a popular terminal emulator that supports a wide range of terminal features. To prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen in xterm, you can use the following command:

This command starts a new xterm window with the title "MPV Video" and runs MPV within that window. The --vo=tct flag ensures that MPV uses the tct video output driver, which prevents it from clearing the terminal screen.

• MPV is a popular video player that can be used in the terminal to play videos directly.
• By default, MPV clears the terminal screen during video playback.
• To prevent MPV from clearing the terminal screen, you can use the --vo=tct flag or modify the terminal settings.
• The --vo=tct flag enables the tct video output driver, which prevents MPV from clearing the terminal screen.
• Modifying the terminal settings varies depending on the terminal emulator that you are using.

References

• MPV Manual: Options
• GNU Screen Manual
• tmux Manual
• xterm Manual