YouTube jukebox without a browser
mps-youtube
Applications such as Atraci or Musictube are easily understood and quickly mastered thanks to their graphical interfaces. However, many users are looking for lean programs for the terminal, which can be controlled, for example, via an SSH connection. Mps-youtube [10] is one of them: The command-line tool written in Python could run, for example, on a Raspberry Pi connected to your stereo.
Mps-youtube has not been around long enough for the program to be included in the repositories of major distributions. To install, you typically need to turn to the Python package manager Pip, by enter the following commands:
$ sudo apt-get install python-pip mplayer $ sudo pip install mps-youtube $ sudo pip install mps-youtube --upgrade
Here, the last command refreshes the program after an update. If you work with Debian "Jessie" or "Sid" or a beta version of Ubuntu 14.10 "Utopic Unicorn," mps-youtube can be installed via the package manager by calling apt-get install mps-youtube
.
Because mps-youtube does not include a graphical interface, the program is not available for clicking in the Start menu; instead, you call it by typing mpsyt
in a terminal window. The start screen of mps-youtube automatically acts as a command line. You can start a search for artists, albums, or songs on YouTube with a leading slash as in /onerepublic
or with an initial dot as in .onerepublic
. Pressing N or P jumps from page to page in the search results. Searches with two slashes or dots, such as //acid jazz
, only return playlists with the corresponding keyword.
Mps-youtube presents the results as a numbered list. You can then play the desired results by entering their numbers (Figure 6). Alternatively, you can press i <n>
to output information on the video. You can view the comments by pressing c <n>
or download the video to your hard disk with d <n>
. Related videos are displayed by pressing r <n>
, whereas u <n>
takes you to more videos by the respective YouTube user.
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2014/168/youtube-players/figure-6/625859-1-eng-US/Figure-6_large.png)
To avoid the continual need to select tracks, you can organize your favorite music in playlists. From the search, you can use add <n>
to add a song to the current playlist, or select add <n> <Playlist>
to add one to a different playlist. If the list does not currently exist, mps-youtube automatically creates it with the specified name.
In play mode, you can rewind and fast forward the song with the arrow keys, pause it with the spacebar, or press the number buttons to adjust the volume. Pressing Q stops the playback and returns to the latest search results.
Conclusions
Atraci, Minitube, Musictube, and mps-youtube give Linux users a rich selection of YouTube clients from which to choose. Atraci and Musictube offer nearly identical functionality; you only have to choose between a generic (Atraci) and a native interface (Musictube). Mps-youtube is likely to appeal only to die-hard Linux users as a console tool, although its functionality compares well with its competitors.
Minitube is the odd man out in this comparison because it focuses not just on music videos but searches through all of YouTube's offerings. If you like to use YouTube but prefer to do without the website, Minitube is your best bet.
Infos
- Atraci: https://github.com/Atraci
- Atraci download: https://github.com/Atraci/Atraci
- Atraci installer PPA: https://launchpad.net/~webupd8team/+archive/ubuntu/atraci
- Atraci-bin in the AUR: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/atraci-bin/
- Atraci-git in the AUR: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/atraci-git/
- Minitube: http://flavio.tordini.org/minitube
- Musictube: http://flavio.tordini.org/musictube
- Musictube in the Ubuntu Software Center: https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/musictube/
- Musictube in the AUR: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/musictube/
- Mps-youtube: https://github.com/np1/mps-youtube
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.