<div>This is a great post for new ubutnu users. needing media to play better.</div>
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<div>any questions just ask. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>p.s. cheers alan c.</div>
<div><br>azmodie</div>
<div> </div>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">alan c</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:aeclist@candt.waitrose.com">aeclist@candt.waitrose.com</a>></span><br>
Date: 2009/5/5<br>Subject: [ubuntu-uk] multimedia notes<br>To: British Ubuntu Talk <<a href="mailto:ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com</a>><br><br><br>I put together the following information for those who may not care<br>
about restrictions, and just need some help with multimedia.<br>It draws heavily on the medibuntu repositories, and is written with<br>novices in mind:<br><br>======================================================<br>Multimedia and Ubuntu<br>
<br>How to get multimedia codecs the easy way!<br><br>Disclaimer: Patent and copyright laws operate differently depending<br>on which country you are in. Please obtain legal advice if you are<br>unsure whether a particular patent or restriction applies to a media<br>
format you wish to use in your country.<br><br>For legal reasons Ubuntu (as first installed) lacks many of the codecs<br>which are needed to play some of the many possible audio or video<br>formats available. This is because of global, geographical, variations<br>
in legislation regarding intellectual property, security and other issues.<br><br>Before following any of the procedures offered in here, please note<br>that immediately after installation it is recommended to first<br>download any security updates which are available to date. If you do<br>
not see a pop up offer for this then use<br>System>Administration>UpdateManager<br>and accept the updates (this is not the same as an upgrade to a later<br>version of Ubuntu, which you should avoid doing unless you<br>
deliberately want that).<br><br>1) Multimedia – Linux native codecs<br>To get pretty well all of the multimedia codecs the easy way, ensure<br>the machine is connected to the internet and use the facility<br>Add/Remove applications<br>
If the list is out of date, accept a refresh, and more recent<br>information will be downloaded. Then use<br>Applications>Add/Remove<br><br>Ensure that 'All' is selected, and Click the choices to select 'All<br>
Available Applications' from the list.<br><br>Then into the 'Search' space type<br>gstreamer<br><br>After a short time, the search results will display a number of<br>gstreamer entries and in addition the item 'Ubuntu restricted extras'.<br>
<br>For each of these in turn, including the 'Ubuntu restricted extras',<br>click the check box so that a tick is shown. As you do this you will<br>also be asked to confirm what you want and that you do not live in a<br>
country where such codecs are not allowed (such as USA).<br><br>Note that in some versions of Ubuntu, for example, 9.04, the<br>[gstreamer fluendo MPEG2 demuxing plugin] is not required and will<br>conflict with other installed software. If so, you will see an error<br>
warning message, so in this case, there is no need for this item.<br><br>When your choices are all checked and accepted, click the 'Apply'<br>button and they will be downloaded and installed. You will now have<br>
installed most of the multimedia codecs.<br><br>2) Further actions:<br>Playing Encrypted DVDs<br>The several actions above will be capable of installing most<br>multimedia codecs. However, to play encrypted DVDs (some commercial<br>
DVDs), the libdvdcss2 package is also an essential requirement.<br>libdvdcss2 is a simple library designed for accessing DVDs like a<br>block device without having to use decryption. This can be installed<br>easily after the medibuntu repository has been enabled for your<br>
machine, please see below.<br><br>3) Playing some non-native formats<br>Some media formats do not have native Linux facilities. In such cases<br>it is possible to make use of binary Windows and other codecs through<br>a 'wrapper', bundled as the 'w32codecs', for playback of these media<br>
formats. This can be installed easily after the medibuntu repository<br>has been enabled for your machine, please see below.<br>There are various ways of installing these additional packages,<br>although the exact details depend upon which type of computer you have<br>
and which version of Ubuntu you use (Note 1).<br><br>4) The medibuntu repository<br>If your computer is configured to make use of the special software<br>repository for Multimedia, Entertainment & Distractions In Ubuntu<br>
(medibuntu), then subsequent actions, including security updates, can<br>be handled conveniently. Unfortunately for the beginner, the<br>configuration to include a new software repository can seem a bit<br>demanding at first.<br>
The following actions are closely based on information at<br><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu" target="_blank">https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu</a><br><br>An overview of actions is:<br>- Get the sources list and keyring<br>
- Then get specific information for your Ubuntu version<br>- Then, add the GPG Key (to help ensure you only use the repository<br>you are expecting).<br><br>The detailed actions for these three stages are best followed by using<br>
the medibuntu link<br><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu" target="_blank">https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu</a><br>(please note the leading upper case in the word Medibuntu here)<br>On that page please see:<br>
'Adding the Repositories'<br>This technique makes use of a Terminal, and copy and paste.<br>If it seems complicated at first, have a look again at the overview of<br>actions listed above, to help see what is being done.<br>
<br>How to get a 'Terminal'?<br>Applications>Accessories>Terminal<br>It is a powerful way of doing things fast. It is certainly much more<br>powerful than it first appears, so do not rush with any typing or<br>
commands. Take your time.<br><br>For example, the first action is to get the sources list and keyring,<br>appropriate for 'Any Ubuntu Release and keyring'. Carefully highlight<br>the appropriate block of text in the medibuntu page,<br>
edit>copy, then into the Terminal, use<br>edit>paste into the terminal.<br>When you hit the Return key your password will be needed, and actions<br>begin.<br>Wait until all downloads are completed and you see a normal prompt again.<br>
<br>Complete the subsequent two actions listed in the overview above,<br>specific information for your Ubuntu version, and then the GPG key, in<br>a similar way. Please refer to the medibuntu page for more detailed<br>information.<br>
<br>When these actions are completed, medibuntu repository is available in<br>your Ubuntu.<br>Well Done!<br><br>You can verify your success by looking at<br>System>Administration>Software Sources<br>and the tab<br>Third Party Software<br>
and you should see medibuntu packages free and non free as being<br>entered and ticked (enabled).<br><br>Installing the packages:<br>To do this use the Synaptic Package Manager<br>System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager<br>
<br>Use the search facility to search for<br>libdvdcss2<br>Searching may take a little time, depending on your machine,<br>right click and request to mark for install<br><br>then search for<br>w32codecs<br>and again right click and request to mark for install<br>
Then use the Apply button.<br><br>Note 1:<br>Q: Which version of Ubuntu am I using?<br>A: See<br>System>Administration>System Monitor<br>choose the tab:<br>System<br><br>======================================================<br>
<br><br>--<br>alan cocks<br>Ubuntu user #10391<br>Linux user #360648<br><font color="#888888"><br><br>--<br><a href="mailto:ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com</a><br><a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk</a><br>
<a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/" target="_blank">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/</a><br></font></div><br>