Ubuntu: Multimedia Codecs

Sarge

Distinguished Member
Well, my girlfriend and I are trying to install multimedia codecs, cause she doesn't get anything when she clicks an mp3 file it should say that it needs a codec and it should download and install it. Well, it doesnt happens.

If she tries to tun Add/Remove it says that it can't get a list.

So, we thought to get the codecs downloaded and installed by ourselves. I did a search and found out that we need GSreamer frimework for multimedia to work, I don't know am I right?

We got this: GStreamer: open source multimedia framework

But I dont know are we on a right track?
 
Follow these instructions to fix the repository problem:
Ubuntu:Gutsy -

(they also have excellent instructions on Codecs, so you needn't look any further for that, either.)
 
Thank you so much, Mahmoud.

Does this mean that we'd get codecs with a player too?

How to install Mplayer with Multimedia Codecs

Simple guide for mplayer and codecs
  • Download SMPlayer (a great front-end for MPlayer) from here and double click to install it. The smplayer front-end is also available to install through synaptic package manager.
[edit]
Mplayer on 64bit with wmv9 support

Playing wmv9 files on AMD64 doesn't exactly work out of the box. To get it working, you will have to install the 32bit version of mplayer, along with all the necessary codecs. On my relatively new install of Gutsy, I didn't need to install any library files, which made getting it to work that much easier. That being said, follow these steps and you should be watching wmv9 files in no time.
Download the version of mplayer32 for Edgy (it works fine) and place into temporary directory
Code:
mkdir mplayer32temp
cd mplayer32temp
wget [URL]http://folk.ntnu.no/grannas/debs/mplayer32_20070130-1_amd64.deb[/URL]
Extract the package you just downloaded, and install to the proper locations (hit 'n' when it asks to replace a file)
Code:
sudo dpkg -x mplayer32_20070130-1_amd64.deb ./
sudo mv -i usr/bin/* /usr/bin/
sudo mv -i usr/lib32/* /usr/lib32/
Get the latest win32 codecs from mplayerhq (link is current as of Nov 04, 2007), extract and install (again, hit 'n' when it asks to replace a file)
Code:
wget [URL]http://www3.mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/releases/codecs/essential-20071007.tar.bz2[/URL]
tar jxfv essential-20071007.tar.bz2
sudo mv -i essential-20071007/* /usr/lib/win32/
play a wmv9 file and enjoy.
Code:
mplayer32 foobar.wmv

Is that all?
 
No, you need to click-through to that first link:
Install Mplayer and Multimedia Codecs (libdvdcss2,w32codecs) in Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) -- Ubuntu Geek

That is what you need for the codecs.

I'm giving a course in University as a part of the Jordan Open Source Group on Linux for beginners; the goal is to go from beginner to intermediate user over the course of the program - I'll see if I can upload any slides or materials I use so people can see them online. My course is in Ubuntu, a colleague will be teaching Fedora, so I'll see what I can manage to grab.
 
i never had much problem with getting anything

if i started to open a mp3, and i didnt have the codex, it would tell me and i would select the codec i wanted and it would do the rest :tongueout:
 
I usually just go right into the Synaptic and install almost all teh GStreamer Codecs i can find. That usually covers all my MP3's and music. Of course now i have some FLAC and some OGG files. So i will haev to see if Ubuntu can play those as well.
 
Plenty of audio conversion tools for Open Source codecs for Linux:
Use this:

Code:
sudo apt-get install soundconverter
 
from what i know,

mp3 is very very lossy, while OGG is lossless ^_^

i dont have many ogg files, but when i got linux i found a few, and then arnt bad in quality at all ^_^

i havent heard of .flac, but this is normal for me (to not know a file type until i have to use it. ^_^
 
FLAC is supposted to be the best followed by OGG and then MP3. The reason i havent changed it yet cause it is only 1 album. While i have so many more to listen to i am not bothered to leave this one alone till i switch it. I will do it eventually...
 
This is what we get while trying to install the codecs:

Cannot install 'audacity'

This application conflicts with other installed software. To install 'audacity' the conflicting software must be removed first.

Switch to the 'synaptic' package manager to resolve this conflict.

Okay this an attempt of installing audacity, software for music, but it says the same for the codecs.
 
It means you have another program installed and audacity or the codecs can't be installed until you remove it.

Run "sudo synaptic" and attempt to install audacity from there, it'll tell you what the conflict is.
 
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