Playing Restricted Formats

Follow these steps to play most common multimedia formats, including MP3, DVD, Flash, Quicktime, WMA and WMV, including both standalone files and content embedded in web pages.

Ubuntu 8.04

Synaptic

• Go to Applications → Add/Remove...




• Set Show: to All available applications

• Search for ubuntu-restricted-extras and install it. Note that there is also xubuntu-restricted-extras and kubuntu-restricted-extras.

Or open the Terminal, and execute the following command:

• sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
    

Ubuntu 7.10

Synaptic

• Go to Applications → Add/Remove...

• Set Show: to All available applications

• Search for ubuntu-restricted-extras and install it. Note that there is also xubuntu-restricted-extras and kubuntu-restricted-extras.

Or open the Terminal, and execute the following command:

• sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
    

Ubuntu 7.04

• Click Applications → Add/Remove. In the top right, change the setting to All available applications. Then select Other in the left panel and then select the Ubuntu restricted extras package. Click OK.

• To play most DVDs you'll need the libdvdcss2 package. This package is available using Medibuntu. This is a third party package, and not supported by Canonical.

Note: If DVD playback fails, and you've never played any DVD before on your system, you may need the regionset package to initially set the drive's region.

• Some external codecs may be needed in order to play certain proprietary formats such as Apple Quicktime or RealVideo. These external codecs are available in the third-party repository of Medibuntu.

Ubuntu 6.06 and 6.10

Install the following packages to play most proprietary formats using the Totem and Rhythmbox applications, both of which are included in Ubuntu by default. Since the version of Totem that comes with Ubuntu does not yet play DVDs, the list below also includes packages for the GXine and Ogle players, which do.

• Ensure the relevant repositories are enabled. Click System → Administration → Synaptic Package Manager → Settings → Repositories and then click Add. Check the Community maintained (Universe) and Non-free (Multiverse) boxes, click Add. Close the Software Repository window, and click Reload in Synaptic Package Manager.

• Install the packages. While you could install packages individually using Synaptic, here is one case where any Ubuntu user can save a lot of time by using the command line. Quit out of Synaptic, then click Application → Accessories → Terminal and paste the following command:

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-pitfdll gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse gxine libxine-main1 libxine-extracodecs ogle ogle-gui

• To play most DVDs you'll need the libdvdcss2 package. This package is available using Medibuntu. This is a third party package, and not supported by Canonical.

Note: If DVD playback fails, and you've never played any DVD before on your system, you may need the regionset package to initially set the drives region.