How to install multimedia codecs

There are legal and other issues, which cause Canonical to make the decision not to place in the default installation of ubuntu, certain packages and some of those packages are closely linked with codecs that we will need to install to improve the performance of our ubuntu.


As a first measure we will open synaptic, which we can execute by typing from the console, the following command line:

sudo synaptic

After this, the system will ask us for the password of our user, after entering it we will be in synaptic.

In synaptic we go to Configuration> Repositories and there we verify that the following are active repositories:

Universe> Restricted> Multiverse

These options are those that appear in parentheses at the end of the explanatory line of each check box, which can be seen in the following image.

If the check boxes are not marked as in this image, please mark them and then accept.

Now we open a console and paste the following command line:

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras

This line allows the installation of the packages extra restrictive of ubuntu among which are the codecs to support java, mp3, Divx, and a long etc.

Now only the medibuntu codecs.

Medibuntu is a repository where we can find some applications and codecs which are not installed by default in Karmic.

-We add the MEDIBUNTU repository:

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/karmic.list --output-document = / etc / apt / sources.list.d / medibuntu.list

-We import the GPG key:

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install medibuntu-keyring && sudo aptitude update

Now we can install a few new packages:

For DVD playback we execute:

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 sudo apt-get install libdvdread4

Then, from the console we write (optional):

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

To install Windows codecs, Real Networks, Quick Time, and others:

In Ubuntu 9.10 32 bits we execute:

$ sudo apt-get install w32codecs

In Ubuntu 9.10 64 bits we execute:

sudo apt-get install w64codecs

Install other additional codecs:

sudo aptitude install non-free-codecs

From now on we can also install other proprietary software such as Adobe or Skype from the medibuntu repository.

sudo aptitude install skype sudo aptitude install acroread

I recommend visiting the MEDIBUNTU page to see instructions on other platforms. There are those who recommend the installation of flash player, but Karmic koala comes with gnash installed by default and I must say that it impersonates flash player very well and is free and open source.


2 comments, leave yours

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  1.   Alexander said

    Very good tutorial. Note that you wrote codecs in the command and it should go codecs, without accent.

    Thank you very much, I needed you to see a DVD!

  2.   Let's use Linux said

    "Codec" does have an accent in Spanish. Wikipedia says so: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec
    Anyway, thanks for commenting and I'm very glad to know that I was able to help you with your problem! =)