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How To Install All The Packages You Need To Play Audio/Video Files On Ubuntu 13.04

Here is a guide to install all the needed packages that you need to play audio/video files. To play audio/video files you need to install the Medibuntu packages and the ubuntu-restricted-extras and you will need a media player. In this guide you will also find the command lines to install VLC, XBMC and Audacious using a terminal window. I also added some information about the Medibuntu packages, the ubuntu-restricted-extras, VLC, XBMC and Audacious.


Install the Medibuntu keyring:

The following bash command adds Medibuntu’s repository to Ubuntu. It also adds Medibuntu’s GPG key to your keyring, which is needed to authenticate the Medibuntu packages. To add the Medibuntu repository open a terminal window (press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy+paste the following line:

sudo -E wget --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/$(lsb_release -cs).list && sudo apt-get --quiet update && sudo apt-get --yes --quiet --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get --quiet update

Medibuntu’s repository is deactivated by upgrading to a newer Ubuntu release, so you should run this command again after the release upgrade.

You may also wish to add the following packages. The first will cause many apps from the Medibuntu repository to appear in Ubuntu Software Center (Ubuntu 9.10+) or Add/Remove Applications (versions prior to 9.10). The second will allow users to generate crash reports against Medibuntu packages and submit them to the Medibuntu bugtracker. To add the packages copy+paste the following lines in your terminal window:

sudo apt-get install app-install-data-medibuntu apport-hooks-medibuntu


Medibuntu’s repository comprises two components: free and non-free. The free component contains Free software, whose source code is distributed under an open source licence.

Software in the free component is not distributed by Ubuntu because of legal issues with that software in certain countries. Some software –such as mplayer – is distributed by Ubuntu but with certain functionality taken away, again because of legal issues. Medibuntu distributes this kind of software with that functionality in place.

The non-free component contains software whose source code is not distributed under an open source licence. “Non-Free” refers to freedom and not to price. Software in the non-free component is not distributed by Ubuntu because the software’s licence restricts how it can be distributed.

To remove the Non-Free software copy+paste the following line in your terminal window:

sudo sed -e 's/ non-free//' -i /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list && sudo apt-get update



The ubuntu-restricted-extras.

ubuntu-restricted-extras is a software package for the computer operating system Ubuntu that allows the user to install essential software which is not already included due to legal or copyright reasons. It is a meta-package that installs: Support for MP3 and unencrypted DVD playback, Microsoft TrueType core fonts, Flash plugin and codecs for common audio and video files

To install the ubuntu-restricted-extras copy+paste the following line in your terminal window:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras


The ubuntu-restricted-extras is a metapackage and has the following dependencies: flashplugin-installer, gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg, gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3, gstreamer0.10-pitfdll, gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad, gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly, gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse, gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse, icedtea6-plugin, libavcodec-extra-52, libmp4v2-0, ttf-mscorefonts-installer, unrar. As of Ubuntu 10.10, several of these dependencies are included indirectly, through another metapackage called ubuntu-restricted-addons.


Install VLC media player.

VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols. Simple, fast and powerful media player. VLC plays everything: Files, Discs, Webcams, Devices and Streams. It plays most codecs with no codec packs needed: MPEG-2, DivX, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, MP3 and more.

You can install VLC by adding the VLC Daily Build of stable branch PPA. To add the PPA and install VLC copy+paste the following line in your terminal window:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:videolan/stable-daily -y
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install vlc -y

To start VLC press the SuperKey and type: vlc


Install XBMC Mediaplayer/Entertainment Center.

XBMC is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media. While XBMC functions very well as a standard media player application for your computer, it has been designed to be the perfect companion for your Home Theater PC. Supporting an almost endless range of remote controls, and combined with its beautiful interface and powerful skinning engine, XBMC feels very natural to use from the couch and is the ideal solution for your home theater.

Currently XBMC can be used to play almost all popular audio and video formats around. It was designed for network playback, so you can stream your multimedia from anywhere in the house or directly from the internet using practically any protocol available. Use your media as-is: XBMC can play CDs and DVDs directly from the disk or image file, almost all popular archive formats from your hard drive, and even files inside ZIP and RAR archives. It will even scan all of your media and automatically create a personalized library complete with box covers, descriptions, and fanart. There are playlist and slideshow functions, a weather forecast feature and many audio visualizations. Once installed, your computer will become a fully functional multimedia jukebox.

Please note that to use XBMC you need to have the drivers for your video card installed. You can install XBMC by adding the XBMC for Linux team PPA. To add the PPA and install XBMC copy+paste the following lines in your terminal window:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa -y
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install xbmc -y

To start XBMC press the SuperKey and type: xbmc


Install Audacious.

Audacious is an open source audio player. A descendant of XMMS, Audacious plays your music how you want it, without stealing away your computer’s resources from other tasks. Drag and drop folders and individual song files, search for artists and albums in your entire music library, or create and edit your own custom playlists. Listen to CD’s or stream music from the Internet. Tweak the sound with the graphical equalizer or experiment with LADSPA effects. Enjoy the modern GTK-themed interface or change things up with Winamp Classic skins. Use the plugins included with Audacious to fetch lyrics for your music, to set an alarm in the morning, and more.

You can install Audacious from the Ubuntu Software Center, to open the software center press the SuperKey and type software center. Click on the search result and the software center will start. In the search field type: audacious, to install Audacious click on the Install button, enter your password to authenticate the installation and wait until the installation is finished. If you want to read more about Audacious double click on the More Info button. When the installation is finished close the software center, to start Audacious press the SuperKey and type: audacious.

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