Multimedia Fixes for Hardy and Intrepid!

Ah, multimedia...who doesn't enjoy a nice DVD movie, or a relaxing thrash metal/screamo CD...um...bad example...lol! Anyways, if you're a music/video lover like me, you'll probably be very, very disappointed when you first fire up Ubuntu.

This is because Ubuntu can't come bundled with mp3, DVD encoding/decoding/playing features by default due to copyrights and stupid laws. Anyways, this can easily be solved in a few steps...So come on, let's try it out shall we?...

First, once you have a fresh install of Ubuntu running, and you want mp3 and music playback in general you must make sure your sound and video cards are being used correctly. Once you have everything set, you should open Synaptic (System>Administration>Synaptic package manager". Then search for:

ubuntu-restricted-extras

Install it and then your music, java and flash should work. But DVDs are still missing, or at least they play choppy and gross...Don't panic! Since you already have Synaptic open search for:

libdvdcss2
libdvdread3

and install them. (A faster way to install these packages is by typing: sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras libdvdcss2 libdvdread3 in to a terminal.) Once you've installed those two, it might be a good idea to reboot the computer. Everytime you install or remove packages, programs and things that have something to do with configurations you must restart to avoid ugly messes.

Ok, now that your computer rebooted, it might be a good idea to install VLC via Synaptic. This little program can cover all your music, video, DVD needs in a neatly and smooth way.

These fixes work on both Hardy Heron and Intrepid Ibex, I've tested both versions and I can assure you these fixes work. But in case they don't just post as comment below and I'll be more than happy to help. So don't be shy!

Hope this helped someone! NOTE: I've covered all of this before, I just wanted to compile everything in a single post to help people find the answers to their questions quicker.
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A Few Intrepid Fixes!

Well, as I've said before I'm running Intrepid Ibex and there are a few bugs going on. I found a few bugs more, but luckily they can be fixed, at least until the big and shiny Final Release comes out!

Ok, first, remember cGmail?...well sadly it doesn't play nice with Intrepid and doesn't want to autostart with every session. But I found a rather easy workaround for this. Simply go to System>Preferences>Sessions and click "+Add" then on the pop-up windows that'll show you just type:

Name: cGmail
Command: cgmailservice
Comment: Yay!!! cGmail works again!!!

And you're good to go! It's worth noting that if you just type "cgmail" on the command box, you'll only get an instance of cGmail's preferences at startup. It's important to put "cgmailservice" (without quotes) on that box!

Another thing about Intrepid is that Compiz comes bundled with it...and I really don't remember if it also did on hardy, but anyways, you'll get all the Compiz goodness but no way to activate and modify plugins and effects...Have no fear! Just open up a Terminal (Applications>Accessories>Terminal) and type this in:

sudo apt-get install fusion-icon

And then add it to Sessions like you did with cGmail, but in the command box type:

fusion-icon

This way you'll get a neat icon on your notification area that lets you modify effects and it'll startup automatically on each session...cool huh?!

And last but not least! If you're having Multimedia trouble like not being able to play DVDs or Mp3 files, just go to Synaptic and search & download:

"ubuntu-restricted-extras", "libdvdread3", and "libdvdcss2".

Or optionally open up a Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras libdvdread3 libdvdcss2

This is exactly the same thing you should do on Hardy too! Gladly it works like a charm here on Intrepid as well!

Well that's it for today! I hope this helped someone out!

Have a nice weekend!
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