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Enable DVD Playback in Ubuntu in Two Commands
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 12:00 AM on January 30, 2008
Most guides and tutorials for Ubuntu newcomers can help you get commercial DVDs playing on your system, but only through a series of terminal commands that install new repositories or through the use of Automatix or other automated tools that can sometimes mess up your system's dependencies. How-to site Tech-Recipes.com has been on a bit of a Linux streak lately and ferrets out a two-command, no-repository solution for installing DVD playback. Enter these in your terminal:
sudo apt-get install totem-xine libxine1-ffmpeg libdvdread3
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
hackle577
Posted 1:37 AM 30/1/08
Personally, I prefer going the Medibuntu route. I've never had a problem with it, and from what I gather in the Ubuntu Forums, it's pretty safe, although YMMV of course.
To the Ubuntu Wiki article on playing DVDs:
[help.ubuntu.com]
hackle577
nova20
Posted 2:36 AM 30/1/08
What if I want to play dvds using mplayer? I prefer it to totem/xine for the keyboard shortcuts and clean interface. When you're using totem you have to be extra careful not to move the mouse, lest you awaken the dvd controls panel, which will pop up and stay on the screen forever.
nova20
Confuzius
Posted 3:37 AM 30/1/08
Anything on making DVD-Backups?
Confuzius
kobewan
Posted 6:38 AM 30/1/08
Wouldn't
sudo apt-get install vlc
also work just as well?
kobewan
serak
Posted 6:38 AM 30/1/08
@CONFUZIUS: They did this a while back; K9copy is a good Linux alternative to DVDShrink.
serak
grantkemp
Posted 6:38 AM 30/1/08
The day I start using Ubuntu is the day that they abolish all this command line junk. I can just imagine my mother calling me up on the phone asking why here dvd player didn't work and me having to explain the above to her...
Not going to happen, see windows 95
grantkemp
nikoPSK
Posted 7:38 AM 30/1/08
tech recipes always has great stuff.
nikoPSK
bugmenot21
Posted 7:38 AM 30/1/08
GRANTKEMP
You can do all of this through synaptic. The command lines is there because it's faster. Your argument is old.
bugmenot21
infmom
Posted 9:36 AM 30/1/08
Hmmm... I typed it in as stated, but it didn't work. Wonder what I did wrong?
infmom
Fifthwind
Posted 9:36 AM 30/1/08
I ran into an interesting misconception while trying to explain this to a windows user. They thought you had to run command lines such as the one above EVERY time you wanted to view a DVD. "That's too much hassle every time I stick in a DVD". People, this is a one-time command, and then your good on DVD's forever. 10 seconds out of your life.
Fifthwind
infmom
Posted 9:36 AM 30/1/08
@grantkemp: Your mother is probably a lot smarter than you give her credit for. I wouldn't have a problem telling my mother (78 and a relative newbie computer user) to type that stuff.
All this point-and-click stuff is what's made people think they're stupid. Take it from someone whose first computer was an IBM mainframe that ate punch cards.
infmom
foxmajik
Posted 12:36 PM 30/1/08
Interestingly, I've never been so media hungry that I couldn't wait to get home to watch a movie. So really, there's no point in going to all the trouble.
foxmajik