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Steps to add Open DNS in Ubuntu Linux

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:54:37 +0000

Today I faced some DNS issues with my new computer after installing Ubuntu in it. After some basic troubleshooting steps I assigned Open DNS address to my network adapter and the issue is resolved. Open DNS is a smart way to make our browsing fast and reliable. As the name suggests this DNS service is absolutely free and worth a try. Before go to open DNS we need to know a little bit about DNS. As we know DNS is used to convert the domain name of of website to its IP address. For any communication your computer should know the mac address and IP address of the destination (Here web server). MAC address can be obtained from ARP table and if the user type the IP address of the web server computer knows both. If the user type the domain name of the website your computer don’t know the IP address of the destination and the communication will not happen. Here the DNS server helps. DNS helps to resolve the domain name to IP convertion issue and send the destination IP address to the computer.

So it is understood that every computer which connects to the Internet should know the DNS server address. There are many DNS servers available including your ISP’s DNS server. Here I am presenting the steps to assign Open DNS in Ubuntu linux.

To know the stpes to assign DNS address in Windows computer click on the link below.

How to configure DNS address in Windows computer

Assign Open DNS in Ubuntu

The steps to set open DNS in Ubuntu are:

1. Right click on the network symbol

You can see the network icon on the right hand top of the screen.

2. Click on the Edit Connection

3. Now the active network connection window will be opened.

If your computer is connected with an ethernet cable you will get the standard name eth0.

4. Select the connection and click on Edit button

5. On the Edit window click on IPv4 Settings tab

Now on DNS Server enter the Open DNS addresses.

The Open DNS addresses are :

i. 208.67.222.222
ii. 208.67.220.220

Now click Apply and reboot your computer.

Install FFmpeg and x264 on Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 LTS.

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:47:12 +0000

Note: This guide isn’t supported anymore, but it will probably still work.

1. Make sure the Ubuntu universe and multiverse repositories are enabled. For help doing this, refer to Adding the Universe and Multiverse Repositories on the Ubuntu Wiki.

2. Uninstall x264-bin, libx264-dev, and ffmpeg if they are already installed. Open a terminal and run the following:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg x264-bin libx264-dev

3. Next, get all of the packages you will need to install ffmpeg and x264:

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall texi2html libfaac-dev liblame-dev libsdl1.2-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore4-dev zlib1g-dev

4. Install yasm:

Code:

cd
wget http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/releases/yasm-1.0.1.tar.gz
tar xzvf yasm-1.0.1.tar.gz
cd yasm-1.0.1
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=yasm --pkgversion "1.0.1" --backup=no --default

5. Install x264:

Code:

cd
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git
cd ~/x264
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgversion "1:0.cvs`date +%Y%m%d`-0.0ubuntu1" --default

6. Install libopencore-amr. This will allow you to decode and encode AMR audio:

Code:

cd
wget http://transact.dl.sourceforge.net/project/opencore-amr/opencore-amr/0.1.2/opencore-amr-0.1.2.tar.gz
tar xvf opencore-amr-0.1.2.tar.gz
cd opencore-amr-0.1.2
./configure -disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname="libopencore-amr" --pkgversion="0.1.2" --backup=no --default

7. Install libtheora to encode to Theora, the video type usually found in OGG files. The repository libtheora is too old, so it must be compiled. Alternatively, you could skip this step and omit –enable-libtheora in step 8 if you don’t plan on encoding to Theora video:

Code:

sudo apt-get install libogg-dev
cd
wget http://downloads.xiph.org/releases/theora/libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
tar xzvf libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
cd libtheora-1.1.1
./configure --disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=libtheora --pkgversion "1.1.1" --backup=no --default

8. Install ffmpeg:

Code:

cd
svn checkout svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
cd ~/ffmpeg
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-postproc --enable-pthreads --enable-libfaac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-x11grab
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgversion "3:0.cvs`date +%Y%m%d`-5ubuntu1.2" --default
hash x264 ffmpeg

That’s it! Now head back to the FFmpeg guide for usage instructions and more.

To Revert Changes Made by This Guide

Code:

sudo apt-get remove build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall texi2html libfaac-dev liblam

Install FFmpeg and x264 on Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope 9.04 & Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex 8.10

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:45:30 +0000

Get the Dependencies
1. Uninstall x264, libx264-dev, and ffmpeg if they are already installed. Open a terminal and run the following:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg x264 libx264-dev

2. Next, get all of the packages you will need to install FFmpeg and x264 (you may need to enable the universe and multiverse repositories):

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libsdl1.2-dev libvorbis-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore4-dev zlib1g-dev

Install x264
3. Get the most current source files from the official x264 git repository, compile, and install. You can run “./configure –help” to see what features you can enable/disable. If you are behind a firewall or unable to use git, then daily source tarballs are also available.

Code:

cd
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git
cd x264
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=x264 --pkgversion "1:0.svn`date +%Y%m%d`-0.0ubuntu1" --backup=no --default

Install libopencore-amr (optional)
4. This will allow you to decode and encode AMR audio. I recommend skipping this step and omitting –enable-libopencore-amrnb –enable-libopencore-amrwb from step 5 if you are not going to decode or encode AMR audio.

Code:

cd
wget http://transact.dl.sourceforge.net/project/opencore-amr/opencore-amr/0.1.2/opencore-amr-0.1.2.tar.gz
tar xvf opencore-amr-0.1.2.tar.gz
cd opencore-amr-0.1.2
./configure --disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname="libopencore-amr" --pkgversion="0.1.2" --backup=no --default

Install libtheora (optional)
5. This is used to encode to Theora, the video type usually found in OGG files. The repository libtheora is too old, so it must be compiled. I recommend skipping this step and omitting –enable-libtheora in step 5 if you don’t plan on encoding to Theora video:

Code:

sudo apt-get install libogg-dev
cd
wget http://downloads.xiph.org/releases/theora/libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
tar xzvf libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
cd libtheora-1.1.1
./configure --disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=libtheora --pkgversion "1.1.1" --backup=no --default

Install FFmpeg
6. Get the most current source files from the official FFmpeg svn, compile, and install. Run “./configure –help” to see what features you can enable/disable. If you are behind a firewall or unable to use subversion, then nightly FFmpeg snapshots are also available.

Code:

cd
svn checkout svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
cd ffmpeg
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-postproc --enable-pthreads --enable-libfaac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-x11grab
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=ffmpeg --pkgversion "3:0.svn`date +%Y%m%d`-12ubuntu3" --backup=no --default
hash x264 ffmpeg ffplay

That’s it for installation. You can keep the ~/x264 and ~/ffmpeg directories if you later want to update the source files to a new revision. See “Updating Your Installation” on the first page of this guide for more details.

That’s it! Now head back to the FFmpeg guide for usage instructions and more.

Reverting Changes Made by This Tutorial
To remove FFmpeg/x264 and any changes made from this tutorial:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove x264 ffmpeg build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libsdl1.2-dev libopencore-amr libtheora libvorbis-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore4-dev zlib1g-dev

Lastly, delete the ffmpeg and x264 directories in your home folder.

Install FFmpeg and x264 on Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope 9.04

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:42:37 +0000

Install FFmpeg and x264 on Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope 9.04 & Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex 8.10

Get the Dependencies
1. Uninstall x264, libx264-dev, and ffmpeg if they are already installed. Open a terminal and run the following:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg x264 libx264-dev

2. Next, get all of the packages you will need to install FFmpeg and x264 (you may need to enable the universe and multiverse repositories):

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libsdl1.2-dev libvorbis-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore4-dev zlib1g-dev

Code:

cd
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git
cd x264
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=x264 --pkgversion "1:0.svn`date +%Y%m%d`-0.0ubuntu1" --backup=no --default

Code:

cd
wget http://transact.dl.sourceforge.net/project/opencore-amr/opencore-amr/0.1.2/opencore-amr-0.1.2.tar.gz
tar xvf opencore-amr-0.1.2.tar.gz
cd opencore-amr-0.1.2
./configure --disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname="libopencore-amr" --pkgversion="0.1.2" --backup=no --default

Code:

sudo apt-get install libogg-dev
cd
wget http://downloads.xiph.org/releases/theora/libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
tar xzvf libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
cd libtheora-1.1.1
./configure --disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=libtheora --pkgversion "1.1.1" --backup=no --default

Code:

cd
svn checkout svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
cd ffmpeg
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-postproc --enable-pthreads --enable-libfaac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-x11grab
make
sudo checkinstall --fstrans=no --install=yes --pkgname=ffmpeg --pkgversion "3:0.svn`date +%Y%m%d`-12ubuntu3" --backup=no --default
hash x264 ffmpeg ffplay

That’s it! Now head back to the FFmpeg guide for usage instructions and more.

Reverting Changes Made by This Tutorial
To remove FFmpeg/x264 and any changes made from this tutorial:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove x264 ffmpeg build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libsdl1.2-dev libopencore-amr libtheora libvorbis-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore4-dev zlib1g-dev

Lastly, delete the ffmpeg and x264 directories in your home folder.

Install FFmpeg and x264 on Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:39:51 +0000

Get the Dependencies
1. Uninstall x264, libx264-dev, and ffmpeg if they are already installed. Open a terminal and run the following:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg x264 libx264-dev

2. Next, get all of the packages you will need to install FFmpeg and x264 (you may need to enable the universe and multiverse repositories):

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libopencore-amrnb-dev libopencore-amrwb-dev libsdl1.2-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore-dev zlib1g-dev

Install x264
3. Get the most current source files from the official x264 git repository, compile, and install. You can run “./configure –help” to see what features you can enable/disable. Daily source tarballs are also available, and forum member Bachstelze provides x264 Ubuntu packages for anyone who doesn’t want to compile.

Code:

cd
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git
cd x264
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=x264 --pkgversion "1:0.svn`date +%Y%m%d`+`git rev-list HEAD -n 1 | head -c 7`" --backup=no --default

Install libvpx (optional)
4. This is used to encode and decode VP8 video. If you skip this, remove –enable-libvpx from step 6.

Code:

cd
git clone git://review.webmproject.org/libvpx.git
cd libvpx
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=libvpx --pkgversion="`date +%Y%m%d%H%M`-git" --backup=no --default

Install libtheora (optional)
5. This is used to encode to Theora, the video type usually found in OGG/OGV files. The repository libtheora is too old, so it must be compiled. I recommend skipping this step and omitting –enable-libtheora in step 6 if you don’t plan on encoding Theora video:

Code:

sudo apt-get install libogg-dev
cd
wget http://downloads.xiph.org/releases/theora/libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
tar xzvf libtheora-1.1.1.tar.gz
cd libtheora-1.1.1
./configure --disable-shared
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=libtheora --pkgversion "1.1.1" --backup=no --default

Install FFmpeg
6. Get the most current source files from the official FFmpeg SVN, compile, and install. Run “./configure –help” to see what features you can enable/disable. Nightly FFmpeg snapshots are also available.

Code:

cd
svn checkout svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
cd ffmpeg
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-postproc --enable-pthreads --enable-libfaac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-x11grab
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=ffmpeg --pkgversion "4:0.5+svn`date +%Y%m%d`" --backup=no --default
hash x264 ffmpeg ffplay

Now head back to the FFmpeg guide for usage instructions and more.

Reverting Changes Made by This Guide
To remove FFmpeg/x264 and other packages added for this guide:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove x264 ffmpeg build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libogg-dev libsdl1.2-dev libtheora libvpx libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore-dev zlib1g-dev

Lastly, delete the ffmpeg, libtheora, libvpx, and x264 directories in your home folder.

HOWTO: Install and use the latest FFmpeg and x264

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:36:38 +0000

FFmpeg is a versatile tool to encode and decode a multitude of video and audio formats. x264 encodes high-quality video superior to other popular encoders.

Although FFmpeg and x264 are available in the Ubuntu repositories, you may need to compile from source. For example, the ffmpeg-user mailing list requires that you use the latest FFmpeg before asking for help. You may also like to have the bleeding-edge for encoding videos. Also, FFmpeg in the Ubuntu repository may not support necessary encoders, decoders, and formats.

Note: Those who are uncomfortable compiling can still enable restricted encoders in the repository FFmpeg:
HOWTO: Easily enable MP3, MPEG4, AAC, and other restricted encoding in FFmpeg

Choose your Ubuntu
0.The instructions on the page are for Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04. Separate instructions are also available for older releases:

Install the Dependencies
1. Uninstall x264, libx264-dev, and ffmpeg if they are already installed. Open a terminal and run the following:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg x264 libx264-dev

2. Next, get all of the packages you will need to install FFmpeg and x264 (you may need to enable the universe and multiverse repositories):

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libopencore-amrnb-dev libopencore-amrwb-dev libsdl1.2-dev libtheora-dev libvorbis-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore-dev zlib1g-dev

Install x264
3. Get the most current source files, compile, and install. You can run “./configure –help” to see what additional features you can enable/disable. Daily source tarballs are also available, and forum member Bachstelze provides x264 Ubuntu packages for anyone who doesn’t want to compile.

Code:

cd
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git
cd x264
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=x264 --pkgversion "2:0.`grep X264_BUILD x264.h -m1 | cut -d' ' -f3`.`git rev-list HEAD | wc -l`+git`git rev-list HEAD -n 1 | head -c 7`" --backup=no --default

Note: Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat 10.10 users may have to add –fstrans=no to the above checkinstall line.

Install libvpx (optional)
5. This is used to encode and decode VP8 video. If you skip this, remove –enable-libvpx from step 6.

Code:

cd
git clone git://review.webmproject.org/libvpx.git
cd libvpx
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=libvpx --pkgversion="`date +%Y%m%d%H%M`-git" --backup=no --default

Code:

cd
svn checkout svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
cd ffmpeg
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-postproc --enable-pthreads --enable-libfaac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-x11grab
make
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=ffmpeg --pkgversion "4:SVN-r`svn info | grep Revision | awk '{ print $NF }'`" --backup=no --default
hash x264 ffmpeg ffplay

Install qt-faststart (optional)
7. This is a useful tool included with FFmpeg that rearranges a file with H.264 video, “such that the moov atom is in front of the data, thus facilitating network streaming”. Basically, it allows web movies to start playing before they are completely downloaded. Usage: qt-faststart input.foo output.foo.

Code:

cd ~/ffmpeg
make tools/qt-faststart
sudo checkinstall --pkgname=qt-faststart --pkgversion "4:SVN-r`svn info | grep Revision | awk '{ print $NF }'`" --backup=no --default install -D -m755 tools/qt-faststart /usr/local/bin/qt-faststart

That’s it for installation. You can keep the ~/x264 and ~/ffmpeg directories if you later want to update the source files to a new revision. See Updating FFmpeg and x264 below for more details.

Using FFmpeg and x264
The easiest method for high quality video encoding is by using the libx264 presets that are included with FFmpeg. I recommend reading the FFmpeg x264 encoding guide before trying these presets so you have a better idea of what to use. You can add options such as frame size (for example: -s 640×480) or tweak my examples to customize your encode. You can see a current list of all libx264 presets (such as ipod or lossless) or after installation look in the /usr/local/share/ffmpeg directory.

One-pass CRF (Constant Rate Factor) using the slow preset. One-pass CRF is good for general encoding and is what I use most often. Adjust -crf to change the quality. Lower numbers mean higher quality and a larger output file size. A sane range is 18 to 28.

Code:

ffmpeg -i input.avi -acodec libfaac -ab 128k -ac 2 -vcodec libx264 -vpre slow -crf 22 -threads 0 output.mp4

Two-Pass encode using the fast presets. Two-pass encoding is used when you are targeting a specific bitrate and/or final output file size:

Code:

ffmpeg -i input.avi -pass 1 -vcodec libx264 -vpre fast_firstpass -b 512k -bt 512k -threads 0 -f rawvideo -an -y /dev/null && ffmpeg -i input.avi -pass 2 -acodec libfaac -ab 128k -ac 2 -vcodec libx264 -vpre fast -b 512k -bt 512k -threads 0 output.mp4

iPod 640×480 using the slow and ipod640 presets:

Code:

ffmpeg -i input.avi -acodec libfaac -aq 100 -ac 2 -vcodec libx264 -vpre slow -vpre ipod640 -crf 26 -map_meta_data 0:0 -vf scale=640:-1 -threads 0 output.mp4

Updating FFmpeg and x264
Development of FFmpeg and x264 is active and an occasional update can give you new features and bug fixes. To update FFmpeg and x264 you will need to remove the packages, make distclean, update the source, recompile, and install. To update x264:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg x264 libx264-dev
cd ~/x264
make distclean
git pull

Now compile x264 as shown earlier in the guide starting with the x264 ./configure line. Now FFmpeg:

Code:

cd ~/ffmpeg
make distclean
svn update

Now continue with the installation starting with the FFmpeg ./configure line.

Reverting Changes Made by This Guide
To remove FFmpeg/x264 and other packages added for this guide:

Code:

sudo apt-get remove x264 ffmpeg qt-faststart build-essential subversion git-core checkinstall yasm texi2html libfaac-dev libmp3lame-dev libsdl1.2-dev libtheora-dev libvorbis-dev libx11-dev libxfixes-dev libxvidcore-dev zlib1g-dev

Lastly, delete the ffmpeg and x264 directories in your home folder.

Additional Resources

HOWTO: Proper Screencasting on Linux
x264-ffmpeg-up-to-date – bash script to update x264 and ffmpeg
FFmpeg x264 encoding guide
x264 – a free h264/avc encoder
x264 changelog
FFmpeg.org
FFmpeg revision log

If You Need Help
Feel free to ask your questions here and I’ll try to answer you. Helpful information includes your Ubuntu version, names of any third-party repositories or PPAs you are using, FFmpeg command, and the complete FFmpeg output if applicable.

Recent Updates

2010-07-25: Updated the iPod example. -map_meta_data will attempt to copy any metadata such as title from the input to the output, and -vf scale=640:-1 will resize the output to 640 pixels wide and then automatically determine the proper height to preserve the aspect ratio. Replaced -ab 128k with -aq 100 for VBR audio awesomeness (-ab makes CBR). Note: Values for -aq vary amongst encoders, so a value that works for libfaac won’t necessarily work for libmp3lame.

2010-07-19: Changed the FFmpeg pkgversion for the checkinstall command so it works for non-English languages/locales. Thanks to andrew.46 (Reverted until we get it working correctly.)

2010-07-02: Karmic guide updates: Added libvpx. Added libogg-dev to “Reverting Changes…” section. Added ffplay to the hash command. Lucid guide: removed –nodoc from the libvpx checkinstall because it installs without that option now.

HOWTO: Easily enable MP3, MPEG4, AAC, and other restricted encoders in FFmpeg

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:31:01 +0000

A common question is “why doesn’t the repository FFmpeg convert to mp3, aac, mpeg4, etc?”. Ubuntu doesn’t make it very clear to the general user as to why to repo FFmpeg is so limited or how to fix this issue. This is reflected in the number of forum questions relating to this topic.

Why is FFmpeg from the repository so limited?
Legal reasons. Some software is limited due to geographical differences in software patents, legal restrictions on free speech, and restrictions on certain technologies. Ubuntu sidesteps these legal restrictions by not including some restricted packages by default. Users must install these packages on their own. See Restricted Formats Ubuntu Community Documentation and FFmpeg License and Legal Considerations for more details.

How do I fix FFmpeg?
There are several options:

A. Compile FFmpeg yourself
B. Install the unstripped or extra libraries
C. Medibuntu

A. Compiling FFmpeg yourself (for all Ubuntu versions)
The official FFmpeg answer is to compile it yourself, giving you the power to get what you want with the bug-fixes, enhancements, and benefits of the most recent FFmpeg revision. This is an excellent solution and is explained here:

HOWTO: Install and use the latest FFmpeg and x264

This is the option that I personally use, and although it is not too hard, compiling may not be for everyone for a variety of reasons. Off to the other options…

B. Installing the unstripped or extra libraries
This is the quickest option for most users. FFmpeg from the repository does not include many restricted encoders, formats, and codecs which may include: H.263, aac (libfaac), mp3 (libmp3lame), H.264 (libx264), xvid (libxvid), and mpeg4. You can fix this by installing the unstripped or extra (Ubuntu Karmic renamed unstripped to extra) FFmpeg libraries that will enable these restricted encoders. Open up Terminal and enter:

Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04 & Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10

Code:

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg libavcodec-extra-52

Note: The libavcodec-extra-52 package for Lucid and Karmic do not support AAC or AMR formats. I recommend using libavcodec-extra-52 from the Medibuntu repository. See option C. Medibuntu.

Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope 9.04

Code:

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg libavcodec-unstripped-52

Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex 8.10

Code:

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg libavcodec-unstripped-51

Alternatively, you can search for these packages in the Synaptic Package Manager.

C. Medibuntu
This option is available for Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04, Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10 and Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04. Medibuntu is a third-party repository that contains packages that are unable to be included in the official Ubuntu repositories. To install FFmpeg from Medibuntu open Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) and run the following:

Code:

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

This huge command (adapted from Medibuntu – Community Ubuntu Documentation) will install the repository information to your computer then update and authenticate the new repository. Now install FFmpeg:

Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04 & Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10

Code:

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg libavcodec-extra-52

Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04

Code:

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

That’s it. Now you have a non-crippled version of FFmpeg. See some usage examples at the FFmpeg x264 encoding guide.

Undoing Changes Made By This Guide
B. Uninstalling the unstripped or extra libraries

Code:

sudo apt-get remove ffmpeg libavcodec-*-5*

C. Uninstalling FFmpeg and the Medibuntu Repository

Code:

sudo apt-get autoremove ffmpeg medibuntu-keyring && sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

Removing multiple Ubuntu boot entries

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:57:08 +0000

If you are dual-booting Ubuntu with Windows you will have a bootmenu that allows you to select between the two systems.

When you first install Ubuntu you only have 3 options: Ubuntu , Ubuntu mem test and Windows XP/Vista/whatever.

Over time, when you upgrade Ubuntu, you can start to get multiple copies of the Ubuntu and Mem test options. This is a pain, particularly because the default option may no longer be what you want.

Luckily, fixing this is easy. Follow these steps:

1. Press Alt+F2. This brings up the Run application dialog.

2. In the dialog, type: gksudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst. This launches an editor to let you change the menu.lst file.

3. If prompted, enter your administrator password.

4. Once the editor has loaded, press Ctrl+f to open the find dialog.

5. Type howmany in the find dialog.

6. Look for the line in the file that reads howmany=all and change it to read howmany=1

7. Save the changed file and exit the editor.

8. That’s it. Next time you boot you will have only one Ubuntu option, one Mem test option and any Windows options.

Switching out of fullscreen mode in rdesktop

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:57:08 +0000

rdesktop is a Remote Desktop Protocol client for linux – it enables you to remote desktop to a Windows machine.

It was difficult to find the keyboard shortcut for switching rdesktop in and out of fullscreen mode so I’m blogging this here so that others may find it (and to remind myself as I’m bound to forget).

The keyboard shortcut to toggle full screen mode in rdesktop is CTRL-ALT-RETURN

Ubuntu announces Hardy Heron release

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:57:08 +0000

The Ubuntu team have announced that the release to follow Gutsy Gibbon (v7.10) is Hardy Heron (v8.04). Gutsy is due for release in October 2007 and Hardy is pencilled in for April 2008.

The Heron release will also include Long Term Support (LTS) – this guarantees security updates for the server version for 5 years after release and the desktop version for 3 years.