UbuntuHandbook

Ubuntu 15.04: Install Media Codecs & Enable DVD Playback

Last updated: April 25, 2016

After installing the new Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet, one of the top things to do is to install audio/video codecs and enable DVD playback.

Due to legal constraints in many countries, Ubuntu does not include these codecs to play mp3, movies, and DVDs out-of-the-box. But we can easily get them from the default repositories through Ubuntu Software Center.

1. Install the codecs to play common audio and video file formats:

Open Ubuntu Software Center, search for and install ubuntu-restricted-extras package. After that, you should be able to play your musics and movies through the default multi-players.

2 The previous step also installs libdvdread4, library to read DVDs. If not, install it from Ubuntu Software Center.

3. To play encrypted DVDs, you also need the libdvdcss2 library by installing it via below command in terminal:

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

You may need to set the region code for DVD drive if it is still not working, by running below command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install regionset && sudo regionset

In Howtos play encrypted DVD

Install Multimedia Codecs, Enable DVD Playback in Ubuntu 14.10

Last updated: September 29, 2014

Due to legal constraints in many countries, Ubuntu does not include multimedia codecs to play mp3, movies, and DVDs out-of-the-box.

This quick tutorial will show you how to manually install the multimedia codecs to enable playback audio, video, DVDs in Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic.

Install Multimedia Codecs:

There is a package “Ubuntu restricted extras” available in Ubuntu Software Center. Installing it will pull in support for MP3 playback and decoding, support for various other audio & video formats such as mp4, avi, rmvb, wmv and more, Microsoft fonts, Flash plugin, LAME (to create compressed audio files), and DVD playback.

To install the package, just click the link below to bring up Ubuntu Software Center and click the install button:

install ubuntu-restricted-extras

During the installing process, you will be asked to accept the EULA license terms.

Tip: If you get a warning dialog says “to install ubuntu restricted extras, these items must be removed”, just click the ignore because -extra versions of these libraries will be installed instead, to provide additional functionality.

Enable DVD Playback:

After installed the package above, you should be able to play normal DVDs. But for playing encrypted DVDs, libdvdread4 and libdvdcss2 are also required.

Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, paste the commands below to install libdvdread4:

sudo apt-get install libdvdread4

The package provides a simple script to download & install libdvdcss2, to run the script:

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

If you can’t get the libdvdcss2 package from the script, download & install,

libdvdcss2_1.2.13-0_amd64.deb for 64-bit Ubuntu.
libdvdcss2_1.2.13-0_i386.deb for 32-bit ubuntu.

from the page: download.videolan.org/ubuntu/utopic

When done, you should be able to playback (and navigate DVD menus) in most video applications, including the default Totem and VLC media player..

In Howtos multimedia, play encrypted DVD, Ubuntu 14.10

How to Enable DVD Playback in Ubuntu 14.04

Last updated: May 19, 2014

Want to play DVDs on your Ubuntu Desktop? Well, Ubuntu can’t play DVDs out of the box for a whole tangle of legal reasons. But you can follow this tutorial to enable DVD playback in Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr.

1. Buy Fluendo DVD Player:

Fluendo DVD Player is a software application specially designed to reproduce DVD on Linux/Unix platforms, which provides end users with high quality standards.

The following features are provided:

Full DVD Playback
DVD Menu support
Fullscreen support
Dolby Digital pass-through
Dolby Digital 5.1 output and stereo downmixing support
Resume from last position support
Subtitle support
Audio selection support
Multiple Angles support
Support for encrypted discs
Multiregion, works in all regions
Multiple video deinterlacing algorithms

The Ubuntu Software Center sells Fluendo DVD Player for $24.95:

2. Enable DVD Playback in Ubuntu:

Don’t want to pay? Thanks to the open-source software libdvdread, it provides the library to read DVDs in Ubuntu Linux.

To install it, open Ubuntu Software Center and search for and install the package libdvdread4 and libdvdnav4.

After that, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run:

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

This script will allow you to play encrypted DVDs in Ubuntu.

UPDATE: Since Medibuntu is no longer available, you have to install libdvdcss2 repository manually. Download it from the link below:

32 bit libdvdcss2

64 bit libdvdcss2

Once installed, you’ll be able to playback and navigate DVD menus in most video applications, including the default Totem and VLC.

In Howtos enable DVD playback, play encrypted DVD, Ubuntu 14.04

Enable DVD playback and install multimedia codecs in Ubuntu 13.10

Last updated: August 4, 2013

This simple tutorial shows you how to enable DVD playback and install multimedia codecs in Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, so that you can play encrypted DVDs, wmv, mpeg, mp3, divx, and more with the default player.

All you need to to is run below commands in terminal one by one and then restart your computer to take effect.

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run below commands to install multi-media codecs:

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg libxine1-ffmpeg gxine mencoder libdvdread4 totem-mozilla icedax tagtool easytag id3tool lame nautilus-script-audio-convert libmad0 mpg321 gstreamer1.0-libav

Then run command to install libdvdcss2 to enable DVD playback:

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

Done.

In Howtos install multimedia codecs ubuntu 13.10, play encrypted DVD, Ubuntu 13.10

How to Play Encrypted DVDs on Ubuntu 13.10, 13.04

Last updated: July 9, 2013

This brief tutorial will show you how to install DVD decryption library to enable DVD playback on Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy, 13.04 Raring. Due to legal reasons, Ubuntu doesn’t play normal or encrypted DVDs by default.

For easy, you can install Fluendo DVD player which is specially designed to reproduce DVD on Linux. It costs $24.95.

For free, you can enable this feature by installing the libdvdcss2 package which is available in medibuntu repository. But the maintainer will stop maintaining the Medibuntu repository, the repository will stay on line as is for a while.

Legal Warning: Check with your local laws to make sure usage of libdvdcss2 would be legal in your area.

1.) Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal, run command to install libdvdread4 and vlc:

sudo apt-get install libdvdread4 vlc

2.) Then download and install libdvdcss2 by running below script:

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

After reboot, VLC media player should play DVD movies.