How to Install FFMPEG 3.1.3 in Ubuntu 16.04 via PPA

Last updated: September 16, 2016

FFMPEG

The popular FFmpeg multimedia library has reached the 3.1.3 release. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 16.04 / 14.04 via PPA.

FFmpeg 3.1 features:

  • DXVA2-accelerated HEVC Main10 decoding for Windows
  • a variety of new filters
  • MediaCodec H.264 decoding
  • new muxers/demuxers
  • VA-API accelerated H.264/HEVC/MJPEG encoding
  • an OpenMAX IL encoder with support for the Raspberry Pi
  • OpenEXR other improvements.

Install FFmpeg 3.1.3 via PPA:

J Fernyhough is maintaining a PPA with FFmpeg 3.1.3 packages for Ubuntu 14.04 and Ubuntu 16.04.

1. Open terminal and run command to add PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/ffmpeg-3

2. To upgrade from a previous release, just launch Software Updater and upgrade the software libraries after checking for updates.

Or run the commands below in terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg libav-tools x264 x265

After installation, run ffmpeg in terminal to get the version info and build details.

How to restore:

To restore and downgrade FFmpeg to the stock version in Ubuntu 16.04, purge the ppa via ppa-purge:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:jonathonf/ffmpeg-3

Twitter

I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |

2 responses to How to Install FFMPEG 3.1.3 in Ubuntu 16.04 via PPA

  1. I’ve tried these instructions, but get the following error with Linux Mint 18 (Ubuntu 16.04):

    ffmpeg: relocation error: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libavutil.so.55: symbol vaCreateSurfaces, version VA_API_0.33.0 not defined in file libva.so.1 with link time reference

    Any ideas?

  2. How can i install filters? I’m getting:
    [AVFilterGraph @ 0x55efa40fe400] No such filter: ‘vidstabdetect’