SilverBear's Guide to Enabling Multimedia in Mepis 6.x
Beware:
Patent and copyright laws operate differently depending on where you live. For example certain ways of circumventing Content Scramble System (CSS) aren't currently legal in USA. This guide is provided as information for those living in places where following these steps is not illegal, and the where distribution of some software is not outlawed without relevant permits, licenses or contracts. It is up to you to determine the legality of following these steps, as up-to-date information cannot be provided here concerning all the various legal jurisdictions of the world.
I am not a lawyer, but I do advise you to keep your sweet seat out of trouble. For more information about some of these issues, see this link to Harvard Law School:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/openlaw/DVD/dvd-discuss-faq.html
1: WARNING! This only applies to the 32-bit ["traditional"] version of Mepis 6.0 and 6.5.
2: Users of the 64-bit version?
Sorry. I don't know for sure. See: MEPIS Wiki: Install 32 bit packages on 64 bit system
Please advise me if you have success, and I will include your instructions on this page, with all due credit.
3: Maybe you should upgrade your OS?
I advise you upgrade to the 7.0 version of MEPIS Linux. Be advised there are several important differences, and you cannot upgrade via Synaptic; you must do a new installation. Version 6.0 and 6.5 are based on Ubuntu 6.04, whereas version 7.0 returns Mepis to it's traditional Debian base: in this case, Debian Stable 4.0 “Etch.”
If you do not wish to change to MEPIS 7.0. here is an update of my old page for Mepis versions 6.x Read the above “Beware” section before proceeding.
For MEPIS Linux 7.0 users: you're on the wrong page. Look in the drop-down menu at the left for the Mepis 7.0 version of this page.
The 5 Steps
Step 1: Open a Terminal window as Root.
Since the quickest way to finish the rest of these steps is through the CLI [Command Line Interface, AKA Konsole or terminal]
Close Synaptic if it is open, and open a terminal window with Konsole: KMenu > System > Terminal Program [Konsole]
You will most likely get a terminal window with a system prompt like this, with your username and computer name:
silverbear@klingon:~$
The colon is followed by two symbols: the tilde indicates you are logged in to your home directory, and the $ indicates you are logged in as a regular user. In order to get root status, issue the superuser command and enter the root password when prompted.
su
That ought to give you a system prompt that looks like this:
root@klingon:/home/silverbear#
Now you are doing business as root, still logged into your regular-user home directory, and the # sign shows that you have root powers.
Step 2: Get the PGP Keys to Debian Multimedia Repository
You have two choices :
2a] With dpkg :
First, in your browser download the debian-multimedia-keyring. package by hand (right click and Save Link As...) and install the package with this command in your root terminal window:
dpkg -i debian-multimedia-keyring_2007.02.14_all.deb
2b] With apt-get :
apt-get install debian-multimedia-keyring
. . .And ignore the apt-get warnings about the missing GPG key.
With either method, the Debian Multimedia GPG archive key will be installed on your computer.
The above choices are copied from the debian-multimedia.org website. Silverbear recommends method #2.
Leave your root terminal window open. You'll need it again in Step 4.
Step 3: Enable a Debian-Multimedia.org Repository Mirror
3a] Browse to: http://www.debian-multimedia.org/debian-m.php
[highlight, copy and then paste to a new browser window or tab]
3b] Find the URL of a mirror nearest you [same continent is close enough!]
3c] Highlight and copy the URL line that starts "deb" not "deb-src." Just copy the http://mirror.home-dn.net/debian-multimedia part, not the words "deb" or "stable main"
3d] In Synaptic's Menu Bar, go to Settings > Repositories
3e] With your mouse, grab with a left-cick the lower-right corner of the new Repositories window and enlarge it across most of your screen so you can see everything.
3f] At the bottom left, click New. The greyed-out text boxes will lighten. In the URI line, paste the URL you copied from the Mirrors list in step 3c.
3g] In the Distibution: line, type stable
3h] In the Section(s): line type main
3i] Make certain that the tab above the URI line reads Binary (deb) and not Source (deb-src)
3j] Click OK at the bottom, and Synaptic will enter this info into the apt.sources list
3k] You will be advised that you need to reload the sources, which have just changed. Do so by clicking on the yin-yang arrows that say Reload in the Synaptic main window's tool bar [upper left].
Step 4: Install the right codecs and utilities
Note: there is another way to do this, via Synaptic. But since SilverBear Linux is about doing things the most efficient way, this is a great opportunity to experience the power of Linux: the GUI point-and-click method not the easiest or quickest for this job. And since success breeds success, this is a great intro to the Command Line if you've not used it before. From here, you will go on to be a Linux PowerUser!
The easiest way to tell a computer what to do is issue the right commands, and let it do the work. Some of these commands have been translated into a visual, graphic approach, known as “point-and-click.” While this method, pioneered by Apple Computers, is a great asset, it is currently the case in Apple, Microsoft, and Linux operating systems that NOT ALL of the necessary commands to subdue the Silicon-life-form Wild Beast on your desktop are available in GUI, point-and-click style.
Warning repeat: Be advised, again, that some totalitarian governments forbid some of these multimedia packages. It is your responsibility to google each of them, and to determine for yourself whether or not your self-styled masters permit you to install these packages on your computer. These instructions are for general educational purposes only, and ought to be actually used only by free people living in free lands. I am not advocating them for use where they are not permitted! An important part of SilverBear Linux is being free, not being in prison or struggling with a life-crushing fine.
4.1] Copy and paste the following list of packages into a text file with KWrite. Save it as debian-multimedia-install.txt in your user home directory.
dvdauthor install dvdbackup install dvdrtools install dvd+rw-tools install flashplugin-nonfree install k9copy install libmad0 install lame install lame-extras install libavifile-0.7c2 install libdvdcss2 install libdvdnav4 install libdvdplay0 install libdvdread3 install liblame0 install libxine1-ffmpeg install mencoder install msttcorefonts install transcode install vamps install w32codecs install
Issue these 3 commands, in this order:
apt-get update dpkg --set-selections </home/your-username/debian-multimedia-install.txt apt-get dselect-upgrade
The first command may take a minute or two to finish. It updates the list of available packages, since you have changed your list of package repositories. The second command activates dpackage with the list of packages contained in your new text file. The third command instructs apt-get to install these, and only these. If a package is already installed on your system, it will be ignored, not re-installed.
Step 5: Multimedia in Firefox
For me on MEPIS 7.0, Youtube, BBC videos and CNN videos all work without this additional step. It used to be necessary in earlier version of MEPIS [and Ubuntu] using Firefox, so I include it “just in case.”
5a] If you also want to play multimedia in the Firefox web browser you may probably need to edit [as root] this file: /etc/mplayerplug-in.conf Set the following options:
- enable-smil=1
- enable-helix=1
- enable-rm=1
- enable-mpeg=1
- enable-ogg=1
- enable-wmp=1
- enable-qt=1
- enable-gmp=1
- double=yes
- zoom=yes
5b] All done! Contribute a dollar, pound, euro, yen, yuan or shekel to mepis.org if this works well for you!
Internet Explorer?