Install all the multimedia playback codecs you’ll ever need in ubuntu

Install all the multimedia playback codecs you’ll ever need

Ubuntu will install the codecs you need for a multimedia file whenever you try to play it. The problem is that you have to be online for this to work. What if you’ve just installed Ubuntu and are about to hop on a plane, with the intention of watching movies during the journey? To
install all the usual codecs before leaving the house, click Applications → Add/Remove and then, in the Show dropdown list, select All Available Applications. Ensure All is selected in the list on the left, and then use

the Search box to search for gstreamer. In the list of results, put a check
alongside the following—once done, click the Apply Changes button:

GStreamer extra plugins
GStreamer ffmpeg video plugin
Ubuntu restricted extras
GStreamer plugins for mms, wavpack, quicktime, musepack
GStreamer plugins for aac, xvid, mpeg2, faad
GStreamer fluendo MPEG2 demuxing plugin

Once the software is installed (it may take some time, and you might have to agree to one or two license agreements that will pop-up), click the Close button in the dialog that appears.
To enable DVD movie playback, you’ll need to complete one extra step. Ensure Synpatic is closed (and no other software installation application is currently running, such as Update Manager), and then open a terminal window. Type the following:

$ sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh

Note that you will need to install the Xine version of Totem Movie Player if you want fuss-free DVD movie playback.

source ubuntu kungfu

NB: tested on ubuntu 8.04.1