Howto: Successfully Play Matroska With Vlc

[terry98]

i noticed that many people are complaining about not playing mkv files on ubuntu, including myself.....

so i started to compile VLC and noticed that when it's setting the matroska driver it searches for something else...

Before you can play MKV files you need to do the following: In Konsole type...

1- sudo apt-get install libebml-dev

2- sudo apt-get install libmatroska-dev

3- sudo apt-get install libmp4v2-0 libmp4v2-dev

After Installing these 3 files you will need to compile VLC, remember to get all VLC dependencys.. try this

4- sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 libdvdcss2-dev libdvdplay0 libdvdplay0-dev libdvdnav-dev libdvdnav4 libdvdread3-dev libdvdread3 libogg-dev libogg0 libvorbis-dev libvorbis0a liba52-0.7.4-dev liba52-0.7.4 libmad0-dev libmad0

5- Go to http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-sources.html
and download the latest vlc source code, i have 0.8.4a and get ready to compile it...

6- Extract the file typing "tar -zxvf vlc-XXXX.tar.gz" and go in the extraxted directory,

7- Type "sudo ./configure --enable-mkv" (this might take a while)

8- Type "sudo make" (this also might take a while)

9-Type "sudo make install"

if everything went well, try "vlc --list |grep mkv" it should display a line with "mkv Matroska stream demuxer"

i'm assuming that you have installed the packages to compile... if not, try
"sudo apt-get install build-essential autoconf automake1.9"

enjoy...

[crypticreign]

You also need: libavcodec-dev, libavformat-dev, libmpeg2-4 libmpeg2-4-dev, and libwxgtk2.6-dev

Also, I have to run

'./configure --disable-ffmpeg'

Also, I dont see any video. I can just hear audio. Test with .mpg files.

[terry98]

Originally Posted by crypticreign You also need: libavcodec-dev, libavformat-dev, libmpeg2-4 libmpeg2-4-dev, and libwxgtk2.6-dev Also, I have to run './configure --disable-ffmpeg' Also, I dont see any video. I can just hear audio. Test with .mpg files.

maybe because of the "--disable-ffmpeg" option.., whu do you have to install with that option???? i dont see any need

[dude2425]

Mine doesn't seem to work if I don't use --disable-ffmpeg. It gives me an error while compiling. I still can't play any of my mkv files. I'm trying to watch InuYasha, and once I got to episode 58, everything went from ogm format which works just fine, to mkv which crashes VLC, and the audio is seriously b0rked in totem and mplayer. I've been trying to get this to work for a good two weeks already, and nothing I've done is working.

Any suggestions?

[crypticreign]

Originally Posted by terry98 maybe because of the "--disable-ffmpeg" option.., whu do you have to install with that option???? i dont see any need

if I just run "./configure" and then run "make" I get the following error:

Making all in ffmpeg
make[5]: Entering directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg'
make[6]: Entering directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg'
if gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../../.. -DSYS_LINUX -I../../../include `top_builddir="../../.." ../../../vlc-config --cflags plugin ffmpeg` -Wsign-compare -Wall -pipe -MT libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.o -MD -MP -MF ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Tpo" -c -o libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.o `test -f 'ffmpeg.c' || echo './'`ffmpeg.c; \
then mv -f ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Tpo" ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Po"; else rm -f ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Tpo"; exit 1; fi
ffmpeg.c:49:44: error: libpostproc/postprocess.h: No such file or directory
make[6]: *** [libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.o] Error 1
make[6]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg'
make[5]: *** [all-modules] Error 1
make[5]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg'
make[4]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec'
make[3]: *** [all] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a'
make: *** [all] Error 2

[terry98]

Originally Posted by crypticreign if I just run "./configure" and then run "make" I get the following error: Making all in ffmpeg make[5]: Entering directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg' make[6]: Entering directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg' if gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../../.. -DSYS_LINUX -I../../../include `top_builddir="../../.." ../../../vlc-config --cflags plugin ffmpeg` -Wsign-compare -Wall -pipe -MT libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.o -MD -MP -MF ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Tpo" -c -o libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.o `test -f 'ffmpeg.c' || echo './'`ffmpeg.c; \ then mv -f ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Tpo" ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Po"; else rm -f ".deps/libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.Tpo"; exit 1; fi ffmpeg.c:49:44: error: libpostproc/postprocess.h: No such file or directory make[6]: *** [libffmpeg_plugin_a-ffmpeg.o] Error 1 make[6]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg' make[5]: *** [all-modules] Error 1 make[5]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec/ffmpeg' make[4]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec' make[3]: *** [all] Error 2 make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules/codec' make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a/modules' make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/crypticreign/vlc-0.8.4a' make: *** [all] Error 2

you need to install the postprocess development package try

sudo apt-get install libpostproc-dev

after try again without the --disable-ffmpeg

[crypticreign]

Originally Posted by terry98 you need to install the postprocess development package try sudo apt-get install libpostproc-dev

I'm guessing that's in the Marillat repositories?

[terry98]

mmm.... try to add this lines to your /etc/apt/sources.list

deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/breezy/ ./
deb-src http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/breezy/ ./

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-security main restricted

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-security universe
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-security universe

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ breezy universe main restricted multiverse

deb http://wine.sourceforge.net/apt/ binary/

deb ftp://ftp.free.fr/pub/Distributions_...lf/ubuntu/plf/ breezy free non-f$
deb-src ftp://ftp.free.fr/pub/Distributions_...lf/ubuntu/plf/ breezy free n$

deb http://deb.opera.com/opera/ etch non-free


also remove the "#" on the

deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-updates main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-updates main restricted

try sudo apt-get update, wait for it to finish and try to install the libpostproc-dev again

[crypticreign]

ok, that built... but I still don't get any video. When I run VLC from an xterm, and try to play a video, I get the following output in the term:

[00000298] fb video output error: cannot get terminal mode (Invalid argument)

[terry98]

try going to preferences -> video -> video output, and change the output module, i use X11... remebmber to do "vlc --list|grep mkv" to see if you really have matroska support