Using Suse 10.3 And Problems With Video/audio

Why is it SOOOOO hard to listen/see audio/video with Suse 10.3? I have been using Suse on and off for some years now. I am on Suse 10.3 now.And when I try to listen/view audio/video all I get is "no codecs" and then I get sent to a site that is trying to sell me this stuff! Crikey! What happened opensource???? Total bulls*** I say. Sellout or what? I have installed w32codecs-all in Yast and still this problem. I have installed xine and gxine and still this problem. I am no idiot to this distro. I know it well, but if you cannot make it easy for me you can never make it easy for the average user. Someone please enlighten me on what the h*** Suse think they are doing to make this operating system easier for people. Microsoft must be laughing their heads off. And so they should.

Hmm, sorry to hear you're having trouble but it just works fine for me. Amarok playing my music, watching flash clips in Firefox, watching DVDs in Kaffeine, though the TV's better for that.

Did you do the one-click install for restricted media? That's the key to it all.

So my thread is moved to the soapbox because It is not considered ligitimate?. This is ridiculous!

Did you do the one-click install for restricted media?
Please explain? I do not understand this.

So my thread is moved to the soapbox because It is not considered ligitimate?. This is ridiculous!
[/b]

No, it got moved because it didn't seem like you were asking any questions for help, seemed more like a rant.

Please explain? I do not understand this.
[/b]

I'm assuming ken_yap meant working through this page to get those formats to play.

ok. fair enough.

Since this is a valid request for help I moved it back to Multimedia.

Why is it SOOOOO hard to listen/see audio/video with Suse 10.3? I have been using Suse on and off for some years now. I am on Suse 10.3 now.And when I try to listen/view audio/video all I get is "no codecs" [/b]

openSUSE follows a different Linux philosophy than many other Linux distributions, and indeed different than WinXP/Windows. The word "open" in the name reflects Novell/SuSE-GmbH's attempt to only provide with openSUSE software that is "free software" in terms of the "free software foundation" definition of free. This doesn't mean "free" in terms of "cost" but means "free" in terms of:
* free to use as you wish,
* free to copy,
* free to give away copies,
* free to look at the source code,
* free to modify the source code,
* free to give away modified copies of the source code.

Now in the case of codecs, many of the codecs are not free. This means an OS like openSUSE Linux is not free to include the Codec inside their OS, but rather they (Novell/SuSE GmbH) have to pay in order to include such codecs. In some cases it means one is not free to look at the codec detailed structure. NOR are you free to modify the codec. And NOR are you free to give away modified copies of the codec. Since these codecs do not meet the "free software foundation" definition of "free", they have NOT been included in the openSUSE distribution.

As for it being SOOOOO hard. I don't find it hard. I've been using SuSE for some years now, and never have found it hard, and in fact I find it easier and easier all the time.

A few years back, I used to maintain a list (in a notebook) of the various rpms that I would need install after an new SUSE install, in order to get all the codecs and multimedia applications I wanted functioning (to a level better than what most my WinXP friends had). That was easy. It worked well for me.

But today there is a better way.

Software package managers have improved significantly, and now I simply install a software package manager (such as Smart Software Package Manager) and getting all the codec's I want is a simply matter of clicking a few icons in Smart, and everything updates automatically and smoothly.

IMHO, if you, with your reported on and off SuSE experience are having a problem, its because you have never taken the time to learn how to use an advanced Software Package Manager. And as such IMHO you are missing out on a big part of the Linux experience, as with such a Software Package Manager setup you can seamlessly install an incredible number of advanced applications.

I recommend you stop what ever pet project you have under way now, and take the time to learn this very important aspect.

If you politely post, asking for help on this, I am confident many of the users on this forum will try help you.

Microsoft must be laughing their heads off. And so they should.[/b]

Hmmm.... I know MS-Windows users who would disagree with you, who see videos play easily on my openSUSE Linux laptop, but who have codec problems on their MS-Windows PCs. .... Sometime ago I posted on the difficulty my wife and I had in trying to update codec's on an MS-Windows PC. IMHO getting codecs to run on MS-Windows is not as "rosy" as you make it out to be. Its only "rosy" if you know exactly what to do. .... Well, .... the same is true for Linux/openSUSE.

Good luck with your effforts. I honestly do think you need to spend the time learning about "Software Package Managers" (pick either zypper/yast or smart) work, setup it up, and have fun installing easily an incredible amount of software (including media players that can play any codec you throw at them).

Edit: Here is the thread where I vented my frustration with MS-Windows .....
http://www.suseforums.net/index.php?showtopic=38084&hl=
and here:
http://www.suseforums.net/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=195113
I guess it all boils down to what one is familiar with ....

Never had any issues with sound or video in Suse, the codecs are freely available if you want them, h*** 1 click offers most that you'll need with just... 1 click
Opera , Firefox and Konqueror all work fine for any media, all dvds play, even the less reputable ones off the net so I don't see the issue. Consider how many programs you need to add to windows to watch stuff.

The only reason Microsoft might be laughing their heads off are because people fail to see what hypocritcal bull$**t they love to spin.
Look at the whole DRM issue, and now their retarded plug of Silverlight, quoting Ray Ozzie "People should be able to move their information, media and even full programs between these devices without having to worry about if something will or will not work."

Does DRM let you do that? Does he even know what he's talking about? seems not.. yet people suck up all the hype as though it's the best thing to have ever happened.

Personally I feel windows users are rosey eyed, they forget how they had to download this, download that to get all their media working, their pc has chugged along quite happily since they've done so, and then they try a linux distro and shout "but why doesn't it work.."

as if windows ever worked straight out of the box....

Everyone above are absolutely right. As an ex windows user if I didn't search for codecs and try to install not everything would play on windows straight out of the box either. I have to say everything as far as video and audio works great under Suse, it has been a learning experience, and one worth the effort. The forums here are a great place to start when looking for help, all you have to do is ask the right questions and have a little patients and someone will gladly try to help you but remember not everyone is on the boards 24/7 so you may have to check back from time to time. Stick with it you be happy in the end..



If you like DRM and the Blue Screen of Death stick with Windows!!!!!