Hello everyone!
I just installed OpenSuse 11.2 KDE on my Macbook and try as I might, I cannot get used to Amarok. I like Banshee and it’s simple interface, plus the way it handles radio stations and the like.
I did install it using YaST and I am able to run it, but I am unable to add internet radio stations and also I am unable to play them (and other MP3 files) if I manually connect to the stream. As far as adding radio stations, I am unable to because the Genre box stays grayed out and the Save button stays grayed out because the Genre box has not been filled in (but I can’t because it’s grayed out). As far as playing MP3s, Banshee says I need a codec and when i click ‘Search’ for a suitable codec, it takes me to an OpenSuse download page with the decoder there but it’s for OpenSuse 10.3, not 11.2.
These are probably simple problems with simple solutions but I can’t seem to figure them out. Also, K3B says the MP3 Decoder is missing as well. I’m sure it is related to the Banshee problem too.
Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer advice! 
Here’s a better question: what is the proper way to install Banshee because I don’t believe I installed it correctly since MP3 compatibility is not there and whatnot? I did find the page on the 1-Click install for the codecs and whatnot for KDE, but the “libxine…” package wouldn’t install.
How can I install Banshee for OpenSuse 11.2 KDE properly with MP3 support?
Thank you in advance!
I think you might want to rethink your question. You might want to get mp3, lame and what not installed first so you have mp3 output before reinstalling banshee. Also on my system for some reason banshee was named banshee-1 which is the 1.5.1-1.1.4 version. These are all in the Opensuse 11.2 repo but I do have packman installed for such things as mplayer and ffmpeg.
Restricted Formats - openSUSE
Just Uber » Blog Archive » MP3 on openSUSE – 5 Minute Fix
This should get you a good start, put I pretty much use mplayer for everything. It even plays live streaming, the only thing I use banshee for is the podcasting ability.
Thank you for the reply! After I made my last post, I discovered this guide and realized that my repos were FUBR so I reloaded OpenSuse 11.2 on my laptop and followed the guide this time. I received no errors and followed the guide to the letter. My repos are now nice and organized and I didn’t run into a bunch of dependancy errors (I originally did the 1-Click install but this time I followed the guide). So now I have the restricted formats and codecs from packman installed.
Should I try to reinstall Banshee? I have not tried at this point. I like M-Player but since I have so much music, a music manager is a must for me and I simply cannot get used to Amarok’s layout.
Thank you again for the reply!
I would just download the fluendo mp3 codec and install the rpm. I don’t think you need to reinstall banshee, as most likely all it needs is the plugin. Then stuff should just work.
Cool! Where should I get the .rpm from? I did do a search in the repos but came up empty for the fluendo decoder. Should I get the .rpm from fluendo’s site? It is available for download there. Don’t know if there is a Suse specific build or something for it.
Also, since I reinstalled 11.2 on my laptop, Banshee is not installed yet. Should I install Banshee and then the decoder, or the decoder first (or does it matter)?
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your knowledge! Have a great day.
That is correct just download the free rpm from fleundo’s site, they have a Suse, Mandrake, Redhat rpm then install it with rpm. They you should have mp3 support for your applications.
Mkay, so I tried to install the Fluendo Decoder but Yast told me it conflicted with another Decoder I already had (likely from the media guide I posted above) so I opted out and installed Banshee. it installed clean and now I am able to play music!
I am still unable to add radio stations though. 
Here’s what I am talking about. The Genre box is greyed out and unless I put something in that box, the Save button won’t enable so I can click it to add the station:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/Audiomechanic/BansheeRadio.jpg
Ok, the plot thickens. I got the idea to run banshee as root. So I opened a terminal, ran su, and then ran this command:
linux-8vtv:~ # banshee-1 --redirect-log --play-enqueued %U
I CAN add stations as root! Why can I not by running it as a normal user? Are there permissions I need to change?
Notice how the Genre box is now open or me to add a genre:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/Audiomechanic/BansheeRadioRoot.jpg
Click on the genre tag and you should be able to high light the tag and then name it something useful. This should allow you to add streams without being root. This does look like a bug you might want to file a bug report. You could also change the permission of banshee by giving you write access to the program.
How do I change it’s permissions? I’m guessing through the chmod command?
Thank you for your continued help.
Sorry for resurrecting the thread but I REALLY want to get banshee working.
How do I change the permissions for the program? It works fine when run as root but I don’t want to run it as root for obvious reasons.
Thank y’all again in advance!