Playing an MP4/h264 video in VLC shows “Codec not supported”.
Forum topcis tells about existing openH264,
and also of using YaST to add Packman rep.
Doing that and switching to it, it shows that many libav libs (libavcodec57, 58_134, libacformat58_76) and vlc-* libs are installed already.
The first non-installed is libavformat57.
So I wonder, if I’m at the right place: Is missing codecs in system packages the reason?
What shall I do to have modern codecs available (not only in VLC)?
I think what you need from Packman is libx264-164 and libx265-209 if you don’t already have them.
Actually I don’t have them.
But both are encoders (i.e. not decoders)… as description say.
As mentioned above the only libav-like not-installed decoder is libavformat57.
But there is already the other above mentioned decoders…
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Installing_codecs_from_Packman_repositories
Did you perform the vendor switch?
No, I did not… as I first wanted to understand why Packman should help,
as all necessary codecs seems to be installed already and I wanted to avoid
the risk of messing the system.
Now… I did anyway (no risk no fun 
)… and it worked.
Still I don’t understand, what was missing - Packman just provided newer version
of already installed decoders from system rep…
Packman provides the “same” packages (name wise) but with build flags enabled which can not be provided by openSUSE for legal/license/patent reasons. Many multimedia codecs are patent encumbered and cannot be distributed by linux distributions unless stripped down from the codeparts in question…
Exactly. But those from the OSS repo are “broken” because they do not provide license restricted features. Those on Packman are not and it depends on your country if you are restricted also, or are allowed to use them.
They are not “newer”, but different.
I knew about that patent stuff in principle, but not about the concrete consequences.
Thank you to all of you for your patient help.
“It’s good to be back again.” ( William S. Burroughs)
Your first post above said:
Thus my impression was that you did the vendor switch already.
Now I assume that you added the Packman repo, but did not do anything with it. That is rather pointless. It is like subscribing to your local library and never lend a book from it.
I say this so that you may get an idea about waht a repository is.
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