![How To Install H.264 Codec Linux How To Install H.264 Codec Linux](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126011173/692591602.png)
H.264 is a type of MPEG-4 video compression, offering higher quality video in a smaller file size than MPEG-2 (standard DVD video format) or MPEG-4 ASP (DivX format). It is the default file format of Apple's QuickTime, and there is a petition to make it a standard video format for the next generation of the HTML Web programming language (HTML5). Windows 7 includes native support for H.264-encoded videos, but early versions will need a proper codec to play the video back correctly.
How to install mpeg-4 aac decoder for CentOS 7 Linux. Details admin CentOS 16 January 2016 Contents. MPEG-4-AAC decoder and H.264 decoder The offered help for search also fails. Howto mount USB drive in Linux; How to install Skype on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus Linux 64-bit. In all honestly in the long run gambit, mass adoption of the H.264 codec in a few years could make a strong case for GNU lawyers to argue that it has become 'generalized' and therefore not valid to a copyright. I'm actually surprised that argument isn't used for a lot of software patents.
Step 1
Download a video codec pack. You can download a pack of codecs that will provide support for H.264 videos, as well as many other video formats, or you can download an open-source H.264 video codec by itself. (See Resources.)
Step 2
Save the codec installer to your desktop. Double-click the downloaded file.
Step 3
Follow the on-screen instructions to progress through the installation. If installing a multi-codec pack, be sure to enable H.264 in the installation options.
Restart the computer. When the computer boots back up, you will be able to play back the video in your default video player without any trouble.
Tip
- Optionally, you can simply download the latest version of QuickTime from Apple to enable H.264 video playback on your computer. The downside to this is that you will only be able to play back those videos with the QuickTime video player.
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As part of the new LTS version from Ubuntu, some of the more “long standing” ways of doing things have changed just a bit. Multimedia and codec installation when using Ubuntu on your desktop has long been a staple of the “things to do after installation” crowd. A few things are different now (and a bit simpler), so let’s take a look at the lay of the land for Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
A Quick Installation
The first thing you will want to pull down for your desktop environment is a common package for the more prevalent codecs. This is now more of a one liner whereas in the past it meant including this package along with a large number of others. In the case of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, we can get most of what we want by doing a:
The items that you will see installed include the following:
A Quick Installation
The first thing you will want to pull down for your desktop environment is a common package for the more prevalent codecs. This is now more of a one liner whereas in the past it meant including this package along with a large number of others. In the case of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, we can get most of what we want by doing a:
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
The items that you will see installed include the following:
- Flashplugin-installer
- gstreamer-ffmpeg
- gstreamer-pitfdll (helps with Windows binary codec play)
- gstreamer-plugins-bad
- gstreamer-plugins-bad-multiverse
- gstreamer-plugins-ugly
- gstreamer-plugins-ugly-multivers
- icedtea6-plugin (java browser plugin for java applets)
- libavcodec-extra-52 (linux ffmpeg codec – used in majority of files)
- libmp4v2-0
- ttf-mscorefonts-installer (Microsoft fonts for better display)
At this point, for most desktop users, you can call it a day. This will allow you to play a large array of videos using mplayer or your browser. However, we can add a bit more flexibility with just a few more items.
The “All In One” Solution for Desktop Media Playback
Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly go over the easiest way to play any video that you may want to play on your desktop including DVDs, BluRays, HD Videos, MP4, etc. etc. etc. Thanks to the efforts of the kind developers at VideoLan, we all can download and install a native Linux media player that is completely self contained (in terms of codec support – no external library, links, versions or otherwise needed), and its in the repositories:
That will quickly give you a full media player for playing any content your heart desires that looks like this:
The “All In One” Solution for Desktop Media Playback
Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly go over the easiest way to play any video that you may want to play on your desktop including DVDs, BluRays, HD Videos, MP4, etc. etc. etc. Thanks to the efforts of the kind developers at VideoLan, we all can download and install a native Linux media player that is completely self contained (in terms of codec support – no external library, links, versions or otherwise needed), and its in the repositories:
sudo apt-get install vlc
That will quickly give you a full media player for playing any content your heart desires that looks like this:
H 264 Video Codec
Final Thoughts
In the not too distant past, you were left with needing to install and configure a number of codecs, libraries and their dependencies. Most sites and browsers now are perfectly happy using the comprehensive set of codecs included in the restricted package. Finally, for your desktop needs, the all in one media player that VLC has become (for the price of… free!) cannot be beat with a wooden stick. Although Ubuntu continues to distance itself from the generic “Linux” association, it continues to make strides in usability in an arena (desktop) that has been hard for anyone but Microsoft and Apple to become a player in.