Archives: Audio_Visual(MP3)
Erase and Rewrite your CD-RW with k3b
If I have to try out new Linux distributions I’ll certainly have to spend on CDs to burn most of this ISO files . But i can simply get a few CD-RWs and use them a couple of times, and what application would do the erase and rewrite for me? K3b - - this a well known CD and DVD burner that has little or maybe nothing to envy Nero Burning for Linux. Amongst its many features, I find it necessary to underline that it can erase and rewrite with no issues unlike many other Linux burners.
To erase your rewritable go to Tools -> Erase CD-RW; it is right there.
In Ubuntu, you’ll find it in the repositories, sudo apt-get install k3b else go to the download page.
K3b is free and released under the General Public License. If you ever need to erase and rewrite then don’t waste you time searching on Google, just get K3b.
You can also make more bootable multimedia CDs with the tiny but great utility (8Mb) eMovix
Posted in Audio_Visual(MP3), Linux Packages, Linux Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
How to Extend Amarok Music Player to an Audio File Converter
Extending your Amarok music player to an audio file converter is a easy as installing a Firefox plugin. To do this you simply need to download the Audio Format Converter script. This free Python script converts audio file formats between FLAC, Ogg, MP3, MPC, M4A, and WAV.
Run Amarok and move to Tools ->Script -> Script Manager and on the Script Manager window take Install Scripts and browse to where you downloaded the zipped .tar.bz and install. Audio Format Converter works in the background and depends on the already installed converting tools on your system.
To make use of it goto the Script Manager -> General-> select formatconverter and click Run, you’ll be asked to select the directory where the converted files will be placed, the naming convention of the files and finally the audio format to which the files would be converted. A pop-up window will let you know the end of the conversion, in the meantime you could play your music.
The transKode script could be better if you want to convert single files. After having downloaded and installed it, you can further configure it from the Script Manager. File converting this time around is carried out in the playlists. Right-click the audio file you want to concert, from the menu, move to transKode and choose the file format you want.
Both converters are free and are for Linux platforms only
via [Linux.com]
Posted in Audio_Visual(MP3), Linux Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Install VLC Media Player in Ubuntu and skin it to look like Windows Media Player
Why not be grateful to VLC Media Player - because when it comes to videos nothing is ever easy as it should be, yet this media player with an open source background is doing much to make it easy. It is constantly updated, improved, with new features coming up.
It supports playback of most of the renounced audio and video formats out there like MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, not forgetting DVDs, VCDs and even streaming protocols.
It also functions as a streaming media server.
On Ubuntu it takes nothing to get it installed and running
From a terminal type:
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install vlc vlc-plugin-* mozilla-plugin-vlc
This command installs VLC and the necessary plugins for Mozilla firefox.
You’ll have to restart Firefox to complete the installation of this plugin.
To run this media player go to
Applications -> Sounds & Video -> VLC media player.
The VLC interface varies from platform to platform, but in general the default interface is very skinny, if you don’t mind it then go ahead and enjoy your full-functional feather weight media player. If you prefer to skin it, there several skins out there but remember the skinned version is a little bit unpredictable and confusing.
I skinned mine to look like Windows Media Player. To do so (the procedure is same for all skins) download the WMP11 skin from the skin page.
From the command-line do
vlc -I skins2
This commands brings up a very skinned player, right click on the tittle bar area and move to Select skin -> Open skin. Then choose the downloaded skin file.
The outcome would look like this;
Update: There is also a portable version of VLC Media Player (done by PortableApps.com), so you can pack-up into a portable hard drive or Cd, both your audio/video files together with the media player and use it on the first Windows PC you come across.
Posted in Audio_Visual(MP3), Linux Tips and Tricks | 3 Comments »
Amarok music player is now ready for trial on Windows
The KDE Windows Project goes on and as earlier explained this project is to let you run KDE applications on Windows. The development team has recently made available Windows Binaries of Amarok 2.
If you ever needed an alternative to the many music players out there like iTunes, Winamp or Windows Media Player and then try Amarok 2.
Porting Amarok to your windows platform has never been so easy with the available binaries. So what does it take to get started?
Simply move to the KDE Windows page where you’ll find the necessary downloads and a self explanatory manual. There are a pretty number of files to download, nonetheless there is nothing to be scared about, because even the dependencies would be downloaded and installed for you.
The developers also added these guiding notes;
- It’ll be a large download, since all the associated KDE libs will be installed. Once KDE on Windows is more stable (hopefully for the 4.1 KDE release) you’ll only have to download the core libraries once, but at the moment the packages change semi-regularly.
When asked for compiler selection, either MSVC or mingw work fine for Amarok. Unless you’re a developer, there’s really no reason to care which compiler you select at this point, other than the fact the MSVC packages are somewhat smaller (the mingw ones have debugging information embedded in the binaries). - Amarok should be able to play the same file formats you’re used to being able to use on Linux, provided you have the appropriate Direct Show filter. As a guide, if WMP can play the file, Amarok should be able to. For file format support, installing ffdshow can help.
- This is a tech preview, we know there are problems, don’t file bugs. Any bugs filed will be closed anyway, so you’re just wasting someone’s time.
- As it’s in a pre-alpha state, don’t use it on any files you don’t mind being corrupted/deleted/otherwise mangled. Although I don’t think there are any such problems with it, it pays to be careful since it hasn’t been extensively tested yet.
- If the installer doesn’t work for you, the installer guys do want to know about that: please post on the KDE windows mailing list and someone will try to figure out the problem.
- The binaries packages will be updated as development on Amarok 2 progresses. It’s not entirely in my hands though, since I’m not the one making the packages. I’ll try to make a blog post to let people know whenever there’s a new package with some major addition in it, so watch this space.
Amarok should work Windows like it does on Linux, but if you are on Linux and have never tried it, then know has pre-compiled binaries for all the major Linux distributions like Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora and more.
Posted in Audio_Visual(MP3), Linux Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Live Chat Support from Mozilla
After Personas, here comes another amazing feature for Mozilla Firefox. It is not an Add-on but a Live Chat support service. It is still a beta and the support staff are volunteers not employees that operate only for a few hours a day. The time schedule is at the support page, there you’ll also find the door way to “your live char session “
Posted in Audio_Visual(MP3), Firefox | No Comments »
Mythbuntu, the Windows Media Centre alternative
Mythbuntu, the Windows Media Centre alternative is an Ubuntu based Linux distribution that is dedicated to media. You can watch videos and record live TV (with the help of a TV tuner), listen to music, or browse pictures. It is simply an all-in-one PC and entertainment centre.
Mythbuntu is practically the core of Ubuntu without all the extra applications included in Ubuntu. It ships with the XFCE4 lightweight desktop, that can be easily replaced at any time with one of the Buntus desktop (Ubuntu,Kubuntu or Xubuntu) using the Mythbuntu Control Centre.
Mythbuntu is recognized as a community supported project by Canonical, it’s development cycle closely follows that of Ubuntu, thus, it is released every six months shortly after Ubuntu releases. The final release, Mythbuntu 7.10, is now downloadable as an .ISO that burns into a LiveCD.
So you can verify hardware compatibility before installing it. The LiveCD works as a MythTV front-end.
Posted in Audio_Visual(MP3), Linux Packages, Ubuntu | 2 Comments »