Linux Multimedia

Linux Multimedia Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to multimedia on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including codecs, video/audio players, media editing, media servers, and streaming.

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Table of Contents

1. Understanding Codecs
2. Installing Codecs
3. Video Players
4. Audio Players
5. Media Editing
6. Media Servers
7. Streaming
8. Troubleshooting

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Understanding Codecs

What are Codecs?

Codec (coder-decoder) encodes and decodes media files.

What they do:

• Encode: Compress media for storage
• Decode: Decompress media for playback
• Video: Handle video formats (MP4, AVI, etc.)
• Audio: Handle audio formats (MP3, AAC, etc.)

Why needed:

• Playback: Required to play media files
• Formats: Different formats need different codecs
• Compatibility: Ensures media compatibility

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Installing Codecs

GStreamer Codecs

Install codecs:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S gst-plugins-base gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly gst-libav

# For 32-bit support
sudo pacman -S lib32-gst-plugins-base lib32-gst-plugins-good lib32-gst-plugins-bad lib32-gst-plugins-ugly

What these packages do:

• gst-plugins-base: Basic GStreamer plugins
• gst-plugins-good: Good quality plugins
• gst-plugins-bad: Additional plugins
• gst-plugins-ugly: Patented codecs
• gst-libav: FFmpeg-based plugins

Additional Codecs

Install more codecs:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S a52dec faac faad2 flac jasper lame libdca libdv libmad libmpeg2 libtheora libvorbis libxv wavpack x264 x265 xvidcore

FFmpeg

Install FFmpeg:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Fedora
sudo dnf install ffmpeg

Check codecs:

# List codecs
ffmpeg -codecs

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Video Players

VLC

Install VLC:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S vlc

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install vlc

# Fedora
sudo dnf install vlc

Launch:

vlc

MPV

Install MPV:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S mpv

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install mpv

# Fedora
sudo dnf install mpv

Launch:

# Command line
mpv video.mp4

# With GUI
mpv --player-operation-mode=pseudo-gui video.mp4

MPlayer

Install MPlayer:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S mplayer

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install mplayer

# Fedora
sudo dnf install mplayer

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Audio Players

VLC

VLC plays audio too:

vlc audio.mp3

Audacious

Install Audacious:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S audacious

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install audacious

# Fedora
sudo dnf install audacious

Rhythmbox

Install Rhythmbox:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S rhythmbox

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install rhythmbox

# Fedora
sudo dnf install rhythmbox

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Media Editing

Audacity

Install Audacity:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S audacity

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install audacity

# Fedora
sudo dnf install audacity

OBS Studio

Install OBS:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S obs-studio

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install obs-studio

# Fedora
sudo dnf install obs-studio

Kdenlive

Install Kdenlive:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S kdenlive

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install kdenlive

# Fedora
sudo dnf install kdenlive

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Media Servers

Jellyfin

Install Jellyfin:

# Arch/CachyOS
yay -S jellyfin

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install jellyfin

# Fedora
sudo dnf install jellyfin

Plex

Install Plex:

# Download from plex.tv
# Or use AUR
yay -S plex-media-server

Kodi

Install Kodi:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S kodi

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install kodi

# Fedora
sudo dnf install kodi

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Streaming

OBS Studio

For streaming:

# Install OBS
sudo pacman -S obs-studio

# Configure streaming
# Settings > Stream
# Enter stream key

FFmpeg Streaming

Stream with FFmpeg:

# Stream to RTMP
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -f flv rtmp://server/live/stream

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Troubleshooting

Codec Not Working

Check codecs:

# Check GStreamer
gst-inspect-1.0 | grep codec

# Check FFmpeg
ffmpeg -codecs | grep codec-name

Video Not Playing

Check hardware acceleration:

# Check VAAPI
vainfo

# Check VDPAU
vdpauinfo

See Hardware Acceleration for detailed guide.

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Summary

This guide covered multimedia for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including codecs, video/audio players, media editing, and media servers.

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Next Steps

• Hardware Acceleration - GPU acceleration
• Audio Configuration - Audio setup
• CachyOS Media Server Setup - Media servers
• ArchWiki Multimedia: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Multimedia

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.