Media Support/Linux

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This page describes media support provided by LibreOffice on GNU+Linux.

HINT: For a summary of supported media types, look at the tables on the primary Media Support page.

Tests

Extensive testing is the best way to verify media support. If we have any major regressions, we can document our testing here or in Bugzilla.

For the most part, the tables on the main Media Support page can reference the Wiki and Bugzilla. Let's try to use useful identifiers for each test table below so that we can easily link to tests from cells in those tables.

Image Support

• Media Support/Linux/Image Tests

Audio and Video Support

• Media Support/Linux/Audio Tests
• Media Support/Linux/Video Tests

Background

On Linux, and likely other unix-like systems like BSD and Solaris, media support is provided through the GStreamer multimedia framework. GStreamer's codec and format support is primarily provided through its good, bad and ugly plugin packages. ffmpeg/libav can be used to extend GStreamer's codec and format support with GStreamer's ffmpeg/libav plugin package. For mp3 codec support, GStreamer has the fluendo mp3 plugin package.

GStreamer default codec support

GStreamer ships with a set of Base plugins, which include support for the Ogg container, and Vorbis and Theora codecs (and not much else).

• List of base plugins
• List of defined types in GStreamer

Adding support for an additional codec

For Ubuntu and its flavors (Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etc), the simplest means of enabling media support is by installing the ubuntu-restricted-extras or its flavor equivalent (e.g. xubuntu-restricted-extras for Xubuntu) and libav-tools packages through the Ubuntu Software Center. For some Ubuntu 14.04 derivatives, like Linux Mint 17, the libreoffice-avmedia-backend-gstreamer package is required to be installed in order for media playback to function.

To add support for a new codec and formats on your GNU/Linux machine, use your package manager to install the following list of packages for Debian, Ubuntu, and their derivatives:

gstreamer0.10-plugins-good, gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad, gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse
gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly, gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg, gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3, libav-tools

If your Debian/Ubuntu or derivative distribution utilizes GStreamer version 1.0, like Ubuntu 14.04, then you should also install the following packages:

gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad, gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad-videoparsers, gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad-faad
gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly, gstreamer1.0-libav, gstreamer1.0-fluendo-mp3

Note: The time period in which a media file takes to be added will depend on its file size, and during the process, LibreOffice will not be responsive.