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Posts in codecs
One of the most problematic new user challenges in Linux is the problem of codecs and DVD playback. These are major challenges, since they cannot be legally included with existing Linux distributinos without paying a per-user license fee.
That sort of thing is, obviously, not very fisable, but it is important to make it as easy as possible to have DVD playback and codecs for other media installed. Perhpas a separate commercial version that inludes these codecs would make sense, or perhaps the OS should just make it easy to purchase these codecs whenever you want.
The point is that being able to play media and DVDs is very important. One way or antoher, everything has to be lumped together, so that users can grap everything they need in 5 minutes with a relatively small amount of money.
It looks like a version of RealPlayer is being licensed to several major netbook Linux distro companies along with support for a number of commercial codecs that are not usually shipped with Linux distributions.
RealPlayer hasn’t, in the past, had a very good reputation, largely for the tendency for tons of unrelated software to arrive along with RealPlayer. The company appears, though, to have ended these practices more recently, so this looks like a great step forward for Linux-based netbooks.
Of course there are already media players on almost all of these netbook distributions, but most of them do not have the codec playback capabilities that RealPlayer will have, due to licensing issues. Unfortunately, this often confuses people who are used to playback of any media “just working.” Now, though, those issues shouldn’t come up, at least in many cases. If only it were that simple on the desktop (without the $100 price tag, thanks).
A Proposal for Dealing with Restricted Codecs and DVD Playback
Restricted codecs to play formats such as MP3 as well as the issue of playing back encrypted DVDs is a continual problem for Linux users. Basically, in some areas they may be illegal and in others they may not. Unfortunately, without these codecs, many standard functions do not work. At this point there are three options: install the ones that may or may not be legal, buy $90 worth of software from Canonical, or buy a Dell that comes with DVD and MP3 playback. Sadly, for most of us, none of those are great options, unless you happen to be looking for a new computer.
Right now, the best option for those not looking for a new computer, but that need restricted codecs and DVD playback, is to purchase them from Canonical (if you run Ubuntu.) There is a problem, though: the price tag – $90??? To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the price of an OEM copy of Windows from Newegg. I realize that Canonical may have little control over the price, but $90 is a tough price to sell at.
The second problem is that it looks like you have to buy additional software just to look at standard media. Despite the reality that free + $90 < $200+, it still looks strange (“but it’s built in to Windows…”). I believe it would be easier to explain to new users if there was a “premium” version of Ubuntu. This version would be exactly the same except that it would include the restricted extras and it would cost some money. I realize that the proposal to create any sort of commercial version of Ubuntu will be very controversial. The only reason to do this is to make it seem more normal to a new users. For an existing user, this makes no difference. It is just a way to get the codecs pre-installed. Nothing more. There would be no premium content, artwork, software, or anything. Just codecs.
I believe this would simplify the entire codecs and DVD playback issus for new users without changing anything for existing users.
Canonical Provides A Solution to A Frequent Misconception
For a number of reasons, Linux is significantly different from other operating systems. One of the ways in which it differs is that it is free. This makes including licensed media codecs very difficult, leading to reviewer complaints such as this one which appeared a while ago in the Wall Street Journal:
When I tried to play common audio and video files, such as MP3 songs, I was told I had to first download special files called codecs that are built into Windows and Mac computers. I was warned that some of these codecs might be “bad” or “ugly.”
For anyone not aware of the issues here, some media files such as MP3s use proprietary formats that you must pay to decode or play. When you buy Mac OS X or Windows, part of what you pay goes to pay that price, but you don’t pay anything for most Linux distributions. These codecs have been (potentially illegally) downloadable and legally purchasable for some time, but now Practical Technology is reporting that Canonical is making it easy for Ubuntu users to get them.
The main advantage of this is that reviewers and new users will be able to go directly to Canonical and purchase media playback software. Buying software like this is a model that customers are familiar with, so it should not seem strange. Of course, they may still not understand the real reasons why media playback support cannot be included for free, but at least they will know it is possible to make it work.
Not everything is right, though. My biggest concern is the price. If you buy both the codec pack and the DVD playback software, the price comes out to almost $90! $90 is just too high. This may not be something that Canonical has much control over, but who ever does have control should seriously consider the price. In the meantime, I hope that more hardware sellers start bundling these codecs in with Ubuntu on their PCs.
This move is certainly going in the right direction and may help to clear up a lot of users’ confusion, but it is far from perfect. If the whole pack was closer to $50 I would be a lot more enthusiastic about it.