Linux Multimedia Hacks

Book description

The fact that Linux has more multimedia application choices than Mac OS X and Windows combined may come as a surprise to many, but not to those who know Linux well. In Linux Multimedia Hacks, author Kyle Rankin showcases the best available multimedia tools so you can maximize the entertainment capabilities of your favorite OS. Included are tips and tricks for connecting to iPods, creating MP3s and Oggs, watching and making DVDs, turning your Linux box into a Tivo ala MythTV, and much more.

You don't have to be a Linux server guru to make use of this book. Linux Multimedia Hacks takes the best of Linux's multimedia tools and with step-by-step instructions shows even novice users how to do cool and useful things with images, audio, and video. It includes entry level hacks that nearly all Linux users will want, such as installing codecs for audio and video playback and managing thousands of photographs. Later, you'll find hacks that cover a variety of advanced projects, from ripping and organizing media files with metatags, to editing video and audio tracks, to creating your own DVDs. Basic or advanced, each hack stands on its own, so you can feel free to jump around to only the sections that interest you.

The book is divided into five easy-to-understand chapters:

  • Images: tips range from basic image edits to automated image manipulation
  • Audio: hacks include audio format conversion and tweaking metadata within audio files
  • Video: learn how to covert between video formats, plus how to create your own VCDs and DVDs
  • Broadcast Media: tips include how to access and create you own web broadcasts as well as watch and record TV
  • Web: learn how to make your multimedia creations available to the world

As one of the most powerful multimedia platforms around, Linux has far more capabilities and features than meets the eye. This latest Hacks book gives you the technical chops to enjoy them all.

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. Linux Multimedia Hacks
  2. Credits
    1. About the Author
    2. Contributors
    3. Acknowledgments
  3. Preface
    1. Why Linux Multimedia Hacks?
    2. How to Use This Book
    3. How This Book Is Organized
    4. Conventions Used in This Book
    5. Using Code Examples
    6. How to Contact Us
    7. Safari Enabled
    8. Got a Hack?
  4. 1. Images
    1. 1.1. Hacks 1–12: Introduction
    2. 1. Take a Screenshot
      1. 1.2.1. From the Command Line
      2. 1.2.2. From Within GNOME
      3. 1.2.3. From Within KDE
    3. 2. Convert from One Image Format to Another
      1. 1.3.1. Tile Images
      2. 1.3.2. Add a Border to an Image
      3. 1.3.3. Flip and Flop Images
    4. 3. Make Image Thumbnails
    5. 4. Animate Images
    6. 5. Leave a Watermark
    7. 6. Pull Images from a Digital Camera
      1. 1.7.1. USB Storage Devices
      2. 1.7.2. Non-USB Storage Devices
    8. 7. Manage Photos with f-spot
      1. 1.8.1. Install f-spot
      2. 1.8.2. Import Your Pictures to f-spot
      3. 1.8.3. View Your Pictures
      4. 1.8.4. Edit Your Pictures
      5. 1.8.5. Organize Your Pictures with Tags
      6. 1.8.6. Export Photographs
      7. 1.8.7. See Also
    9. 8. Edit Images
    10. 9. Remove Red Eye from Photos
      1. 1.10.1. Select the Red Eye
      2. 1.10.2. Take the Red Out
    11. 10. Create a Slideshow
    12. 11. Automatically Synchronize Your Camera and Computer
      1. 1.12.1. Configure Hotplug
      2. 1.12.2. Use autofs Instead of Mounting Manually
      3. 1.12.3. Make a Synchronization Script
    13. 12. Make a Screen-Capture Movie
      1. 1.13.1. The Tools
      2. 1.13.2. How to Use the Tools
      3. 1.13.3. Enhancing a Screencapture
      4. 1.13.4. Screen Capture Tips
      5. 1.13.5. Conclusion
  5. 2. Audio
    1. 2.1. Hacks 13–46: Introduction
    2. 13. Mix Your Audio for Perfect Sound
      1. 2.2.1. Command-Line Mixer Applications
    3. 14. Surround Yourself with Sound
      1. 2.3.1. Configuring Your Mixer
      2. 2.3.2. Testing Surround Sound
      3. 2.3.3. Movie Watching
    4. 15. Play Multiple Sounds at the Same Time
      1. 2.4.1. Configure aRts
      2. 2.4.2. Configure EsounD
      3. 2.4.3. Legacy Compatibility
    5. 16. Get MP3 Libraries for Red Hat–Based Distributions
      1. 2.5.1. Use Yum
      2. 2.5.2. Use up2date
    6. 17. Configure Network Sound
    7. 18. Manage Your Audio with XMMS
      1. 2.7.1. Plug-ins
      2. 2.7.2. XMMS Command-Line Control
    8. 19. Shuffle Your Music the Smart Way
      1. 2.8.1. Get IMMS
      2. 2.8.2. More IMMS Magic
    9. 20. Try Rhythmbox
    10. 21. Let amaroK Rock Your Music Collection
      1. 2.10.1. Get amaroK
      2. 2.10.2. amaroK Window Sections
      3. 2.10.3. Configure amaroK
      4. 2.10.4. The Sidebar
        1. 2.10.4.1. The Context Pane.
      5. 2.10.5. The Collections Pane
      6. 2.10.6. The Playlist Pane
      7. 2.10.7. The Media Device Pane
      8. 2.10.8. The Files Pane
    11. 22. Store amaroK Data in MySQL
      1. 2.11.1. Transfer SQLite Data to MySQL
    12. 23. Enable Your Multimedia Keyboard
    13. 24. Rip CDs from the Command Line
      1. 2.13.1. Rip the CD
      2. 2.13.2. Encode the WAVs to MP3s
      3. 2.13.3. Encode the WAVs to Ogg Vorbis
    14. 25. Rip CDs Straight from Konqueror
    15. 26. Get a Grip on CD Ripping
      1. 2.15.1. Configure Grip
      2. 2.15.2. Rip a CD
    16. 27. Edit ID3v2 Tags from the Command Line
    17. 28. Add Album Art to ID3 Tags
    18. 29. Automate Music File Tagging
      1. 2.18.1. Three Ways to Tag and Rename Files
        1. 2.18.1.1. Manually.
        2. 2.18.1.2. Automatically with the Fill Tag scanner.
        3. 2.18.1.3. Automatically with CDDB.
      2. 2.18.2. Correct Tag Fields with the Process Fields Scanner
    19. 30. Correct Music Metadata with MusicBrainz
      1. 2.19.1. MusicBrainz’s Database
      2. 2.19.2. Open Source and Open Data
      3. 2.19.3. Tools that Use MusicBrainz
      4. 2.19.4. How to Participate
    20. 31. Clean Music Metadata at the Command Line
      1. 2.20.1. Configure pimpmytunes
      2. 2.20.2. Run pimpmytunes
    21. 32. Clean Music Metadata with a GUI
    22. 33. Pass the Mic and Record Audio
    23. 34. Edit Audio with Audacity
      1. 2.23.1. Record Sound
      2. 2.23.2. Edit and Crop Sound
      3. 2.23.3. Save Changes
    24. 35. Convert from One Audio Format to Another
      1. 2.24.1. MP3
        1. 2.24.1.1. MP3 to WAV.
        2. 2.24.1.2. WAV to MP3.
      2. 2.24.2. Ogg Vorbis
        1. 2.24.2.1. Ogg Vorbis to WAV.
        2. 2.24.2.2. WAV to Ogg Vorbis.
      3. 2.24.3. FLAC
        1. 2.24.3.1. FLAC to WAV.
        2. 2.24.3.2. WAV to FLAC.
      4. 2.24.4. Other Audio Formats
        1. 2.24.4.1. Anything to WAV.
      5. 2.24.5. WAV
        1. 2.24.5.1. Change the Number of Audio Channels.
        2. 2.24.5.2. Change the Sample Rate.
    25. 36. Normalize the Volume of Your Audio Files
      1. 2.25.1. Normal Mode
      2. 2.25.2. Mix Mode
      3. 2.25.3. Batch Mode
      4. 2.25.4. Normalize MP3 and Ogg Files
    26. 37. Make Your Computer Talk to You
    27. 38. Search Audio for Hidden Messages
    28. 39. Burn Audio CDs from the Command Line
    29. 40. Automate Audio CD Burning with K3b
    30. 41. Turn Your Computer into a Turntable
      1. 2.30.1. The Turntables
      2. 2.30.2. Scratching
      3. 2.30.3. The Control Panel
      4. 2.30.4. Effects
      5. 2.30.5. Store Data and Audio
      6. 2.30.6. The Sequencer
      7. 2.30.7. Control terminatorX via MIDI
      8. 2.30.8. Extend terminatorX
    31. 42. Use an iPod with Linux
      1. 2.31.1. Setting Up Your Linux Desktop
      2. 2.31.2. Normal Usage
      3. 2.31.3. Downloaded MP3 Files and ID3 Tags
    32. 43. Sync Your iRiver with Linux
      1. 2.32.1. Transfer the Songs to the iRiver
      2. 2.32.2. Rebuild the Database
    33. 44. Use Other Portable Audio Players
      1. 2.33.1. Automatically Synchronize Your Media Device
    34. 45. Use a Bluetooth Headset with Linux
    35. 46. Find All Your Media Files
      1. 2.35.1. The Fast Way
      2. 2.35.2. The Slow Way
  6. 3. Video
    1. 3.1. Hacks 47–72: Introduction
    2. 47. Master Video Output Options
      1. 3.2.1. XV
      2. 3.2.2. X11
      3. 3.2.3. Simple Directmedia Layer
      4. 3.2.4. Direct Graphics Access
      5. 3.2.5. SVGAlib
      6. 3.2.6. Framebuffer
      7. 3.2.7. VESA
    3. 48. Use MPlayer
      1. 3.3.1. DVD Playback
      2. 3.3.2. (S)VCD Playback
      3. 3.3.3. Streaming Playback
      4. 3.3.4. Troubleshooting
      5. 3.3.5. More MPlayer Uses
    4. 49. Advanced MPlayer Tweaks
      1. 3.4.1. MPlayer Config File
      2. 3.4.2. Go Full Screen and Set Monitor Aspect
      3. 3.4.3. Increase the Cache for Streaming Video
      4. 3.4.4. Rotate the Video Before Playback
    5. 50. Create Family-Friendly Edits of Movies
    6. 51. Crop Video During Playback
    7. 52. Add Custom Subtitles to Video
      1. 3.7.1. A Sample .sub File
    8. 53. Play Restricted Media Formats
      1. 3.8.1. Playing non-DVD Media Formats
      2. 3.8.2. Playing DVDs
    9. 54. Watch Videos in ASCII Art
      1. 3.9.1. In Living Color
    10. 55. Try xine-Based Video Players
      1. 3.10.1. Other xine Frontends
    11. 56. View VLC, the Cross-Platform Video Player
    12. 57. Probe Video Settings
    13. 58. Rip a VCD
    14. 59. Rip a DVD
      1. 3.14.1. Back Up an Entire DVD
      2. 3.14.2. Back Up Specific Titles
    15. 60. Encode a DVD to MPEG4 from the Command Line
      1. 3.15.1. Full Quality Encoding with MP3 Audio
      2. 3.15.2. Encode with Specified Bitrates
    16. 61. Rip and Encode DVDs with a mencoder Frontend
    17. 62. Rip and Encode DVDs with K3b
    18. 63. Convert from One Video Format to Another
      1. 3.18.1. Simple Example: Encode a Video to XviD
      2. 3.18.2. Other Multipart Video Formats
      3. 3.18.3. Final Notes
    19. 64. Create Archos-Compatible Video
    20. 65. Convert Dual-Layer DVD to Single-Layer DVD
      1. 3.20.1. Shrink a Single Title
      2. 3.20.2. Shrink Multiple Titles
      3. 3.20.3. Start Copy Process
    21. 66. Use a Digital Video Camcorder with Linux
    22. 67. Edit Video
    23. 68. Resize a Video
    24. 69. Create a VCD
      1. 3.24.1. Choose VCD or SVCD
      2. 3.24.2. Create (S)VCD-Compatible Video
      3. 3.24.3. Create the (S)VCD XML File
      4. 3.24.4. tCreate the BIN and CUE Files
      5. 3.24.5. Burn to a CD
    25. 70. Create a DVD
    26. 71. Customize a DVD Menu
      1. 3.26.1. Add Video Titles
      2. 3.26.2. Design the Main Menu
      3. 3.26.3. Add Buttons
      4. 3.26.4. Create the DVD
    27. 72. Create Self-Booting Movies
      1. 3.27.1. The Tools
      2. 3.27.2. The Moviemaking Routine
        1. 3.27.2.1. Ripping the DVD Using MPlayer.
        2. 3.27.2.2. Breaking Up the AVI.
        3. 3.27.2.3. Creating the ISO.
      3. 3.27.3. Using the CDs
      4. 3.27.4. One More Trick
  7. 4. Broadcast Media
    1. 4.1. Hacks 73–88: Introduction
    2. 73. Install a TV Tuner
    3. 74. Watch TV on Your Computer
      1. 4.3.1. Zapping
    4. 75. Output to a TV with NVIDIA Cards
      1. 4.4.1. nvtv
      2. 4.4.2. NVIDIA X Drivers
    5. 76. Cut Commercials
    6. 77. Create a DVR with MythTV
      1. 4.6.1. The Hardware
      2. 4.6.2. The Basic Steps
      3. 4.6.3. Install Fedora Linux
      4. 4.6.4. Configure Fedora
      5. 4.6.5. Update Fedora
      6. 4.6.6. Configure a Third-Party MythTV Repository
      7. 4.6.7. Install MythTV
      8. 4.6.8. Configure System Modules
        1. 4.6.8.1. Setting up your NVIDIA card.
        2. 4.6.8.2. Setting up your capture card.
        3. 4.6.8.3. Setting up your remote control.
      9. 4.6.9. Create the MythTV Database
      10. 4.6.10. Configure Zap2it Data Direct
      11. 4.6.11. Configure MythTV
      12. 4.6.12. Running MythTV for the First Time
      13. 4.6.13. Automatically Log In and Start MythTV
      14. 4.6.14. Connect to TV
      15. 4.6.15. Final MythTV Tweaks
      16. 4.6.16. Schedule Recordings
      17. 4.6.17. Conclusion
    7. 78. MythTV as a Digital Hub
      1. 4.7.1. MythVideo
      2. 4.7.2. MythDVD
      3. 4.7.3. MythMusic
      4. 4.7.4. MythGallery
      5. 4.7.5. MythGame
      6. 4.7.6. MythWeather
      7. 4.7.7. MythPhone
      8. 4.7.8. MythNews
      9. 4.7.9. MythBrowser
      10. 4.7.10. MythWeb
    8. 79. Take (Remote) Control
    9. 80. Browse Streaming Radio Stations
    10. 81. Rip Streaming Audio
      1. 4.10.1. Schedule Recordings
      2. 4.10.2. Listen to Streams as They Are Ripped
      3. 4.10.3. Track Detection
    11. 82. Rip Streaming Video
    12. 83. Command-Line Streaming MP3 Player
    13. 84. Build a Linux Jukebox with Jinzora
    14. 85. Stream Video with VLC
    15. 86. Grab Podcasts from the Command Line
    16. 87. Get Podcasts with a GUI
      1. 4.16.1. Install
      2. 4.16.2. Run Monopod
      3. 4.16.3. Listening to Podcasts
      4. 4.16.4. Synchronizing with an iPod
    17. 88. Broadcast Sound to AM with a Monitor
  8. 5. Web
    1. 5.1. Hacks 89–100: Introduction
    2. 89. Install the Macromedia Plug-in in a Flash
    3. 90. Use the Real RealPlayer
    4. 91. Watch Videos Within Firefox
    5. 92. Kaffeinate Konqueror
    6. 93. Install the Acrobat Reader Plug-in
    7. 94. Control Your Media Player with Firefox
    8. 95. Grab Color Profiles from Other Web Sites
    9. 96. Browse Graphical Sites from an xterm
    10. 97. Star in Your Own Reality TV Show
      1. 5.10.1. Install the Webcam
      2. 5.10.2. Use Your Webcam
    11. 98. Make Internet Phone Calls with Skype
    12. 99. Turn Your Linux Box into a PBX
      1. 5.12.1. Start and Stop the Asterisk Server
      2. 5.12.2. Linux-Specific Start and Stop Scripts
    13. 100. Host a Photo Gallery
  9. About the Author
  10. Colophon
  11. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Linux Multimedia Hacks
  • Author(s): Kyle Rankin
  • Release date: November 2005
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596100766