Plugin finder unable to find x264 plugin or explain issues.

[James Lewis]

Binary package hint: arista

Upon selecting the default computer profile and attempting to transcode, the plugin finder is triggered, and fails to find a suitable plugin.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Oct 5 14:29:44 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ExecutablePath: /usr/share/arista/arista-gtk
InterpreterPath: /usr/bin/python2.6
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: arista 0.9.3+repack-0ubuntu1
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-11.38-generic
SourcePackage: arista
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-11-generic x86_64

[James Lewis (james-fsck)]

Hmm, seemed to be some problem adding the vid.. basically, the "computer" profile defines a codec that the plugin finder can't fiind.

Will try to attach vid again.

[Alessio Treglia (quadrispro)]

Arista suggests to install gstreamer0.10-plugins-{bad,ugly}-multiverse packages, you should install the last one to use that plugin (x264).

[James Lewis (james-fsck)]

Perhaps it could suggest this at the point when you try to use that setting, or not have a situation where the use of such a plugin is the default option. It's certainly not a great user experience, there must be a way we can have the plugin finder service alert the user that the plugin may be available but is non-free etc... mabe direct them to a commercial plugin via fluendo if necessary, or have a regeonal check to highlight the problem? does such a thing exist?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package arista - 0.9.3+repack-0ubuntu2

---------------
arista (0.9.3+repack-0ubuntu2) karmic; urgency=low

  * Add quilt support.
  * debian/patches/01-patent_free_presets.diff: Add patent free profiles to
    presets/computer.xml (LP: #443099) and set one of them as default choice.
  * debian/control:
    - Build-Depends on quilt.
    - Bump Standards.
    - Bump debhelper build-dependency to >= 7.0.50.

 -- Alessio Treglia <email address hidden> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:13:52 +0200

[James Lewis (james-fsck)]

I wondered why the default was not to use Theora/Vorbis, obviously it's nice to have a preset that used x264 & AAC, but if this requires a codec that can't be distributed, mabe it is best not to have it as the only "computer" output setting?

[Alessio Treglia (quadrispro)]

Why should we create a new "computer" setting?

Instead of doing that, I simply added more presets to that already existing one (IMHO it seems a more coherent choice).

As you can see, now the "computer" setting provides "patent-free" presets [1], I also changed the default preset from "Normal" to "Normal (patent-free)"; in this way the users will switch to the "non-patent-free" presets by selecting them.

[1] http://www.uploadgeek.com/share-6C1A_4ACC8A70.html

[James Lewis (james-fsck)]

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest a specific method to achieve this... the solution you present seems eminently sensible.

[Daniel G. Taylor (danielgtaylor)]

Supposed patent free presets are welcome upstream, however realize that Theora is a significantly older, less technologically advanced codec with lower quality than H.264 at the same bitrates despite what a couple random blogs might say. Also note that Theora is not guaranteed to be patent free, the known On2 patents were released but until there is a large-scale attempt to track all possible patents covering any aspect of Theora you do not know for sure.

Please create a merge request or send me the patch and I'll apply for the next release, but I'm inclined to keep the H.264 presets as the default. I require the multiverse packages if you are using Arista from my PPA.

[Alessio Treglia (quadrispro)]

Attaching the patch.

[Savas Sen (savas-sen)]

I have the same problem with psp profile. Plug-in search tool can't find "GStreamer element x264enc".. is this patch solves my issue too? How will i use it?

[Daniel G. Taylor (danielgtaylor)]

Savas,

If you want nonfree codecs then you need to install the recommended packages (apt usually spits out a recommends: ... line). Basically you need the GStreamer universe/multiverse stuff and unstripped libav* wouldn't hurt to decripple an Ubuntu install.

You want the blue packages listed here:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/karmic/arista

I still have no clue why the automatic plugin installer fails. I've never gotten it to work (and the code was just borrowed from Transmageddon because Christian suggested it and some Fedora people wanted it in there). For now manually installing those suggested packages seems to be the way to go.

I'm in the middle of a big move at the moment but expect some of these bugs to be fixed after things settle in my life again. Maybe I can do some kind of checks and if things are missing attempt to install them from within Arista. Big things are coming but it will take some time, and as always patches are welcome!

[Savas Sen (savas-sen)]

I checked the plugins. After installing "gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse" everything was ok.
Thank you.

[James Lewis (james-fsck)]

I love the app, it's really nice... I just logged the bug becuase I think that it would be nice to find a way to make it clearer to new users that they have to install other packages, could those other packages be a pre-requisite?..

Perhaps the plugin finder has an issue that should be addressed.

[Johan (johan-andersson-78)]

When I got the question to search for missing plugins (x264 and AAC encoders in my case) the plugin finder did find a package and installed it, something like "gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly" and I even got the question if it was ok patent-vise to install it. But when I checked Synaptic the "gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly" was installed but not the "gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse"-package. So I assume (but sadly do not remember exactly) that only the "gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly"-package was installed, and this is not where the x264 plugin is. Just a thought...

[seguima (andrew-segui)]

Thank you - installing gstreamer0.10-plugins-{bad,ugly}-multiverse packages worked fine for me

[Daniel G. Taylor (danielgtaylor)]

For what it's worth, those packages ARE required dependencies in my readme and my PPA. The Ubuntu folks removed those dependencies and effectively broke the application and there's nothing I can do about it as they are the gatekeepers. If it were up to me Arista would be in Multiverse and not Universe and would just require all those deps.

[milktash (keithgallant)]

I had a problem where the Plugin downloader installed the latest patch but for whatever reason didn't install the x264enc bit.
After following the search on the Plugin downloader it still didn't find anything.

Installing the Ugly multiverse patch in terminal worked.

Thanks