Amarok in Ubuntu 9.04 does not offer to install restricted codecs (like MP3)

[dotancohen]

Binary package hint: amarok

When trying to play MP3 files on a new Kubuntu 9.04 alpha 6 installation, Amarok gives the error "Too many errors" and does not play the file. The user is at a loss for what to do.

Steps to reproduce:
1) Open Amarok
2) Import music collection that includes MP3 files
3) Click on MP3 file to play

What happens:
An error appears in the corner: "Too many errors"

What I expect to happen:
I expect to hear Pantera

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

Same thing happens in Ubuntu (Gnome desktop), Amaroks fails to play files in restricted codecs, but don't offer to download them either. Install is from Ubuntu 9.04 Beta 1, but with all updates.

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: amarok 2:2.0.2mysql5.1.30-0ubuntu3
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
Uname: Linux 2.6.28-11-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin audio cdrom dialout dip fax fuse lpadmin netdev plugdev sambashare video

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

About the dependencies: note that I installed manually the package to get Amarok to play mp3 audio files ;)

[Myriam Schweingruber (myriam)]

Loïc: a regression would be if this option was working before and doesn't work anymore.
But Amarok doesn't handle codec download at all and never has, this depends on your distributors choice to offer (or not) preinstalled mp3 codecs for the xine sound engine.

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

Myriam: Amarok (1.4) in Kubuntu/Ubuntu 8.10 offered this option. Upon playing an mp3, it would prompt for install of restricted codecs (and install them if the user wants it). In 9.04, Amarok (2.0) doesn't do this anymore.

>But Amarok doesn't handle codec download at all and never has,
> this depends on your distributors choice to offer (or not) preinstalled
> mp3 codecs for the xine sound engine.

Note that this bug is opened against amarok (_Ubuntu_), not against the upstream project. For amarok (_Ubuntu_) it's a regression (even though Amarok 2.0 is a different beast than 1.4, it's still an upper version of the same program, which is valid for reporting a regression).

[Myriam Schweingruber (myriam)]

"Amarok (1.4) in Kubuntu/Ubuntu 8.10 offered this option".
Right, you are comparing apples with oranges here: Amarok 2 is something totally new, filing a regression for an application which has not even a common codebase with the 1.4.x series and never had this option is a bit strange, don't you think?
Also, the option you describe is particular to gstreamer IIRC, and Amarok 2.0.2 doesn't use gstreamer directly, it uses phonon. I don't think this is an Amarok bug at all, but a distribution specific bug for mp3 codecs.

[Loïc Martin (loic-martin3)]

> filing a regression for an application which has not even a common
> codebase with the 1.4.x series and never had this option is a bit strange,
> don't you think?

That's a peculiar question. Obviously I wouldn't have filed a regression if I thought that. Amarok 2.X has been chosen as a replacement for 1.4 in Ubuntu 9.04, whatever the codebase it's a regression for the user of the same application. Again note that the bug is limited to the Ubuntu project, nobody has suggested to file it upstream.

[Jonathan Riddell (jr)]

Amarok uses update-notifier-kde to prompt for restricted codecs install. Most non-Kubuntu desktop users won't have that installed and won't get prompted, which is indeed a regression from previously.

Ideally Amarok would use packagekit to check for useful codecs and install through that. This would be a (mostly) desktop and distro independent way of installing codecs.

[Isaac Dupree (idupree)]

workaround for getting back MP3-playing (since no one's mentioned it yet) : `sudo aptitude install libxine1-ffmpeg` worked for me

[KruyKaze (kruykaze)]

`sudo aptitude install libxine1-ffmpeg`
Works for me too thank you!

[efexorce (mustafa-ulker)]

after now amarok is playing perfectly. i just updated. i think mplayer update solved the problem.

[htaccess (linux-gamma)]

I can confirm this bug and also confirm it is very annoying.

Here is the use case, I wanted to listen to an mp3 file, I decided to install amarok so i could listen to this mp3 file and the many others like it I have on my computer. I did this as I have been using amarok to listen to mp3 files on ubuntu for many years so it was the logical choice.

After installing i clicked on the mp3 and chose to open it with Amarok. Amarok sat there and played no sound while giving every appearance of working. I received no error messages, no popup boxes telling me anything. Googling revealed i needed to `sudo aptitude install libxine1-ffmpeg` which I did. So I'm now a happy camper.

I suggest however that:

1. The majority of people who choose to install amarok will be doing so because they want to listen to mp3 files. Even if they mostly have flac or ogg files I bet its less than 0.01% of users who _never_ want to play mp3.

2. Given 1, after installing amarok and having it not play mp3s _and_ not give any indication that there is some sort of problem and just fail to do so is a major bug. This is exactly the sort of bug that make people lable linux as arcane complex and not user friendly.

3. Suggested solutions include, making amarok depend on libxine1-ffmpeg. Or having amarok pop up a friendly message saying something along the lines of "Sorry! mp3 playback is not working, because blah blah blah (patents, evil company's, freedom). If you would like to use amarok to listen to mp3 files please click on this button to install package xyz.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

As this bug is a "usability bug that the average user would encounter on his/her first day of using a brand new installation of the latest version of Ubuntu Desktop Edition", I am adding the One Hundred Paper Cuts project to the bug.

[Vish (vish)]

Thank you for bringing this bug to our attention. Unfortunately a paper cut should be a small usability issue that affects many people and is quick and easy to fix. I'm afraid this bug can't be addressed as part of this project.

Amarok is not part of the default install, Hence Not a papercut
A paper cut is a minor usability annoyance that an average user would encounter on his/her first day of using a new installation of Ubuntu 9.10.

For further info about papercuts criteria , pls read > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PaperCut

Don't worry though, This bug has been marked as "invalid" ONLY in the papercuts project.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

> Amarok is not part of the default install, Hence Not a papercut

Amarok is part of the default Kubuntu install. I suppose that means that the One Hundred Paper Cuts project only applies to Ubuntu and not to official derivatives such as Kubuntu?

> A paper cut is a minor usability annoyance that an average user would encounter on
> his/her first day of using a new installation of Ubuntu 9.10.

This issue fits that description, assuming "Ubuntu" includes "Kubuntu".

> Don't worry though, This bug has been marked as "invalid" ONLY in the papercuts project.

I see that, thanks.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

> For further info about papercuts criteria , pls read > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PaperCut

That page states:
"""
If you prefer a more detailed, itemized definition, a paper cut is:

    * A bug, or an unintended problem occurring within an existing piece of software,
    * the presence of which makes a computer more difficult or less pleasant to use,
    * that is easy to fix,
    * that the average user would encounter during his/her first day of using...
    * ...Ubuntu Desktop Edition* as configured by a default installation.

* Paper cuts are also found in Kubuntu!
"""

This bug fits the entire description, including the five bullet points mentioned. Please reconsider it's status as a papercut. Thanks.

[Lightbreeze (nedhoy-gmail)]

Kubuntu bugs can indeed be considered 'paper cuts'.

[Vish (vish)]

> This issue fits that description, assuming "Ubuntu" includes "Kubuntu".

Ah... i *missed* that this was for Kubuntu ...

Yup its a papercut for kubuntu.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

Thank you Lightbreeze and Mac. You didn't miss it, there is no way for the user to specify that this is a Kubuntu issue.

Have a great week.

[LexLythius (lexlythius)]

Hi guys,

I'm getting the same error message with OGG files. I extracted those from a CD with built-in audio extractor back when I had Ubuntu 8.04. It doesn't work with Amarok2, though they play with Rythmbox, etc.

Also tried "aptitude install libxine1-ffmpeg" as Isaac Dupre pointed out, but nothing changes (looks I already had that one installed).

[Celeste Lyn Paul (seele)]

Talked to some devs, this is too big of a problem to fix as a papercut.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

Thank you for looking into this, Celeste. Which devs did you speak to? Because from talking to an Amarok (not *buntu) dev (I don't remember who, sorry, it was a chat) it looked to him like a simple regression (because it worked in the past) that should be an easy fix (because the code to make it work should already be there). I don't have the chat logs, but I can try to find him again it you'd like.

Which devs declared that this is too big of a problem?

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

I think the problem is best described here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/amarok/+bug/346246/comments/9
It's not exactly trivial to do.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

Thank you Jonathan. That comment implies that Kubuntu has update-notifier-kde and therefore that Kubuntu is not affected, only other distros (specifically, those that do not include update-notifier-kde by default). However, Kubuntu is in fact affected, and aptitude shows me that it is not installed by default:

$ aptitude show update-notifier-kde
Package: update-notifier-kde
State: installed
Automatically installed: no
Version: 0.19
Priority: optional

If update-notifier-kde is installed by default, would that solve this issue? If so, then that looks like an easy fix to me.

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

update-notifier-kde is installed by default in Kubuntu. It is on the livecd and is a recommends of the kubuntu-desktop package, so it will be installed by default if you install kubuntu-desktop from a gnome system.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

Thank you Jonathan. Then where does the problem lie? The comment that you link to implies that the problem lies in the lack of update-notifier-kde in Kubuntu, however you state that this is not the problem. What is?

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

The comment above says that the problem is the lack of update-notifier-kde in Ubuntu, not Kubuntu. Ubuntu wouldn't want it though since it has its own update notification system.

[dotancohen (dotancohen)]

I see. This is a Kubuntu bug, and a major one at that as it affects all MP3 audio playback (a very common usage scenario). Why is this issue occuring in Kubuntu? How can I mark it as a Kubuntu bug so it is not assumed that the addition of update-notifier-kde in Ubuntu would be the fix? What fix does Kubuntu need?

[Myriam Schweingruber (myriam)]

Do really all distributions use packagekit? I very much doubt that. Of course we could make a script in Amarok to allow the distributions to fill in their package manager, but this needs awareness from the packagers over all. If this can be guaranteed, no problem from our side then.

[Nick Andrik (andrikos)]

On another note, I guess the problem could be solved with the correct dependencies as noted in the bug: 432701
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xine-lib/+bug/432701

[Maarten Bezemer (veger)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu. Jaunty reached EOL on October 23, 2010.
Please see this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

I've tried recreating this bug with Precise and was unable to, given the information you've provided. Please either a) upgrade and test or b) increase the verbosity of the steps to recreate it so we can try again.

Please feel free to report any other bugs you may find.