How to Play a WMV File in Ubuntu

Ubuntu requires the "ubuntu-restricted-extras" package to play a variety of proprietary formats.

Ubuntu is an open-source operating system capable of playing open-source audio and video formats immediately upon installation. Ubuntu is also capable of playing proprietary formats. To play proprietary video formats under Ubuntu, such as Windows Media Video (WMV), you will need to install an additional software package known as the "ubuntu-restricted-extras" package, which contains the proprietary format codecs. Ubuntu comes packaged with Totem Movie Player, a video playback software that is capable of playing many video formats, including WMV.

Instructions

1. Navigate to the "Applications" menu at the top of the page and select "Accessories > Terminal." This will open the command-line interface.

2. Enter the command "sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras" and hit "enter." Wait for the installation to finish.

3. Navigate to the directory where the MMV file is located and double-click it. This will open the file and begin playback under Totem Movie Player.

References

• Ubuntu Restricted Formats

Resources

• Ubuntu Home