< PatrickBarnes | Prototypes | Docs/Beats
Multimedia
Fedora Core includes applications for assorted multimedia functions, including playback, recording and editing. Additional packages are available through the Fedora Extras repository.
Multimedia Players
By default, Fedora Core will install with rhythmbox, totem, and Helix Player for media playback. In addition, many other programs are available in the Fedora Core and Fedora Extras repositories, including the popular xmms package. Both Gnome and KDE also have specific sets of programs that can be used with a variety of formats. Other popular programs, such as Adobe/Macromedia's Flash Player, Real Player, VLC, MPlayer, and Xine, can also be installed, but are excluded from the Fedora repositories since they are not compatible with Fedora's licensing or are usually distributed with support for restricted formats. For more on this, see the Excluded Multimedia Software section below.
Fedora Core is also equipped to take full advantage of the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) sound system. This means that many programs can play sound simultaneously, which was once difficult on Linux systems. When all multimedia software is configured to use ALSA for sound support, this old limitation disappears. For more information about ALSA, visit the project website:
Ogg and Xiph.Org Foundation Formats
Fedora includes complete support for the Ogg media container format, the Vorbis audio, Theora video, Speex audio, and FLAC lossless audio formats. More information on these formats and how to use them can be found at the Xiph.Org Foundation's web site:
MP3 & DVD Support
Fedora Core and Fedora Extras cannot include support for MP3 or DVD playback or recording, because the MP3 and MPEG (DVD) formats are patented, and the patent owners have not provided the necessary licenses. For more information, see the next section.
Excluded Multimedia Software
Several programs are excluded from Fedora Core and Fedora Extras due to licensing issues. These include programs which provide MP3 and DVD support, Flash Player and Real Player. Users who wish to use these programs or restricted formats will have to acquire additional packages from third-party repositories. Many of the multimedia applications in the Fedora repositories support plugins, so support for new formats can be easily added or removed. For more on this subject, please see:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/ForbiddenItems
CD and DVD Authoring and Burning
Tools are included in Fedora Core and Fedora Extras for easily mastering and burning CDs and DVDs. Tools that can be used from the console include cdrecord, readcd, mkisofs, and other typical Linux applications. For Gnome users, the xcdroast package from Fedora Core and the graveman package from Fedora Extras will allow easy preparation of audio and data discs. For KDE users, the k3b package provides a very robust tool for these tasks.