Impress 3.2.1 Ubuntu 10.10 video not working

[farchumbre]

Hi
If I add videos to my presentation they do not play. Although, these videos can play using vlc, for example.
the same presentation with the same videos was working before in ubuntu 10.04 and they stopped working after I updated to ubuntu 10.10.
Most of the videos do not work, but I have some videos that will.
I installed all codecs possible.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Hagar Delest]

It's not clear if you use 3.2.1 or the Ubuntu version of OOo (still 3.2.0 IIRC). If you use the Sun/Oracle version then you need the Java Media Framework. Else, the Ubuntu version, based on go-oo, the Novell build, has extended video capabilities I think.

[RoryOF]

I never had time to get the JMF working in Ubuntu, although I found a note the other day of what I need to do.

For what it's worth, here it is (sorry - no attribution saved for it found the source:

Edit: http://www.mail-archive.com/users@openo ... 04887.html

)

Code: Select all

I don't have 64bit, but I am able to play video in Impress. The key is
that you must install Sun Java JMF (also install the mp3 plugin), then
point your classpath in OOo to the installed location. 
Example (I've installed JMF in /opt/JMF-2.1.1e/):

Tools|Options|OOo|Java|Class Path|Add Archive:
/opt/JMF-2.1.1e/lib/mediaplayer.jar
/opt/JMF-2.1.1e//lib/mp2plugin.jar
/opt/JMF-2.1.1e/lib/multiplayer.jar
/opt/JMF-2.1.1e/lib/jmf.jar

Then click OK. Again, don't know about 64bit, but works pretty well on 32bit.

At present if I need videos in Impress under Ubuntu (my presentation machine is Ubuntu) I use the technique in
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wik ... thout_Java,
modified for one's video player of choice. This has the advantage that if Ubuntu can show the video then Impress can also. One may need to fine tune the command line in the macro to get full screen. This tuning depends on which video player is used and one may need to consult its manual for the details.

When the LibreOffice/go-oo/Oracle situation stabilises, it is to be hoped that OpenOffice multimedia will be unified across all platforms. I vaguely remember that Sun/Oracle were saying they would use some other multimedia method than JMF for OOo 3.3, but that this has slipped to OOo 3.4. In the meantime, the macro method in the url above seems to me to be most reliable, even if it may appear clunky. But it is clunkier not to have the video appear in your presentation!

[farchumbre]

thanks of the answers.
I downloaded jmf and followed the steps described by RoryOF but videos still do not play in 3.2.1
I am using the oracle version. How do I download the go-oo ubuntu version?

[Hagar Delest]

Remove the Sun version and install through the Ubuntu Install Center.

[farchumbre]

Hi Hagar,
I removed openoffice sudo apt-get remove openoffice*
then I installed the ppa http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ppa/ubuntu
and reintalled openoffice, but I still get the oracle version.
How do I install via the ubuntu install center ?

Thanks

[Hagar Delest]

In the main Ubuntu menu, there should be an entry to the Install center, then search for OOo. Or in Synpatic, install the OOo packages with 'ubuntu' in the version number.

[farchumbre]

thanks, but if I use the ubuntu software center or synaptic, and if I search for Ooo, The only option I get is Openoffice.org office suite, which it is still the oracle version. The same thing for synaptic.
I am trying to download the rpm version from go-oo but so far no success.

[Hagar Delest]

Why do you say it's the Oracle version? go-oo version is still called OOo in Ubuntu.

[farchumbre]

because when I launch it, in the window that first pops up says oracle at the bottom right corner.
I installed the rpm packages from go-oo, but openoffice does not appear in the applications/office menu
do you know how to add it?

[Hagar Delest]

RPM is not for debian based distros. Have you converted the packages with alien? There should be a desktop-configuration folder.

[RoryOF]

You say some videos are working, some are not. Can you see what is the type of the working videos and the type of the non-working videos? Is there any pattern to it? if some work and some don't work my first instinct would be to check for a codec problem.

[farchumbre]

yes I used alien to convert them and then I installed them with ubuntu software center. I checked all the deb packages till the last folder and there is no desktop-configuration folder.
http://go-oo.mirrorbrain.org/stable/linux-x86/3.2.1/
here there is something call freedessktop-menus but nothing for ubuntu. I tried it anyway but it didn't work.

regarding the few videos that work, they are usually non-compressed ones, but some non compressed of the same format they also do not work. I installed all possible codecs in maverick, but still no luck.
all the videos were working with ubuntu lucid and openoffice 3.1.1

[Hagar Delest]

freedesktop-menus should do it.

But honestly, I just checked my software center and I do see the Ubuntu version of OOo. Note that I missed something: the PPA repository is for the latest Oracle version! it is not the Ubuntu version. No wonder you still see the Oracle logo!

[RoryOF]

Note that I missed something: the PPA repository is for the latest Oracle version! it is not the Ubuntu version. No wonder you still see the Oracle logo!

That will be a great convenience, if they keep it updated to current releases.

[Hagar Delest]

But there are sometimes problems with those packages because it's not an official Ubuntu repository standard users can upload the packages they make IIRC. I remember big problems with the OOo packages when 3.0.0 had been released.

[farchumbre]

Hi,
the freedescktop-menu deb made the whole system crash.
I remove the openoffice ppa and tried to reinstall it, but I still get the oracle version.
the videos that are working were videos in a presentation I prepared in impress 3.1, and they even work when I load the presentation in impress 3.2.1, but if I try to insert the same videos in a new presentation using 3.2.1 they do not work.
I tried oo3.3, but now none of the videos of the presentation made in 3.1 work.

How did you install the jmf? I just downloaded and unpacked it, then from the tools/options menu in impress, I selected the different jar folders.

I guess that converting all movies to animation gif pictures will be the only solution

[RoryOF]

Use the other method in the note I referenced above. This will switch to a dedicated movie application to display the videos.

[farchumbre]

Hi RoryOF
the macro-xine combination is working great. the only problem is that when I run the macro the panel bars appear over the presentation.
also, do you know if there is an option to close xine automatically after the video ended?

thanks

[RoryOF]

I don't offhand. I'd suggest you looked up the documentation for xine.

I used Totem at one stage because it was installed "out of the box" on the Ubuntus I was using, and later changed to VLC. I shortly will have to revisit some earlier presentations prepared several versions of Ubuntu and OpenOffice ago, and will have to resetup my macros and video utility.

As far as I remember there are command line options to display the video full screen; and if you invoke the video utilty by the command line it ought close automatically. From the command prompt try typing"xine --h" or "xine ?"; one of these should give you the various command line commands.

Edit: I have been fiddling with this:I find I can use Totem very effectively, with one drawback, which is that it doesn't close after running the video, be it direct from command-line or from a playlist on command-line. I think this was why I had to move to vlc as the video application; as far as I remember, vlc will exit or can be commanded to exit after command-line invocation. Will experiment further when time allows xine -fphq --no-splash /Path/to/Video.mpg seems to do everything that is needed. Full screen, autostart of the video, no clutter of controls on screen, no opening Xine logo and quits when finished. I have no need for the added complexity of vlc, as I don't handle incoming media streams.

[farchumbre]

Hi,
so far the macro solution is working great.
I need the movie to play on the slide of the presentation on the background so I can't play it as full screen. do you know why the panel bars appear when I start xine?
unfortunately these hide some of the information on the slide.
I am using these presentations with video projectors that have different video resolutions and this changes the position of the video depending on the resolution used. Is there any way to fix the position independent of the resolution of the screen?
thanks

[RoryOF]

You should, from the console, type xine --h; this will give you several screens of help. Correct selection of the parameters listed there will allow you almost any settings on-screen. You can move back through this screen using the scroll bar and Page Up/down keys to read info that has scrolled. I'm sorry to be so vague, but I'm not on an xine equipped machine at present. For my purposes a full screen video is always appropriate. You can also edit /.xine/config to cause it to remember certain defaults. Careful Googling will probably help find the result you need.

Of the parameter line I quoted:
xine -fphq --no-splash /Path/to/Video.mpg

f means full screen
q means quit xine after the video, otherwise xine stays open and must be manually closed
p means immediately play the video named
h means turn off the tool/progress bar
--no-splash stops the big xine logo flashing up before video starts.

Edit: The command line options are given at http://linux.die.net/man/1/xine

[ludvik]

I have tried to make OpenOffice Presentation/Impress working with movies (3.2.1 and 3.3.0), and even though 3.2.1 plays the imported movie while in "edit" mode, it didn't play when I ran the file, or previewed it in Slideshow (F5). This is apparently down to a bug in OpenOffice Presentation where it is unable to link to the movie-file due to a flawed link (pointing to a non-existent media-folder).

However, a solution to this is to use LibreOffice Impress 3.3.1 just for the job of importing a movie, then use OpenOffice Presentation 3.2.1 for any editing pre or post that. When you re-open the file in OpenOffice Presentation 3.2.1 (regardless if you decide to update or not update links) it will work. It seems that by importing the movie-file through LibreOffice Impress 3.3.1 it overruns OpenOffice Presentation 3.2.1's instructions, and it remains so after that. The reason why I prefer to edit the file in OpenOffice Presentation 3.2.1, except for the movie importation, is because it seems to have more assets than LibreOffice Impress 3.3.1. As for the OpenOffice 3.3.0 movie editing seems even more difficult, because it won't even import any file in any format. I haven't tried to use this method with OpenOffice 3.3.0, and I see no reason to try that (not before 3.3.0 becomes better). Cheers.