The fix was simple, (re)installing the ntp package made sure that some of the missing dependencies was installed. I am pretty sure this has happened to me before, so it could be a useful tips to others. If your clock runs late, try the following (one may of course use Synaptic as well):

sudo apt-get install ntp

First install Sun’s java implementation. I installed it from the 10.04 repository (lucid) using the following commands (or Synaptic Package Manager):

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner"
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts

However, I am pretty sure using the 11.04 (natty) respository would work as well (Synaptic should already have an entry for partner software):

sudo add-apt-repository deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu natty partner

Then remove all the packages concerning OpenJDK (my computers had six different packages). It is probably easier to find and remove the packages by using Synaptic.

Finally, select the java version to use by typing in the following command (pick the one saying “sun jre” and “auto”):

sudo update-alternatives --config java

I have tested the above on two different computers and it is working. If you have problems, leave me a comment and I’ll see if I can help.

This post shows how to use a machine with Ubuntu as a central server, how to encrypt your data, and how to back them up using Ubuntu One. The guide assumes that you have a disk (array) containing the data that is mounted outside your home folder in Ubuntu.

Encryption

There are several ways to encrypt your data. Ì chose to use a virtual, encrypted file system that encrypts my data on the fly. There are several ways to do this, but I chose encfs. It was recommended around the net, and it seems to be working great. Setting it ups is relatively easy. Just follow this great guide by HyRax1 (thanks man). Just take note on how to share the folder with samba (assuming that you already have set up file sharing/samba on your machine. Just google it if in doubt.)

The guid will ask you create two folders. One for the encrypted data, and one for decrypted data. The folder for decrypted data gives you a view that allows you to read and modify your data.

Please make sure to remember your password!

Linking the folder into your home folder

Since Ubuntu One only supports synchronization of folders within your home folder, you have to bind the folder (the encrypted one) into your home folder. Create a folder named “private_documents” in your home folder, and in a command prompt type:

sudo getdit /etc/fstab

Then add a line similar to the one below into your fstab:

/path/to/encrypted_data /home/[user name]/private_documents       none    bind        0       0

Synchronize data with Ubuntu One

Right click your private_documents, select “Synchronize on Ubuntu One”. See this guide for more info. Now you are all done.

The data may now be downloaded and decrypted on another computer simply by installing encfs and mapping the folder:
encfs /path/to/encrypted_data /path/to/decrypted

Step 1.Installation

First, dvdbackup may be installed through Synaptic, or by typing the following into the command line: sudo apt-get install dvdbackup

Second, you most likely have to install a CSS library to remove the copy protection. This may be done by adding the following unofficial repositories to your list of repositories (System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager, then Settings->Repositories, and them on the “Other Software” pane):

deb http://unofficial.debian-maintainers.org/ lenny main contrib non-free restricted
deb-src http://unofficial.debian-maintainers.org/ lenny main contrib non-free restricted

You will most likely get an error message because of a missing key. Ignore this error message, or get the missing key through installing the package dmo-archive-keyring. Then you need to add the package libdvdcss2.

Third, Handbrake does not have an official stable release for Ubuntu at the moment. However, the nightly build has been working very well on my computer. To install this build follow these instructions. In short, add the following two repositories, and install the package handbrake-gtk.
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/stebbins/handbrake-snapshots/ubuntu lucid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/stebbins/handbrake-snapshots/ubuntu lucid main

Step 2. Ripping with dvdbackup

I use the command line tool dvdback up to make a copy of the DVD on the hard drive. The copy does not have any copy protection. To do this, start the command line, and go to the folder where you want the image to be stored. Then, type: dvdbackup -i /dev/dvd -M

dvdbackup - screenshot

I have experienced some problems with the name of the dvd drive, but /dev/dvd/ usually works. If not, find the right name under /dev or /media. As you might see from the image above, you could receive some error messages. Do not worry about these. They are ignored sectors that are part of the copy protection. Ripping a full DVD usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes on my computer.

3. Transcoding with Handbrake

Transcoding the movies and series from the DVD format (usually a VIDEO_TS folder with several VTS_**_*.VOB files) to a single video file is very simple. First, set up Handbrake the way you want. Personally, I do not include subtitles, select the MP4 file format, and use the “High quality” preset. However, you may play around with the settings any way you like.

HandBrake - Screenshot

Second, Select “Source” in Handbrake (see the screenshot above), browse to the source folder of one DVD, and click “OK”.

Third, Pick the “Title” you want to encode. give it a sensible name, select the folder where you want to store the transcoded file, and click “Add to Queue”. The longest title is automatically selected. For DVDs with movies, the longest title is usually the movie itself. For TV series, make sure that you add all the episodes on the disc to the queue.

Fourth, when you have added all the movies you want to transcode, simply click “Start” and let your computer do the job. On my machine (AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black with 4 GB RAM), transcoding a movie takes about 45 min to an hour with the hiqh quality settings. On an AMD Athlon X2 4850e with 4 GB RAM, it takes significantly longer.

The next step

When Handbrake finishes you will have a collection of transcoded movies and series. In future post, I will show how I manage these using another set of open source software.

Disclaimer

Ripping and transcoding (copyrighted) DVDs may be illegal in some countries. In Norway, where I live it is not illegal to break “weak” copy protections like CSS (the copy protection used on DVDs). Distribution of copyrighted material is still illegal in Norway and most other countries, so please don’t do it.

After installing Ubuntu 10.04, Vuze would not start. Reinstalling the libswt-gtl/3.5/java package may solve this problem (thanks to the tips in this issue at launchpad.net). Reinstalling this package may be done by opening a console window and typing: “sudo apt-get install –reinstall libswt-gtk-3.5-java“

First, add a repository that contains Sun’s JRE. You may go to the Synaptic Package Manager and select “Settings->Repositories->Other software->Add” and paste the following: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner, or type the following command into your console window:  sudo add-apt-repository “deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner”.

Second, you should now be able to install sun-java6-jre, sun-java6-fonts and sun-java6-plugin through either Synaptic or sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts.

Third, make sure that you remove the openjdk. In Synaptic remove openjdk-6-jre-lib and openjdk-6-jre.

Finally, set the sun-java6-jre to be your active jre by typing the following in your console: sudo update-alternatives –config java. Then select the right jre (/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/jre/bin/java). It should most likely be “0″.

This does not work right out of the box with Ubuntu. Thanks to Anders S. Lund I found the solution, which was to install an alpha version of Moonlight:

1. Remove the Firefox-VLC plugin: “sudo apt-get remove mozilla-plugin-vlc”
2. Remove previous versions of Moonlght: In Firefox goto Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions
3. Download the most recent version of Moonlight: http://www.go-mono.com/moonlight/prerelease.aspx
4. In case of sluggish performance, turn of all effects by closing the browser and using the following command: “MOONLIGHT_OVERRIDES=effects=no firefox“

See the following link for more information/troubleshooting.

MOONLIGHT_OVERRIDES=effects=no firefox

Mediaplayer/Totem preferences

The fix was relatively simple. It seems as because of some old bug, the Hue in Movie Player/Totem should have been turned off (either to max or min). Now, it seems someone have fixed this bug and the Hue should rather be set to the middle position as illustrated above. Open Movie Player (Applications -> Sound & Video -> Movie Player). Open the display preferences like in the figure (Edit -> Preferences -> Display) and put the slider in the middle position. This did the trick (at least for me).

Error message:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
sun-java6-plugin: Depends: sun-java6-bin (= 6-15-1) but 6-16-0ubuntu1.9.04 is to be installed
E: Broken packages


To fix it, I removed the java implementation through the following commands (thanks to FrostCake):
sudo apt-get remove sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-bin sun-java6-fonts
sudo apt-get autoremove

Then I reinstalled the sun-java6-plugin through the Synaptic Manager. This will also install all packages which the Java plugin depends on.

I have for some time had problems with flash videos in Firefox on my AMD64 Ubuntu machine. I normally use the computer for work so it has not really been that much of a problem. However, I hate not being able to use Ubuntu the way you would expect it to work … A Google search later, I found these simple instructions. Just follow the instructions and you will have flash videos working in no time. If you want to test your flash player on your AMD64 Ubuntu machine, you may check of EpicBattleAxe video above.

By the way, the new Ubuntu 9.10 looks and feels quite good