How to install VLC media player 0.9.9 from Source in Debian Lenny

Posted on April 15, 2009 by ruchi 15 Comments

VLC media player is a media player, streamer, and encoder for Unix, Windows, Mac OS X, BeOS, QNX, and PocketPC. It can play from many inputs like files, network streams, capture device, desktops, or DVD, SVCD, VCD, and audio CD. It can play most audio and video codecs (MPEG 1/2/4, H264, VC-1, DivX, WMV, Vorbis, AC3, AAC, etc.), but can also convert to different formats and/or send streams through the network.

Preparing Your system

#apt-get install build-essential

#apt-get install libqt4-dev libpostproc-dev libavformat-dev libavcodec-dev libavutil-dev libmad0-dev liba52-0.7.4-dev libhal-dev libdbus-1-dev libfribidi-dev libgcrypt11-dev

Install Latest VLC Media player from source (0.9.9 is the latest version at the time of writing)

First download latest vlc version from here

wget http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/vlc/0.9.9/vlc-0.9.9.tar.bz2

Extract this tar.bz2 file using the following command

#tar -xjf vlc-0.9.9.tar.bz2

#cd vlc-0.9.9

#./configure --disable-swscale

#make

#make install

That’s it this will complete the installation

Using VLC

If you want to open VLC You need to go to Applications—>Sound&Video—>VLC Media Player

vlc-win32

If you want to install mozilla plugin use the following command

#apt-get install mozilla-plugin-vlc

15 thoughts on “How to install VLC media player 0.9.9 from Source in Debian Lenny”

Saptech on April 18, 2009 at 2:24 am said:

I just tried this and everything seems to have been going good until the ‘make install’ part and then I get this error.

Any ideas what could be wrong?

x264.c: In function ‘Open’:
x264.c:962: error: ‘x264_param_t’ has no member named ‘b_pre_scenecut’
make[5]: *** [libx264_plugin_la-x264.lo] Error 1
make[5]: Leaving directory `/home/saptech/vlc-0.9.9/modules/codec’
make[4]: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/saptech/vlc-0.9.9/modules/codec’
make[3]: *** [install] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/saptech/vlc-0.9.9/modules/codec’
make[2]: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/saptech/vlc-0.9.9/modules’
make[1]: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/saptech/vlc-0.9.9′
make: *** [install] Error 2
dan on April 18, 2009 at 6:14 am said:

Thx for the how-to; got problems with the second step (installing lib*-dev), apt-get complains dependencies not met (libqt4-dev relies on older versions of other libs than those I’m installing). I didn’t check further, maybe it’s because I’m prefering packages from “backport.org”… will check later.
Joe on April 26, 2009 at 6:50 pm said:

Got the same error as Saptech already with “make”. Tried to “make install” anyway and got the same error again. Any suggetions?
laudens on May 1, 2009 at 8:14 pm said:

Try to give a [u]#make check[/u] after configured, so it will check for dependencies
17wb on May 21, 2009 at 4:39 pm said:

Thank you for your post. I got some errors after ‘make’, could you help?

xcommon.h:355: error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before ‘XShmSegmentInfo’
make[6]: *** [libglx_plugin_la-glx.lo] Error 1
make[6]: Leaving directory `/home/user/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output/x11′
make[5]: *** [check] Error 2
make[5]: Leaving directory `/home/user/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output/x11′
make[4]: *** [check-recursive] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/user/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output’
make[3]: *** [check] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/user/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output’
make[2]: *** [check-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/user/vlc-0.9.9a/modules’
make[1]: *** [check-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/user/vlc-0.9.9a’
make: *** [check] Error 2
yxyc on June 1, 2009 at 1:37 pm said:

2 17wb: Resolved by:
sudo apt-get install x11proto-xext-dev
sarkozig on June 9, 2009 at 10:04 pm said:

17wb: try this:
sudo make install
brandan on July 6, 2009 at 10:01 pm said:

Hi all i have noticed a few of you are having trouble with lXext error while compiling vlc from source here is the fix for debian lenny to get you past this error and complete the make. install libxext-dev and it will complete hope this helps you out.

brandan
sunil on July 16, 2009 at 4:46 am said:

i am geting problen while install vlc

#tar -xjf vlc-0.9.9.tar.bz2
#cd vlc-0.9.9
#./configure –disable-swscale

After typing make command.
Error is following…
#make
make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found. Stop.
#make install
bash: male: command not found

i m not able to install vlc plz,,, help me….
Cagri on October 4, 2009 at 11:05 pm said:

Hi,

I think all the steps you described went well but when I want to run vlc, I get the following:

vlc: error while loading shared libraries: libvlc.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Doctor_G on October 10, 2009 at 1:58 pm said:

Cagri:
It would seem that you did NOT have success in compiling the vlc libraries. They are probably supposed to be at /usr/lib/… as well as the vlc subdirectories. Were there any error messages while compiling?

On the other hand, libvlc.so.2 is a symbolic link to libvlc.so.2.0.2 … in my /usr/lib directory, although I’m in a Mandriva distro with version 0.9.3 Grishenko.

You might do a ls -all /usr/lib and see if it’s there.
yinkster on November 7, 2009 at 1:55 pm said:

Everything seems to have gone well with my installation. I had the errors described above but I installed both of the packages suggested by yxyc and Brandan. What I then had at the end of make and make install were:
test -z "/usr/local/share/man/man1" || /bin/mkdir -p "/usr/local/share/man/man1" /usr/bin/install -c -m 644 vlc.1 vlc-wrapper.1 vlc-config.1 '/usr/local/share/man/man1' make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3/doc' make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3/doc' Making install in test make[2]: Entering directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3/test' make[3]: Entering directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3/test' make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'. make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'. make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3/test' make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3/test' make[2]: Entering directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3' make[3]: Entering directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3' test -z "/usr/local/bin" || /bin/mkdir -p "/usr/local/bin" /usr/bin/install -c cvlc rvlc qvlc '/usr/local/bin' make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'. make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3' make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3' make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/yinkster/vlc-1.0.3'

Is this because I ran the apt-get both times whilst I was still inside the vlc folder, or does it not matter, or was that the correct thing to do? All help is appreciated.
Steffen Hartwig on November 22, 2009 at 10:12 am said:

Hello,

I build Version vlc 1.0.3 and get this error:

/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lXext collect2: ld returned 1 exit status make[6]: *** [libglx_plugin.la] Error 1 make[6]: se sale del directorio `/home/dulceangustia/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output/x11' make[5]: *** [all] Error 2 make[5]: se sale del directorio `/home/dulceangustia/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output/x11' make[4]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[4]: se sale del directorio `/home/dulceangustia/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output' make[3]: *** [all] Error 2 make[3]: se sale del directorio `/home/dulceangustia/vlc-0.9.9a/modules/video_output' make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[2]: se sale del directorio `/home/dulceangustia/vlc-0.9.9a/modules' make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[1]: se sale del directorio `/home/dulceangustia/vlc-0.9.9a' make: *** [all] Error 2

The install of libxext-dev solved it.

Grettings
Steffen
Tube on September 29, 2011 at 1:48 pm said:

postproc.c:366: error: ‘filter_sys_t’ has no member named ‘lock’
make[5]: *** [libpostproc_plugin_la-postproc.lo] Error 1
make[5]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules/video_filter’
make[4]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules/video_filter’
make[3]: *** [all] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules/video_filter’
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules’
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11′
make: *** [all] Error 2
Help me please
ZindagiNews on October 23, 2015 at 3:40 pm said:

postproc.c:366: error: ‘filter_sys_t’ has no member named ‘lock’
make[5]: *** [libpostproc_plugin_la-postproc.lo] Error 1
make[5]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules/video_filter’
make[4]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules/video_filter’
make[3]: *** [all] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules/video_filter’
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11/modules’
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/vlc-1.1.11?
make: *** [all] Error 2
Help me please

15 thoughts on “How to install VLC media player 0.9.9 from Source in Debian Lenny”

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