Playing a DVD with menus in Ubuntu.

If you have tried playing a DVD in ubuntu with the default Totem media player ,then you might have noticed that Totem does not show DVD menus.This is a limitation with the Totem media player based on the Gstreamer framework.It does not play DVD with menus.But to have a better navigation and viewing experience ,you can consider Totem based on the Xine engine.
Totem has two versions.One is based on the Gstreamer framework and the other is based on the xine engine.Totem-xine does play DVDs with menus.You can get Totem-xine from the Synaptic package Manager.


It is completely similar to the Totem based on the Gstreamer framework and in addition provides some extra features like a better DVD playback.If you donot get Totem-Xine as an entry in your menu,then press ALT + F2 and type in "totem-xine" and hit the enter key.Now play a DVD from the Movie menu in Totem-xine.

Playing a VCD in Ubuntu

If you have been trying to play a VCD in Ubuntu,chances are you have been disappointed.In some cases a VCD is not even mounted in ubuntu on a CD/DVD drive.Even if it is mounted,copying the VCD files to the hard disk is not permitted.Totem just cannot play a VCD.It always shows an error message if you try to play a VCD with it.This is where Gxine media player comes to your rescue.Gxine is a media player based on Xine engine that plays various file formats and also allows you to watch TV.And yes,Gxine can play VCDs.Just put a VCD in the CD drive and wait for a few seconds.Even if the VCD is not mounted in the CD drive,open Gxine and click on the File menu.Now click on VCD.If this does not play the VCD,try VCD0.Either of the two options should be able to play your VCD.Now,at least you can enjoy a movie on a VCD in Ubuntu.
Install Gxine from the Synaptic Package Manager.Take reference from the screenshot.

Fotoxx - Digital image editor for ubuntu

Fotoxx is a very simple and effective editor for digital images.
The latest version of fotoxx a better user interface as compared to the previous versions.Open an image file from the Etc. menu and start working on it.All the editing options are provided under the Edit menu.All the options provided are very easy to use and provide a basic set of editing options.fotoxx uses its default set of parameters for editing images.

To edit these parameters go to the Edit menu.If you are not happy with the Jpeg quality,change its value to 100.Click on "index" to view all your image files in a particular folder in a thumbnail format.

Gnome Glow!

Miro - Internet TV For Ubuntu!

Miro provides a complete online video viewing experience.It is a video feed reader.Miro has a very attractive interface.It allows you to download your favorite videos from various video sharing sites like you tube,Blip.tv,DailyMotion and Yahoo! video.It works with Bit Torrent feeds also.Just type in a keyword in the search bar at the bottom left and get your video.
A number of video channels or feeds are provided by default that provide an interesting mix of videos for your viewing pleasure under the Starter Channels folder.Custom folders can also be created to group together some channels.Some of these are high-definition channels and consume lot of bandwidth.Users can add new channels by clicking on the Channels menu.Simply provide the link of the channel.Use Miro to get your pod casts from the web.These can be you tube links and channel addresses.Playlists can also be created in Miro.
To edit the preferences of a particular channel (feed),click on it in the left sidebar and then click on settings at the top right of the window.
To prevent a channel from consuming unlimited bandwidth ,keep the AUTO DOWNLOAD option OFF.Channels can be easily removed,renamed and updated by right clicking on the feed address in the left sidebar.Miro also maintains a library of local videos.So it acts as a video player with usual functionality for your desktop.
To customize folders for the downloaded videos,disk space usage click on Options under the Video menu.

The Big Gnome!

Image Zoom extension for firefox.

Image Zoom provides a large number of zoom-in and zoom-out options in the context menu of images that you view in the FireFox web-browser.This extension works with Thunderbird also.
Right click on an image in your browser and choose "Zoom Image".You get to choose zoom factors ranging from 10% to 400%.Custom zoom factors and dimensions can also be set.So view image in their full glory with the "mozilla-imagezoom"
extension for Firefox.
To configure Image Zoom, got to the Tools menu in Firefox and select Add-Ons.
Now customize Image Zoom.Choose the context menus you want under the "Context Menu Items" tab.Zoom in/Zoom out factors can be edited under the "General" tab.

Image Zoom can be installed from the Synaptic Package Manager.Search for "mozzila-imagezoom" and mark for installation.