This short article describes simple to follow steps on how to install a Cross-platform tools for Matroska MKVToolNix on ubuntu system. With these tools one can get information about (mkvinfo) Matroska files, extract tracks/data from (mkvextract) Matroska files and create (mkvmerge) Matroska files from other media files. Matroska is a new multimedia file format aiming to become the new container format for the future. All steps are performed on a command line only.
To begin installation of MKVToolNix on a ubuntu system first check what version of ubuntu you are running:
$ cat /etc/issue
From a following list pick a line with best fits your Ubuntu version:
7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/gutsy/ ./
8.04 "Hardy Heron":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/hardy/ ./
8.10 "Intrepid Ibex":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/intrepid/ ./
9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/jaunty/ ./
9.10 "Karmic Koala":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/karmic/ ./
10.04 "Lucid Lynx":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/lucid/ ./
10.10 "Maverick Meerkat":
deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/maverick/ ./
Now become a root user:
$ sudo bash
So for example if my Linux Ubuntu version is 10.10 the following linux command will add an appropriate MKVToolNix repository into my system:
# echo 'deb http://www.bunkus.org/ubuntu/maverick/ ./' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
In the next step we need to download GPG key:
# wget -q http://www.bunkus.org/gpg-pub-moritzbunkus.txt
Insert mkvtoolnix repository key into an apt key-ring:
# apt-key add gpg-pub-moritzbunkus.txt
Update your locale package list:
# apt-get update
and as a final step install MKVToolNix package:
# apt-get install mkvtoolnix
The installation of MKVToolNix is now completed and following linux commands are now available to your disposal:
mkvextract mkvinfo mkvinfo-text mkvmerge mkvpropedit