How to install the Celluloid video player on Linux
Celluloid is a media player for Linux. It is a front-end to the command-line app MPV and can handle many video and audio formats. Additionally, the app Celluloid has support for MPRIS (media key controls) and allows users to manage playback right from the keyboard.
Celluloid is a small app, and many Linux users are not aware of it, or how they can get their hands on it. So, in this guide, we will be going over how to install the program on Linux.
Ubuntu installation instructions
As Celluloid is a new program, it has yet to make it into the Ubuntu “Main” software repositories. As such, installation must be done through a third-party PPA (Personal Package Archive) provided by the developer on the “installation” page of the official website.
To get your hands on this PPA, start by launching a terminal window. To launch a terminal window, press Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. After that, use the add-apt-repository command to add the PPA to the system.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xuzhen666/gnome-mpv
Once the PPA is added to Ubuntu, run the apt update command. The apt update command will run a refresh on your system’s software sources and set up the new PPA, so it is usable.
sudo apt update
Following the update, your Ubuntu PC will be using the new PPA required to install Celluloid. Now, use the apt install command to get the latest release of Celluloid on your Linux PC.
Note: if you are on Ubuntu 18.04, please also add this ppa to your system as well.
sudo apt install celluloid
Debian installation instructions
Sadly, Debian Linux does not have a proper way of installing the Celluloid application. As a result, if you are a Debian Linux user, you’ll need to follow the Flatpak installation instructions down below.
Alternatively, if you must install Celluloid on Debian, and do not want to use Flatpak, the app is available for Debian Sid, the Unstable version of the operating system.
To upgrade to Unstable, head over to the official Debian Wiki and follow the instructions. Then, use the following terminal command to install Celluloid.
sudo apt-get install celluloid
Arch Linux installation instructions
On Arch Linux, the Celluloid media player is already in the primary software sources for all users, and installation is quite easy. To get it going on your Arch Linux PC, start by launching a terminal window. Once the terminal window is open, use it to open up the Pacman.conf file in the Nano text editor.
sudo nano -w /etc/apt/pacman.conf
Inside of the Pacman.conf file, locate “Community,” and remove the # character from in front of it. Be sure to also remove the ones directly below it. Then, press the Ctrl + O keyboard combination to save. Exit with Ctrl + X.
Once the Nano text editor is closed, use the Pacman command to re-sync the Pacman repos.
sudo pacman -Syyuu
Finally, install the Celluloid application onto your Arch Linux PC.
sudo pacman -S celluloid
Fedora installation instructions
Fedora Linux users can install the Celluloid media player. However, there’s a catch. The third-party RPM Fusion Free software repository must be enabled, as the app is not in Fedora’s software repositories.
To add RPM Fusion for the most recent version of Fedora (as of typing this), open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, enter the command below.
sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-31.noarch.rpm -y
Alternatively, if you need help enabling RPM Fusion for a different version of the Fedora Linux Operating system, please head over to our in-depth guide on RPM Fusion.
Once the RPM Fusion Free software repository is set up on your Fedora Linux system, use the dnf command to install the latest version of Celluloid.
sudo dnf install celluloid -y
OpenSUSE installation instructions
On OpenSUSE, it is possible to install Celluloid. However, you will need to follow the Flatpak installation instructions, as the only release of the app for SUSE is Gnome MPV, which is the old version of the program.
Flatpak installation instructions
Flatpak is one of the best ways to get your hands on the latest release of Celluloid, as Flatpak is a universal packaging format, and every Linux distribution has access to it (minus a few exceptions).
To start the installation, follow our guide here to learn about how to set up the Flatpak runtime on your Linux distribution. Then, once the Flatpak runtime is ready to go, use the terminal commands below to install the latest version of Celluloid.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo flatpak install flathub io.github.celluloid_player.Celluloid
Generic Linux via source code
Want to compile the latest version of the Celluloid media player by hand on your Linux OS? Head over to Github, and you’ll be able to grab the source code.
Is flatpak necessary to install celluloid?
Am new to linux ubuntu
If you can’t get Celluloid working through the other methods, Flatpak is a way you can install the app. It is not required, but it will make a lot more programs available to you on Ubuntu.