Changing Default Programs

[Phil Sexton]

Michael "TheZorch" Haney wrote:
> In Gutsy is was able to change the default DVD/CD player from an applet 
> on the Preferences menu but that seems to be missing from Hardy.
> 
> I did try Preferences~>Removeable Drives and Media but the option for 
> Audio CDs and DVDs weren't there.  I want VLC to automatically launch 
> for DVDs instead of Totem. 
> 
> How can I change this setting?

 From <http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=766683>:

UBUNTU 8.04 HARDY HERON USERS ONLY


To change the default DVD player in Hardy Heron to VLC (not Kubuntu, 
issues with Xubuntu), copy and paste this command into the terminal:

gksudo gedit /etc/gnome/defaults.list

Press Ctrl+f and search for "x-content/video", then change the 
"totem.desktop" entries to "vlc.desktop". Close and save. Next, 
navigate to Places > Computer > Edit > Preferences > Media > DVD 
Video and make sure VLC is selected, then test whether automatic 
launch and playback with VLC works for you by inserting a DVD. If 
playback doesn't work properly, navigate to Video > Deinterlace 
within VLC and select mode "Blend". If that still doesn't solve your 
issue, or you just want more features enabled upon launch (such as 
fullscreen upon launch), follow the intructions in the next paragraph.

Right-click on "Applications" in the top panel and select "Edit 
Menus" to open the default menu editor. Navigate down to "Sound & 
Video" in the left pane and click on it to show all those 
applications in the pane to the right. Scroll down the list of 
applications displayed until you see "VLC media player", right-click 
on it, then click on "Properties" in the context menu to open 
"Launcher Properties" and change the launch command from "wxvlc %F" to:

vlc --volume 512 %m

or to have DVD playback automatically launch in fullscreen:

vlc --volume 512 --fullscreen %m

Close the VLC properties dialog and exit the menu editor.

Note: Remember to enable deinterlacing in VLC > Video > Deinterlace 
if you see any artifacts during playback, or if playback doesn't 
work correctly (the same is true with some AVI files also). To exit 
and enter fullscreen in VLC, just press the "f" key.