Install Latest SMPlayer in Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Fedora

Introduction

SMPlayer is a popular cross-platform multimedia player that supports various formats and codecs. It provides a user-friendly interface and offers advanced features like playback speed control, subtitle support, and YouTube integration. This article will guide you through the process of installing the latest version of SMPlayer on Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Fedora distributions.

Installing SMPlayer on Debian-based Systems (Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint)

Step 1: Open the Terminal

To begin, open the terminal on your Debian-based system. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or by searching for "Terminal" in the applications menu.

Step 2: Add the SMPlayer Repository

Enter the following command to add the official SMPlayer repository to your system −

Example 

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer

Output 

$ sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:rvm/smplayer
...
Adding repository.
...
Press [ENTER] to continue or Ctrl+C to cancel adding it.

Executing: /tmp/apt-key-gpghome.oXDkfD0Qtm/gpg.1.sh --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 0x1234567890ABCDEF

Step 3: Update the Package Lists

Update the package lists to include the newly added repository by running the command −

sudo apt update

Step 4: Install SMPlayer

Now, install SMPlayer using the following command −

Example 

sudo apt install smplayer

Output 

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  smplayer-themes
Suggested packages:
  youtube-dl smtube
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  smplayer smplayer-themes
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 2,400 kB/4,141 kB of archives.
After this operation, 16.3 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
...
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 smplayer amd64 18.10.0~ds0-1 [2,400 kB]
...
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 smplayer-themes all 17.11.2-1 [1,741 kB]
...
Fetched 2,400 kB in 2s (1,229 kB/s)      
...
Selecting previously unselected package smplayer.
...
Selecting previously unselected package smplayer-themes.
...
Setting up smplayer (18.10.0~ds0-1) ...
...
Setting up smplayer-themes (17.11.2-1) ...
...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-1ubuntu3.18.04.2) ...
Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ...

Installing SMPlayer on Fedora

Step 1: Open the Terminal

Launch the terminal on your Fedora system. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or by searching for "Terminal" in the applications menu.

Step 2: Enable RPM Fusion Repository

Enable the RPM Fusion repository on your Fedora system by executing the following command −

sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

Step 3: Install SMPlayer

After enabling the repository, install SMPlayer by running the following command −

Example 

sudo dnf install smplayer

Output 

Last metadata expiration check: 0:15:01 ago on <date>
Dependencies resolved.
================================================================================
 Package               Arch         Version             Repo                Size
================================================================================
Installing:
 smplayer              x86_64       20.6.0-1.fc34       updates             4.5 M
Installing dependencies:
 mpv                   x86_64       1:0.33.0-3.fc34     updates             2.1 M
...
Transaction Summary
================================================================================
Install  2 Packages

Total download size: 6.6 M
Installed size: 23 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
...
Downloading Packages:
(1/2): mpv-0.33.0-3.fc34.x86_64.rpm              166 kB/s | 2.1 MB     00:12    
(2/2): smplayer-20.6.0-1.fc34.x86_64.rpm        179 kB/s | 4.5 MB     00:25    
...
Running transaction check
Transaction check succeeded.
Running transaction test
Transaction test succeeded.
Running transaction
  Preparing        :                                                        1/1 
  Installing       : mpv-1:0.33.0-3.fc34.x86_64                            1/2 
  Installing       : smplayer-20.6.0-1.fc34.x86_64                         2/2 
  Running scriptlet: smplayer-20.6.0-1.fc34.x86_64                         2/2 
  Verifying        : smplayer-20.6.0-1.fc34.x86_64                         1/2 
  Verifying        : mpv-1:0.33.0-3.fc34.x86_64                            2/2 
Installed products updated.
...
Complete!

Usage

Once SMPlayer is installed on your system, you can launch it from the applications menu or by running the smplayer command in the terminal. Here are a few examples of commands you can use with SMPlayer −

Open a media file

To open a media file using SMPlayer, run the following command −

smplayer /path/to/your/media/file.mp4

Change playback speed

You can adjust the playback speed using the following command −

smplayer -speed 1.5 /path/to/your/media/file.mp4

This command will play the media file at 1.5 times the normal speed.

Subtitle support

To enable subtitles, use the following command −

smplayer -sub /path/to/your/subtitle/file.srt /path/to/your/media/file.mp4

SMPlayer will display the subtitles while playing the media file.

Conclusion

Installing the latest version of SMPlayer on Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Fedora distributions is a straightforward process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can enjoy the advanced features and versatility of SMPlayer, enhancing your multimedia playback experience. Feel free to explore SMPlayer's documentation for further customization and to explore its numerous features.