Default Ubuntu player: VLC without patent issues?

[Lucas Malor]

I'm an Ubuntu user, and I see much people like me switch immediately from Totem to VLC.
For what I know VLC is not the default multimedia player shipped in Ubuntu because of US patent issues with some codecs. Can't you create a reduced version of VLC without the support for those codecs, and add them as suggested plugins?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

VLC is not the default multimedia player, because of lack of disc space on the CD, not because of patent issues.

[Lucas Malor]

...(Sheldon mode) Is it irony? The matter is VLC is too big?!?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Yes.
This is not irony.

[Lucas Malor]

Well, if you read this thread on Ubuntu forum, in particular this post, you can see patents are a problem and size is not, in particular now with the dvd format.

For what I know VLC is very popular and this is the only obstacle to have it as default player in Ubuntu and other Unix-like OSs.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

You can split the codecs from VLC in the same way as other players. This is blah blah...

Especially since libavcodec53 is already on Ubuntu.

[Lucas Malor]

libavcodec53 is on Canonical, but much of dependencies in VLC are on Universe, as VLC too...

[VLC_help]

If this is a patent related issue, then one could build VLC with only certain dependencies. VLC can be used quite well with core + QT4 interface + libav* plugins + one VOUT + one AOUT. Basically you just need proper configure options for that.