Play H265/HEVC videos with VLC on Ubuntu

VLC is a multimedia player so versatile that it can virtually open any multimedia file available … but, as you may guess, that “virtually” actually imply that there IS a limit.
For example if you try to play a video encoded in HEVC (also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2) with VLC on Ubuntu, you will get the following error:

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Restore Ubuntu and derivatives to the default settings

Ubuntu, and to some degree its derivatives, is the most popular Linux distribution available for personal computers and laptops and due to its simplicity of use it is often chosen by the new users who decide to migrate from Microsoft Windows and Apple OSX to the Penguin’s world.
Like with any other new tech toy, a Linux novice may be tempted to experiment with the new system by keep installing and uninstalling software and sometime even configure new repositories to the package manager if a particular program isn’t available on the default ones. While generally Linux can better stand the test of time than Windows, this continuous experimentation can still lead the system to sluggishness and software misbehavior.
On the Windows’s world it is a common procedure to fix this kind of problem with a disk format and a clean install, but on Linux it is possible to restore Ubuntu, and derivatives, to the default settings without such drastic measure.

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