[wellylug] Debian - Multimedia - Dependency Hell

[Carl Turney]

Hi List,

Going to set up a clean new Debian Etch system, for home use.

In addition to the bog-standard OpenOffice, FireFox (IceWeasel?),
ThunderBird (IceDove?), I want to be able to...
- capture, rip, save, convert, basic-edit, play, and burn
- audio, video (NTSC, PAL, maybe SECAM) and still pictures
- to and from CDs, VCDs, and DVDs ... and maybe some day - these MP3
players kids have around their necks.

(Don't have a video capture card and/or TV tuner card, yet.  But have a
big load of favourite VCR tapes I want to convert and edit, in my spare
time in the future.)

Also (if OpenOffice still hasn't resolved the "vertical line spacing
compatibility problem" with MSWord) I will probably have to run my old
Word 2000 on top of CrossOver.

Also, be able to install all the darn plug-ins that FireFox/IceWeasel
needs for FTP, Flash, RealTime, etc. such bells&whistles.

The issue...  How to avoid/prevent "dependency hell" as thoroughly as
possible, at the same time obtaining a full range of multimedia
functionality (e.g. codecs)?

Sounds like Debian does the best job of preventing "dependency hell",
within its own repos, where I intend to =always= stay if at all possible. 
But I can't find any official Debian-tested "non-free" repo.  I'm assuming
that many codecs, and some of the more gnarly multimedia apps, will
violate Debian's rules of freedom.  "Non-free" is mentioned a lot, but =I=
can't find it within Debian.  To go beyond the official site feels like
"there be dragons".

Your suggestions, please.

Thanks, Carl Turney
Mobile 027 6913 080 (after hours please)