Hi. I have been using kdenlive before on Fedora and I got it all working.
Now, I have bought another computer (a post-lease i5 first generation) and I am trying to get it up and running again. I thought that perhaps running kdenlive on kubuntu will be a good idea, but now I have spend 24 sleepless hours and am a bit frustrated. So please, someone help me out. Here is my problem, kdenlive installs fine from the package manager, but then the all important option of proxy clips is not available, (I switched it on in project settings). I had this problem with Fedora where it was fixed by downloading the ffmpeg2theora package. Here, the package is here and I have tried downloading the 0.9.10 version but not being very technically saavy couldn't make it work.
Question: Is there a Linux distribution for which there is a fresh "all-inclusive" package for people like myself? I do like the feel of kubuntu better than fedora (which is somewhat frustrating in some respects).
I'm a Ph.D. student and I'm supposed to show a bunch of undergrad anthropology students amazing things they can do with linux and kdenlive... if only I can do it?
Please help...

Did you install from Sunabs stable release PPA https://launchpad.net/~sunab/+archive/kdenlive-release
or from sunabs unstable/testing PPA ?

https://launchpad.net/~sunab/+archive/kdenlive-svn

Because you might find the unstable testing PPA might be better with the current version of kdenlive.

Isn't there a yellow warning zone popping up in the project manager area with a button to show proxy generation output log?
I'm not sure default proxy settings still work in all cases, e.g. 50fps clips are not well handled in mpeg2+ts transcoding.
Then you coul create a new proxy profile (in preferences dialog), using for example
parameters:
-g 5 -s 640x480 -crf 25 -pre:v libx264-ultrafast
extension:
mkv

ttguy, no, I did not install the sunabs release. Will try that, as well as some other things and will report back.
vpinon, no, there is no proxy generation output log. The proxy dialog box in the clip menu (right click) is just dead.

Okay. Here is the report. I did the sunabs release and I got the 9.10 version of kdenlive but still no proxy clips.
I tried my luck with openSUSE, same problem, switched to packman repository got the 9.10, then disabled all the other depositories and reloaded everything with mlt, ffmpeg, gstreamer from it. Then epic fail again. The proxy clip option is as dead as it was before... I'm out of ideas. (Kubuntu package manager doesn't show you those little packages or I can't make it show me).

I'm going to shut that computer down for now and wait for your input. And I'm not picky, you can suggest a whole new system... except this feels like such a small thing and it is frustrating.

And might I add that the config wizard on Kdenlive doesn't point anything missing... yeah, I couldn't stay away...

if the proxy checkbox is inactive, are the proxies enabled in the project settings ? (overriding kdenlive settings)

In the project dialog box, the proxy clips checkbox is also inactive.
Now I have the exact same problem in OpenSuse with pacman repository and after doing the vendor change in yast2.
This is weirding me out.

Actually, vpinon, you were RIGHT! That was it! I haven't used kdenlive for a while and I forgot a little. Of course, I had to enable proxy clips in the kdenlive settings, then in the project settings, then the proxy clip dialog on the right click becomes active. It now works on both kubuntu and openSuse!

Thank you so much.