I have installed Linux Mint 13 on a laptop and have been trying without success to get VLC Player to plat DVDs. I have installed all the restricted programs (I think) as well as the most recommended other things to try in order for VLC to play a DVD to no avail. The DVD will start, since the screen on VLC will display what the movie is but nothing else happens. Funny thing is the default Media Player will play the DVD no problem. What could I be missing? I thought VLC was pretty much ready to go. I have it working on another laptop running Ubuntu and it was not an issue. Thanks.

Do you have libdvdread4 and libdvdcss installed? Have you started it from a terminal to see the output? Do you get any output or messages? Are you trying to play commercial movies on DVD? On Ubuntu, I had to run the following to get vlc to run, not sure if that script is available on Mint but easy enough to check:

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh

Try opening the DVD in your file manager and playing the individual *.VOB files in the VIDEO_TS directory.

If you can do that, it narrows the situation: all you are missing is the DVD style menu interface.

Yes, I have installed those and tried the suggestion you gave however that one is not valid. When I try to open using terminal, vlc dvd I receive the following:
VLC media player 2.0.1 Twoflower (revision 2.0.1-0-gf432547)
[0x86fb908] main libvlc: Running vlc with the default interface. Use 'cvlc' to use vlc without interface.
"sni-qt/1681" WARN 21:23:33.554 void StatusNotifierItemFactory::connectToSnw()
Invalid interface to SNW_SERVICE
[0xb7003c60] filesystem access error: cannot open file /home/mark/dvd (No such file or directory)

Then I tried using the VLC player interface while terminal was still open and long list of codes ran down the terminal screen, the vlc screen displayed the name of the movie on the dvd then nothing however terminal displayed the following:
NO VTS_TMPAT available - skipping (It did this 8 times) then:
[0xb7200560] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0xb7200560] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0xb7206b18] xcb_xv vout display error: no available XVideo adapter

Sounds like we are missing a video adapter vlc requires inorder to play DVD movies. Odd that the default Media Player plays the same DVD.

I tried opening a couple of the .VOB files (VTS_01_0_VOB) in File Manager and response is: there is an error; cannot read the file (input/output error)

I have situation when vlc doesn't play dvd-s(from folder on a hard drive) but plays vobs inside that folder.
So how to get DVD style menu interface?

@rulet1,

If VLC won't play DVD's normally, chances are that you just need to change the default "DVD device" that it uses. Sometimes the default (which is /dev/dvd) does not work and needs to be changed to /dev/sr0.

Open VLC, then go to Tools -> Preferences -> All (lower left) -> Input/Codecs (on left side) -> scroll down page displayed on right until you see "Default Devices"; then change setting for "DVD device" to "/dev/sr0" ("s", "r", zero). "Save" (lower right), then close out VLC. Restart VLC and DVD's should work now.

gold_finger,

Just read again my post. I'm not talking about physical CD or DVD, I'm talking about playing from a folder on a hard drive(VIDEO_TS folder).

if I was you I try the smplayer ,mplayer,gmplayer what ever one comes with your system. you think for sure Mint would come boxed with dvdread and libdvdnav , libdvdcss
those are what you need. VLC should use them to.

The post you resurrected for your question is titled: "VLC Player Doesn't Play DVD's".

Thought you were attempting to just get around that problem by playing from copies made to the hard drive.

Yes, that's what I'm talking about, to play by vlc copies made to the hard drive.

We're going back and forth just misunderstanding each other. I'll rephrase my last post:

Because the thread you resurrected and posted under had "VLC Player Doesn't Play DVD's" as the main problem, I assumed that to be your problem too. I thought you were attempting to just get around that problem by playing from copies made to the hard drive, rather than fix the actual problem you had -- not being able to play DVD's in VLC.


Now I see that assumption was wrong.

Don't know if you've found the solution you were looking for or not. I have converted DVD's to different format (with Acidrip) and saved to disk for playback, but that does not preserve the DVD menu. Have never bothered trying to do what you are doing for myself, so can't offer any advice there.

I think I was clear, vlc 2.0.3 and 2.1.2(Debian 7) can't play some dvds(copies made on hard drive), especially 2.1.2. And I was looking for a solution.

Misunderstanding is what happens when someone resurrects a 6 month old thread about PLAYING a DVD disk

for asking about playing RIPPED !!! dvd's

two completely different things !!!!!

vlc will play the ripped files just fine
all you have to do is open the folder and play from the folder

Well, ok you can call it ripped whatever. It's exact copy of DVD structure(VIDEO_TS e.t.). And that's what I'm talking about in almost every my post in this theme, but nobody can understand.
Yes, I open folder(Ctrl+D DVD) to play with menu and options and vlc doesn't play it, it just crashes.