This is what I get when I check for UDF in the kernel:

$ grep UDF /boot/config-ide-2.4.26
CONFIG_UDF_FS=m
# CONFIG_UDF_RW is not set

I then did modprobe udf to load the module. But I still get the same errors from Xine and Mplayer when I try to play a DVD.

I also tried WilliamS' suggestion and I created a new link from /dev/hdd to /dev/dvd. But again nothing changed.

I have no idea what the problem is still. Thanks for everyone's help so far. I'm still open more suggestions though.

Thanks

I can play dvds just fine as root, are you doing this as a user?

I have tried it as both root and user. They both yield the same errors.

How about this?

chmod 777 /dev/hdd

and also

chmod 777 /dev/dvd

I remember doing this, but can't remember if it was essential.

Not that I think giving the world write permission on the /dev/hdd file is really harmfull (or is it?), but how would adding write permission enable reading?
Changing permission on /dev/hdd might be a usefull suggestion though, since in the first post I only see permissions on the symlink being changed.
But maybe it's worth trying "chmod 666 /dev/hdd" first?

JJ

[edit]
Sorry, forgot about dvd-rw, maybe chmod 777 is not a bad idea after all
[/edit]

I just did chmod 777 /dev/dvd, which did not help. But I cannot even play DVDs as root, so I do not think it is a privledges problem.

Could those packages you need to play encrypted DVDs (libdvdread, libdvdnav, libdvdcss, I think those are it) not be installed right? I just have normal slackware packages that I believe I got off a swaret repository. Do I need to compile them from source with some special flags or something?

Sorry, I hate to bump this up. But I still cannot fix the problem and I'm hoping someone might have an idea that could help.

well...you could try :
-------------
/dev/hdd /mnt/dvd auto noauto,users,ro 0 0
-------------
in your fstab ( " auto for fs )
but i don't think it's a mounting prob.
i mean, is it possible to mount dvd's ( with movies ) ? you can't mount music-cd's .

xine and mplayer gave the same complaint : " libdvdread: Could not open /dev/dvd with libdvdcss. "
i think you should look for an answer there ( libdvdcss ).

egag

I did some looking into the libdvdcss, libdvdnav, and libdvdread packages. All of which I have installed. I decided to try to Ogle DVD player because that is what a post I read suggested, however I still recieve this error:

# ogle

libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.8 for DVD access
libdvdread: Could not open /dev/dvd with libdvdcss.
libdvdread: Can't open /dev/dvd for reading
ERROR[ogle_nav]: faild to open/read the DVD
callbacks.on_opendvd_activate(): DVDSetDVDRoot: Root not set

This happens for my user account as well as when I su root. So again, I do not think it can be priveledges that are causing the problem. Obviously it is a libdvdcss problem, but I do not know how to go about fixing that.

I think I've managed to progress some. I had to open my computer to take out an old drive and put a new one in(just a normal CD-ROM, not the DVD drive). When I put the new drive in, I put the DVD drive in the first slot and the new one in the second. I changed the jumpers, the /etc/fstab, and the links in /dev/. Now when I try to play a DVD I get a different error:

$ ogle
WARNING[dvd_gui]: add_keybinding(): No such action: 'SaveScreenshot'
WARNING[dvd_gui]: add_keybinding(): No such action: 'SaveScreenshotWithSPU'
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.8 for DVD access
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
ERROR[ogle_nav]: faild to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
callbacks.on_opendvd_activate(): DVDSetDVDRoot: Root not set
Note[ogle_gui]: GetDiscID failed
msg close FIX

and in mplayer this is the output:

$ mplayer dvd://
mplayer: /usr/lib/libGL.so.1: no version information available (required by mplayer)
MPlayer 1.0pre5-3.3.4 (C) 2000-2004 MPlayer Team

CPU: Advanced Micro Devices Athlon 4 /Athlon MP/XP Palomino 1596 MHz (Family: 6, Stepping: 2)
Detected cache-line size is 64 bytes
CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 1 3DNow2: 1 SSE: 1 SSE2: 0
Compiled with runtime CPU detection - WARNING - this is not optimal!
To get best performance, recompile MPlayer with --disable-runtime-cpudetection.
Reading config file /etc/mplayer/mplayer.conf
Reading config file /home/tathlyn/.mplayer/config
Reading /home/tathlyn/.mplayer/codecs.conf: Can't open '/home/tathlyn/.mplayer/codecs.conf': No such file or directory
Reading /etc/mplayer/codecs.conf: 66 audio & 176 video codecs
font: can't open file: /home/tathlyn/.mplayer/font/font.desc
Font /usr/share/mplayer/font/font.desc loaded successfully! (206 chars)
Using usleep() timing
Can't open input config file /home/tathlyn/.mplayer/input.conf: No such file or directory
Can't open input config file /etc/mplayer/input.conf: No such file or directory
Falling back on default (hardcoded) input config

Playing dvd://.
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.8 for DVD access
Reading disc structure, please wait...
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
Can't open VMG info!


Exiting... (End of file)

I still cannot mount /mnt/dvd though. However, now it is not libdvdread complaining that it cannot read from /dev/dvd. I guess techincally it's not much progress considering it still won't work, but atleast I've got something different to work with now. Again any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

I have the same problem.
What really bugs me is that I had it working - all it needed was ln -sf /dev/hdc /dev/cdrom and ln -sf /dev/hdc /dev/dvd and permissions to those devices.
but since a re-install it won't work.

Looks like the same error in xine and mplayer.

Anyone know of a dvd-player install howto for Slackware10?

Or a guru willing to write one?

I thought I had the same problem at first. Then I just opened and closed the dvd and it worked after that.

Solved!
...for now anyway.

ln -sf /dev/cdrom /dev/dvd

fixed it. I can stun myself with crappy videos now.

yes true, however you do not have to pay MS $125US to stun yourself with crappy videos.

i have tried many of your suggestion so far and nothing seems to work. I get the same error messages and my precompiled kernel has no support for udf system so i loaded the driver and when i try to mount it i get:
[root@eyelet udf]# mount -t udf /dev/hdc /mnt/dvd
mount: block device /dev/hdc is write-protected, mounting read-only
mount: No medium found

Which is weird to me. I have a DVD placed in the drive. I am trying to run xine too and i get many error messages too. Some i found interesting are:
libdvdread: Encrypted DVD support unavailable.
libdvdread: Could not open input: No medium found
libdvdread: Can't open /dev/dvd for reading

How can i add encryption support? This is a laptop computer and at home i have a desktop that runs it perfectly. I just dont remember how i did it the first time! I am far from home so i cant check my setup there so i need help here. Any would do. Thanks in advance.