commercial dvd's do not play after cloning. Irrelevant libdvdcss warning [SOLVED]
Hello, after checking google, reading endless threads, trying out all sorts of files and methods, I am getting nowhere.
description of the problem: I can and I can't play commercial dvd's. I can play them in windows and when I leave the disc in the drive while booting into Linux I can play the dvd in Linux (Kubuntu Hardy). As soon as I take out the dvd disc and put either the same one or another one in I get a message: This DVD Video is encrypted. To be able to watch it you will need to install libdvdcss by runing from a console: sudo /usr/share/doc/kaffeine/install-css.sh In some countries it is illegal to install the decryption software without permission from the copyright holder "ok"button I already had libdvdcss-1.2.9 installed and this command will downgrade libdvdcss to version 1.2.5 ubuntu's version. Done that but no improvement. Also, with the program 'regionset' I have checked and set the correct region (4 in my case), again no change. I have tried various players but they give similar results not sure where to go from here, also not sure which outputs of certain commands are needed to give more insight |
You don't have everything installed that you need. You also need the dvd tools ... check out the instructions on http://www.hbclinux.net.nz/ubuntu804.html#resmul.
Most people I know use a xine-based player. Totem/xine is fine, VLC is usually overkill but you can choose not to watch those copyright notices and obnoxious segments trying to make out that a major film failed due to video piracy. |
I have done before I placed this thread that but it did not make a difference.
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"have done" what? I suggested several things.
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Sorry Simon for being on the short side I had to go to work, but all of the suggested on your website I have done before i placed this post (googled into exactly the same on another website). Right now I am preparing for work again but I wrote something off line yesterday and I will get back at the following after work which will be on Tuesday:
turns out to be a problem in the xine engine parameters; this time I used Gxine to play a dvd and the message that popped up was not like the previous one mentioned from Kaffeine player. the message Gxine came up with was more in the likes of (I will try to reproduce the problem later for the proper message): "/dev/dvd is unreadable, something, something. (due to wrong parameters or restrictions(?))" it was the '/dev/dvd'-part that made me check the xine engine parameters. at some earlier stage (before this post) I checked the meta info on the drive by doing an alternate click on the icon that appears on Kubuntu desktop whenever a disc is inserted and choose the 'meta-info' tab. these parameters showed: 'Device Node: /dev/scd0' this made me change '/dev/dvd' to '/dev/scd0' in the xine engine parameters under the tab 'Media' -> 'Device used for DVD playback:' Tried 4 or 5 different DVD titles and they all played ok. not quiet sure what exactly happens here because on various other machines with the same software packages installed that never had any problems playing DVD's, this parameter still is '/dev/dvd' while at the same time under meta-info these drives still show 'Device Node: /dev/scd0'. quickly tried a few dvd's this morning and they play ok so it looks like it can be considered solved. although I never had the medibuntu repo's added on the various other machines that always played dvd's fine, I do think I will keep it as it does have a few other interesting pieces of software on it, thanks for that anyway, Simon. |
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I have noticed that some players automatically assume css-not-installed when it cannot make sense of the file. Perhaps this could be considered a bug in the error messages? Another approach to your problem is to check the device node: $ ls -l /dev/dvd lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2009-02-12 15:20 /dev/dvd -> scd0 ... see? It's supposed to be a link to the actual device. If this node is absent or not created it will probably be helpful to experiment with how this may have happened and submit a bug report against the offending application. If you have the time - users who make this sort of effort quickly become Hero Workers to developers. However, I think the error message thing would be the most useful. |
found some time now to reproduce the problem: changed the "Device used for DVD playback" parameter in the xine engine back to what it initially was: "/dev/dvd" and tried playing a DVD. The following messages (two at once) came up in xine:
ERROR: The source can't be read. Maybe you don't have enough rights for this, or the source doesn't contain data (e.g: not disc in drive). (/dev/dvd) and the other message: ERROR: -xine engine error- There is no input plugin available to handle 'dvd:/'. Maybe MRL syntax is wrong or file/stream source doesn't exist. It is a different message and imo more accurate than the message Kaffeine pops up. then when I issue command "ls -l /dev/dvd" on the problem machine I get: ls: cannot access /dev/dvd: No such file or directory when I alter this command to "ls -l /dev/scd0" on the problem machine I get: brw-rw----+1 root cdrom 11, 0 2009-03-30 07:27 /dev/scd0 when I issue the command "ls -l /dev/dvd" on this machine (my laptop, not the problem machine) I get: lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2009-03-29 21:32 /dev/dvd -> scd0 same as you, Simon. I must say that the problem machine has a slightly newer kernel (at this stage) than this laptop I am on now but that may have nothing to do with the problem. running Ubuntu 8.04.2, kernel 2.6.24-23-generic. the specs of the problem machine: Dell Precision 370 Desktop, P4, 3Ghz, 1gb ram, 250gb hd, new Optiarc DVD DL burner, ati firegl3100 pcie graphics 128mb. nothing out of the ordinary. running Ubuntu 8.04 kernel 2.6.24-24-generic. not sure how to file a bug (or if it is one at all?) but I would say the offending application could be Kaffeine as its message lead me to do things that were already done and in place. but if the problem lies deeper under the bonnet I would not have a clue on how to give an accurate bug description other than a link to this thread. |
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Check your groups membership with the command groups you should see cdrom listed. |
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You can fix your install by creating the link and making sure it has rwx everywhere permissions. That way, anything else relying on that link will also work. For your education: try the commands on the non-problem machine. Spot the difference. It is not this exact failure which needs the bug report. If some procedure has resulted in /dev/dvd being removed or failing to be added then that would be worth a bug report. Trying ta narrow this down would involve starting with a clean install, then reproducing your steps to get a DVD player going - checking for /dev/dvd between each step. How and where the report is filed depends on which step /dev/dvd vanished at. Probably a package you installed or removed sometime since the dvd player last worked has been a little too keen on tidying up. This kind of thing can go unnoticed for a long time. Personally, I wouldn't bother |
To Tredegar: I checked the output of the 'groups' command and 'cdrom' was in it.
I would say that the output of 'ls -l /dev/dvd' which was: 'brw-rw----+1 root cdrom 11, 0 2009-03-30 07:27 /dev/scd0' on the problem machine made you think that I could not burn discs, so I tried to burn a data cd and that completed successfully. I find it hard to interpret outputs of many commands, could you briefly explain the meaning of the differences? between this one:brw-rw----+1 root cdrom 11, 0 2009-03-30 07:27 /dev/scd0 and this one:lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 2009-03-29 21:32 /dev/dvd -> scd0 (not the problem machine) To Simon: I can see the difference between the two outputs but don't know how to fix my install, as you put it: Quote:
first I install Kubuntu. then I copy all previously saved *.deb files from other Hardy installs into the /var/cache/apt/archives/ directory (that's to save on downloads and gain time in the overall process) I open the repositories in Adept and install Synaptic package manager. then I start Synaptic (after closing Adept) and let it run the update on the clean install of Kubuntu. reboot (new kernel) then I install (if necessary) proprietary vga drivers (nvidia or ati) and check 3D functionality. Usually everything else that is supposed to work at this stage works out of the box. Then the next and final step to installing a system, apart from configuring the system a bit here and there, I let Synaptic read a file that has the info of the complete markings (I call it 'savestate') that I created on an already fully functional and up to date system with Synaptic. Hope this is a clear description of this process as I do not know what to call that file. Before I hit the 'apply' button I quickly go through the list of newly selected packages (using Synaptic's filter) and uncheck the ones that were specific for the source machine (like its proprietary drivers and perhaps some old kernels still installed) and then I sit back and watch it all happen, the only thing it ever asks me is quiet early in this piece and that is to accept Sun's Java agreement. When this is finished I have everything installed that I want on it and everything works (well, up till now it used to). in short, for me it is very hard to determine what piece of software (if it is any) that causes the havoc I was experiencing. but I will give it a try, I will make a clone image of the system the way it is now with this fantastic program named 'Clonezilla' and start a fresh install of Kubuntu on it and I will purely focus on getting DVD playback to work and see how I go and report my findings here. |
How to figure out a solution from some hackers glib response ;)
You need a link called /dev/dvd which points to your dvd device file. To do that, you need to know the command for creating a link - find out with "apropos link" This gives you lots of reading - you want the one which creates links between files. There are several, reading their man pages narrows that to: ln (1) (man ln for details - it only has one page.) sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd This solves the issue you had in a general context where changing the dvd device in the application solves it for that specific app. It will be interesting to see if /dev/dvd exists in the default install of kubuntu. |
another eye opener: when I issued sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd on my laptop I got:
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issued command sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd on the problem machine again and I got: Quote:
now, I don't know if I have upset any other settings or links (or more..) by renaming these 4 links in the /dev directory, I am burning another cd as I am writing this. (completed successfully) also when I issue the command ls -l /dev/dvd now on the problem machine, which does not seem to have a problem anymore, I get: Quote:
then Simon says: Quote:
Simon, you have been most helpful, thank you very much! |
cheered a bit too early, after reboot the links in the /dev directory all 4 had a number 1 at the end of their names again. I changed the xine parameters from '/dev/dvd' to '/dev/dvd1' and dvd playback works again.
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For clarity: I installed Kubuntu on one of the two Dell systems and that one works good, including all software installed.
I altered the fstab file where Ubuntu places device uuid's, I changed that to say '/dev/sda2', because I have learned that if I don't do that in case I am using this installation as an original for a clone, the clone machine will not boot because drive uuid's don't match. Then I made a clone with Clonezilla and wrote the clone on the other identical machine. when this clone boots everything seems ok until I want to play a dvd or audio cd (learned that en passant), it then has problems with the device links. maybe I should place a new thread with regards to this kind of problems that occur with clones. |
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ln [OPTION]... [-T] TARGET LINK_NAME (1st form) In the 1st form, create a link to TARGET with the name LINK_NAME. ... which is what we want. The -T option means: -T, --no-target-directory treat LINK_NAME as a normal file ... so we don't need it. sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/test where /dev/test does not previously exist, works fine on my (Ubuntu) system. If I repeat it: ~$ sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/test ln: creating hard link `/dev/test': File exists This suggests that you have accidentally typed your's the wrong way around. i.e. it is telling you that link /dev/scd0 already exists and that the target /dev/dvd does not. This is correct. But you want the target to be /dev/scd0 and the link to be /dev/dvd. See? Double-check. Your DVD suddenly worked - suggesting that one of your attempts actually created the link. It stopped working as something like udev overrode your alterations - do you have more than one playback device in the machine? Maybe, as you say, this is a problem with cloning ... perhaps udev in the clone has noticed that it is seeing different hardware (from what it was cloned from). udev associates persistent filenames - so the new hardware gets called /dev/dvd1 etc. If you physically exchange dvd drives, you may find /dev/dvd comes back. Quote:
However, I've only done a clone of Ubuntu and only for one computer (acer aspire 4315). I did not change anything on fstab and the clone seems to move between different machines OK. Have you tried doing the clone without otherwise changing anything? |
Thanks Simon for your reply, I will re-read this again but I have to work the next 2 days so I can't be exactly sure if I get time during the nights.
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This may not be exactly to do with the 'sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd' (or the other way around) command but I have learned something new in this process: when applying the medibuntu repos and key and running an update, it also replaced/updated my previously installed libdvdcss files with the ones found on the medibuntu repos. as a result the clone now plays dvd's. I have tried various regions (2 and 4) dvd's and they all played.
there is one more clone I will have to do, it will be a slightly different machine and I will see how this next one will handle the transition from one machine to the other, and report back here to keep it complete. I have also replaced the dev notation for the '/' partition back to uuid found in menu.lst and everything seems normal, haven't able to change the other ones back because I have deleted it without making a back up first. the reason why I haven't made a back up is because in the past I have done this so many times that I feel confident doing it this way and there was never a need for changing it back. but with regards what you say: "I think some programs in Ubuntu may be expecting uuid notation - to assign devide names for eg." I think you may have a point there; the developers surely have their (way beyond me) reasons for doing that. |
apologies for not coming back any earlier, had a busy week at work.
after cloning the last machine I bumped into the same problems. issuing the command 'sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd2' (this clone puts a 2 after /dev/dvd) I get response: ln creating hard link '/dev/dvd2': File exists after this it still will not play the dvd. when I change the xine parameter settings it will play the dvd, but after reboot the problem reoccurs. for me the quickest way to fix this seems to be simply to reinstall Kubuntu. it may be a better idea to search for similar problems with cloning and how to fix these problems, what seem to be minor set backs but I just don't know how to get around them. |
The link you want is:
sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd because the players are expecting to find the dvd device at /dev/dvd how are you making the clone? |
I issued 'sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd' and it creates a block device(?), not a block device link. it will play the dvd after giving the command but it does not stick; after reboot the block device is gone again and the dvd will not play. so the next real question is: how do I make it stick?
I make clones using clonezilla http://www.clonezilla.org/ it works quiet well apart from this problem that I am encountering, but I think that has nothing to do with clonezilla but more with the OS that (as you mentioned previously somewhere) sees the 'new' hardware and thinks it is another drive. with that in mind it does not surprise me that on this machine I get a number 2 after the block devices' links as this is a clone of a clone (bit more fine tuned than the original clone). the program clonezilla live works very easy, I always choose to save or restore client partitions, never a whole disk. it takes care of grub as well. hope that answers your question 'how I make my clones?' because there is not much to explain about it, mostly I just keep hitting the 'enter' key until it asks where to read/write the clone from/to and which partition needs cloning. it automatically sees what file system you want to clone and that determines which program it will use for cloning (ntfs clone, partimage or dd if I am not mistaking) |
What makes you think ln has made a block device in that case (check with ls -l)?
I figure there is a way to get the clones to behave. I know some people who do this routinely - so I'm asking them. Strictly speaking - seeing a new dvd drive should get it called /dev/scd1 and leave the link alone ...so there is more to it. Stand by. |
get the clones to behave, I like that!
I am not near the machine now, but how I found out it makes a 'block device' and not a 'block device link' is because I had the /dev/ directory open in Kubuntu's default file browser Dolphin. In there I can see the icons for ./cdrom2; ./cdrw2; ./dvd2; ./dvdrw2 they all have an overlay arrow at their bottom left, which indicates (as far as I think) a link or shortcut, in this case I would call it a link. after issuing command 'sudo ln /dev/scd0 /dev/dvd' a similar icon appears but without the overlay arrow. when I alternate click on it and choose properties, I can see differences between this one and the ones with the arrows. also when I just hover the mouse over the icons and watch what text appears in the status bar there the word 'link' is missing on the new icon. I am standing by, there is no hurry on this side. I am learning from you, that's more than just getting this machine to work properly. Had a look at your site too and saw some interesting topics there. |
Right - my experts concur with my ideas - the clone can tell that it is in a new computer. The utility responsible for naming stuff is udev
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I also asked if there was perhaps a more linux-appropriate way to achieve the same ends as cloning (since that is really a windows-world solution: copy the whole drive - windows is too dumb to tell the difference) and got the following advise: Quote:
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I have been thinking about finding the local LUG but haven't actively been looking for one yet, I should though.
I have installed the package fai-doc and I will be reading this through in the next couple of days. I will delete the '/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-cd.rules' file and see what happens and will do the same for the '/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules' file because there is some change in network device naming as well on the clone (eth0 -> eth1) while if one would do a clean install on the same box the ethernet device would be named 'eth0'. |
Hmm, removing those two files seemed to have fixed the dvd issue and the eth1 is now eth0. all the block device links have lost their number 2 at the end of their names and are now called: /dev/dvd and /dev/cdrw and so on, which is what I wanted to get dvd playback to work properly.
Thanks very much Simon, for your ongoing effort in helping me fix this problem. |
If there is a way to mark this thread as SOLVED, that would be appropriate now. Except along the way we've come to conclude that it is not really dvdcss related but to a cloning issue.
thanks again Simon for nailing it! I'd still be in the dark about it otherwise. Ron. |
It may be possible to go back and edit the initial title. Or notify a moderator.
A characteristic of community-based support is that you'll get help beyond what you asked for. You had DVD working ages ago - but the solution just left a future problem lurking. A MSCE mould have taken your money and looked forward to your future business ;) As it happens - I have a laptop which is (was) difficult to configure. I'd been distributing clones of my setup ... so this issue concerned me anyway. It also means you have ow had a good experience of gnu/linux where you'd otherwise have had a recurring annoyance. |
It has been a little hard in the beginning but nowadays my experiences with Linux are great. I am a Linux user since SimplyMepis 3.x, only went back to windows to do some tasks I had not quiet mastered under linux. Back then I made the decision and stuck with it and have been able to pass this virus (it completely eradicates windows not only off your hard drive but also your mind) on a few others. I do not see this sort of thing as a reason to give up on it. If we could not resolve it here I would have been forced to use my regular routine for setting up a system, which is a certain way to get things to work but also a longer way. What I am thinking of doing now for future clones is to remove those two files from the to be cloned machine and then reboot straight into clonezilla and make my clone the way I always did. If those two files will be re-created on boot then I think they will be absent in the clone image and created the first time the clone boots.
I try to do my part here as well, but I find most problems here are out of my league. There is one thread in particular where I think I can be a great help to the OP but the thread seems to be getting out of hand, the OP is new to linux and has the potention to stay but I have the feeling she gets too much information fired upon her and doesn't know what to do with it, which in the end can backfire and she may choose to go back to windows. |
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