libdvdcss -- I can play some DVDs, but not others!
 

I have Xine and MPlayer both installed. I have libdvdcss installed, and it cracks some keys, but not very many, meaning I can watch some DVDs, but not very many. I almost always get something like this:

What would cause this to happen?

I don't know about using xine from the command line but it looks as if the dvd is encrypted in an unknown way. Perhaps the next version of libdvdcss will support your dvd, or try a cvs version of it?

But I can play very few DVDs, possibly one out of twenty-five, it's not just one oddball DVD.

If it makes a difference, here is the output of MPlayer trying to access the same DVD.

I heard that some new dvd drive is region based.

In this moment, I don't found big problem in dvd playback. The problem I have is probably deinterlace quality.

In this moment, I use "kerndeint" filter. For 4:3 region 2 DVD, I use this sh file:

#!/bin/sh
mplayer -vop expand=-50:-30,crop=700:560,kerndeint -ao alsa -benchmark $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9 dvd://$1

This DVD drive is from the middle of last year, and all of my DVDs are region one; I tried that mplayer script anyway, and got the same results.

I just read in the 'Playing DVD and Videos' guide on here that if DMA mode is not on, I may get stuttering in playback. I don't get that problem with the few DVDs that work, but I decided to check to see if DMA mode was on anyway.

Could this be contributing to my DVDs not playing?

I take it you downloaded all the codes from mplayers site and have installed them before trying this no?

Yes, I have.

Not sure if this will help with a diagnosis or not, but the DVD drive can burn and read _all_ data DVDs without a problem, and both MPlayer and Xine can play downloaded video clips flawlessly.

All you need is OGLE. Google for it...........

Ogle didn't work either.

Can you display the contents of your /usr/local/lib/codecs/ directory.

Sure thing.

The only thing I see is a hardware problem then. It might help to list the dvds which don't work here, If anyone posts here saying that the same dvd works on their system then I would have to assume that your hardware (or a driver) is playing up.
Try moving the dvd to another location ie. from hdc to hdd (change it from master to slave) and see if it makes any difference.

You are probably using ide to scsi emulation.(correct?) To enable dma you use the hdparm to the hdx device that would be assigned to the dvd if you didn't use the scsi emulation. So instead of doing
/sbin/hdparm -d1 /dev/scd0
do /sbin/hdparm -d1 /dev/hdx x=1,2,3,4 (probably 2 or 3)

SO although my dvd is scd0 or sr0 (if you do ls -la to both, you'll see it's the same device file):
they have the same major,minor (11,0) device number so they are the same, in order to tweak the option though hdparm, I do it to hdc .


I don't know for slack 9.1 but in slack 10 and 10.1 DMA is set by default. I doubt if this is the problem. do sbin/hdparm /dev/hdx x=1,2,3,4.

Scarface (20th anniversary edition): the 'warning' chapter's key gets cracked; none of the others are cracked.
Analyze This (widescreen and fullscreen): completely fails.
Analyze That (fullscreen): completely fails.
Copycat (widescreen and fullscreen): completely fails.
Fight Club: 'warning' chapters get cracked, lead-in to the DVD menu gets cracked; all else fails.
American History X: 'warning' works, all else fails.
The Matrix: completely fails.

I'll post more results later.

I was testing some of my other DVDs. Every DVD in The Godfather's boxed set returns this:
What does this mean?

Anyway, here's some more on the list:
Road to Perdition (widescreen): complete fail.
Once Upon A Time In America (both DVDs): complete fail.
Matrix Reloaded: first DVD, complete fail; second DVD returned same as Godfather DVDs.
Matrix Revolutions (both DVDs): complete fail.
Queen of the Damned: complete fail.
Sleepers (widescreen, both sides): complete fail.
28 Days Later (widescreen): 'warning' loads, rest of the keys fail, then returns same as Godfather DVDs.

I know I've rented DVDs that have worked on here, but apparently none of the DVDs I own work in it.

I've just resolved that it is _not_ a hardware problem. I set up the VLC media player on an old Windows box and set up the DVD drive on it and it played DVDs without a problem.

What, then, is the problem with my Linux setup?

I've played a few of those movies on my box before, no problem. It could be a hardware issue, but MS Windows has addressed and fixed it already. I really have no idea what is wrong, but here are some things I would try:
- install an older version of libdvdcss, see if there is any difference
- borrow a friends DVD-Rom Drive and see if it works

Same problems after a libdvdcss downgrade to 1.2.7.
And 1.2.6.
And 1.2.5.

:\

I figured I would try running the VLC media player in Cedega.

No luck there either.

Which brings us back to the /dev/scd* issue mentioned by perfect_circle. Which kernel are you using? Have you tried udev at all? Playing with your kernel setup may help to diagnose the problem...

I'm using the Slackware 10.0 default, 2.4.26. *shame*

What is the error you get well you try to play the dvd?

Along the lines of this for all of them.

I've seen this. I mean does it pop-up a window telling you unable to play, does it play but the picture is bad?

In the case of that DVD (American History X), it will play the lead-in warning for the DVD, then a window pops up that reads:

Just a shot in the dark here, but try gmplayer (or mplayer for non gui) -codecs-file /usr/local/lib/codecs/*

Running "mplayer -codecs-file /usr/local/lib/codecs/*" made MPlayer attempt to play each of the codecs.

:\

Anyone have an idea?

upgrade to libdvdcss 1.2.9. Copy v 1.2.8's ebuild into overlay, rename it to 1.2.9 and emerge that. That's the only thing that worked for me...

Region settings
 

I've run into this problem just now and found out that the problem is that the DVD drive might not have a region setting. I just bought a new laptop and never booted into windows. I guess that's the cause for me that I get this error.

The solution is equally simple. Use regionset to set the region on the DVD drive (apt-get install regionset dor debian/).

I have the same problem with my FarScape DVD's. Granted their are odly encoded, some having only titles, 72 at that. Some files do play just fine in both oogle, vlc, mplayer etc.

however since the last version of libdvdread is from even before this thread, and it really is libdvdread's fault (errors cracking CSS encryption) this is where to look for problems.

Since I haven't solved this one myselfsome (on 2 systems with 2 dvd players/burners) and no go.

Just giving this thread a bump since it's now 2007 and still got the problem :)

I also have the same problem but what is odd is that it pertains to .iso files. Some work fine other do not with the same error "Invalid IFO for Title **."

Instance of definite hardware problem
 

I'm getting the exact same errors but with only one drive. I have a new LG lightscribe drive refusing to play dvds that an older LG happily plays. I just ran regionset, it didn't help. Very odd. Some keys get found, but some don't:

libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.VOB at 0x00000132
libdvdread: Elapsed time 2
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_0.VOB at 0x00008fd6
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_0.VOB (0x00008fd6)
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB at 0x00008fdb
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB (0x00008fdb)!!
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_0.VOB at 0x00009036
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0

With libdvdcss 1.2.9.

edit: Huh. I read some other forums and someone had solved this problem by changing the video driver used to xshm. I have *no* idea why this works, but it does for me as well.

edit2: With that driver the performance was terrible, so in disgust I changed it back. And now it works with the same configuration I previously had, or so it would seem. Confusion but success.

Check for a firmware upgrade for the newer drive. When I got my lg I had a lot of problems with it until I found the upgrade. Not a problem since. LG's website leaves a lot to be desired. I just did a google search on the model and firmware.

You upgraded the firmware with GNU/Linux? How? I only found win32 installers.

Usually they have a dos version. I went and got a cd bootable dos image (www.freedos.org). Then booted to the cd and installed the firmware update. I do my bios updates the same way.