No DVD playback on PS3 with VLC - Error cracking CSS key

[gemini420]

Hi there,

I am a VLC fan, and have recently installed VLC on my PS3 running under Gentoo PPC 32bit.

VLC runs great, and every media file I have tested plays great *except* for store bought commercial DVDs? In this case, this is a new DVD (The Prestige, which was released on DVD this month.)

The PS3’s BluRay drive is mounted and readable, and I can see in the logs that VLC is accessing the files. The error appears to be related to decrypting the CSS keys on the DVD.


libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.9 for DVD access
…
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_0.VOB (0x000001e1)
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_1.VOB (0x002b8f8a)
…
[00000294] dvdread demuxer error: read failed for -1/4 blocks at 0x4d0f
[00000283] main playlist: nothing to play


In Sony’s XMB (the PS3’s native game OS), this same DVD plays normally.

I am not sure if the DVD is causing the issue or if the BluRay drive is causing it?

A google search for, ‘Error cracking CSS key’ leads me to believe this could be related to the DVD Region settings? I know VLC is a region less player, and the PS3 is supposed to be a region less console? If VLC depends on the DVD region to decrypt CSS keys, maybe the BluRay isn’t reporting any DVD region?

I do know there are a number of other people having this same issue with the PS3 + Linux + VLC AND Mplayer.

Thanks in advance,
Shane Metler

P.S. Thanks for VLC it’s great!!

[gemini420]

I am not sure whether this issue is related to the Region Code (and I am not going to try to set a region code on my PS3's embedded BluRay drive.)

OR

because the BluRay uses AACS instead of CSS ...

Would anyone know if BluRay drives implement AACS for all disks, or if they implement AACS when playing a BluRay vs implementing CSS for DVD?

[cjdavis83]

Hi

d0es the VLC play .ts files smoothly on the PS3 just like it would from the XMB menu?
chris

[eganem]

Yep!

I get the same answer... sometimes.

I have OpenSuse 10.3, and usually run Xine for DVD playback.

I tried to play the second PIRATES OF THE CARIBEAN movie (recorded for regions 1 and 4) and got the message.

My DVD is set to region 4, according to the sourceforge REGION SET TOOL (I have an almost new HP DV2235la).

I ran Xine from a terminal (xine -P dvd:/) and got the following output:

----------------------

There are 6 titles on this DVD.
There are 29 chapters in this DVD title.
There are 1 angles in this DVD title.
audio stream: 0 format: ac3 (5.1) language: en aid: 128.
audio stream: 1 format: ac3 (5.1) language: es aid: 129.
audio stream: 2 format: ac3 (5.1) language: pt aid: 130.
audio stream: 3 format: ac3 (mono) language: en aid: 131.
number of audio channels on disk: 4.
subtitle ( sid ): 0 language: en
subtitle ( sid ): 1 language: es
subtitle ( sid ): 2 language: pt
subtitle ( sid ): 3 language: es
subtitle ( sid ): 4 language: pt
subtitle ( sid ): 5 language: es
subtitle ( sid ): 6 language: pt
number of subtitles on disk: 7


MPlayer interrupted by signal 2 in module: dumpstream
egc@rivendell:~/Documents/Download> xine -p dvd:/
Esto es xine (IGU X11) - un reproductor de vídeo libre v0.99.6cvs.
(c) 2000-2007 El Equipo de xine.
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.9 for DVD access

libdvdread: Attempting to retrieve all CSS keys
libdvdread: This can take a _long_ time, please be patient

libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.VOB at 0x000002d1
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_0.VOB at 0x000004f8
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB at 0x00030b3e
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_0.VOB at 0x003a1806
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_1.VOB at 0x003a18f7
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_1.VOB (0x003a18f7)!!
libdvdread: Elapsed time 2
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_03_1.VOB at 0x003a210f
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_04_1.VOB at 0x003ba45d
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Found 4 VTS's
libdvdread: Elapsed time 2

----------------------

The funny thing is that I then tried JURASIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD (the second movie, recorded for regions 1,3,4) without problems. The I got back to the first movie, and got the same error message as before (by the way, the dvd.css_decryption_method parameter was set to "title", which according to the dvdcss documentation, is the best - and most expensive systemwise - of them all).

It seems than the encryption method changed somehow between the release of JURASIC PARK II and THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBEAN II.

I don't know if there are different versions of the CSS encryption, but in any case, those differences should allow a new movie play on an old DVD player.

I hope this information can help you help me!

Finally, please consider that english is not my native language, so if you find some funny looking words above, just keep reading!


Enrique Gánem.