libdvdcss different? - Playing DVDs in v0.9.9a versus v1.0.5

[rbh]

Hi,

I have a few different OS X systems, some with drives flashed to RPC1 firmware and some newer ones with unflashable RPC2 firmware. All the systems I am having fun and games with have been upgraded to OS X 10.6.2, and have RPC1 flashed internal DVD drives.

The behaviour (and hence the question on changes to libdvdcss) I am seeing on a my RPC1 flashed drives is that VLC up to and including v0.9.9a will play DVDs when inserted into the drive. VLC v1.0.x (have just tried v1.0.5) does NOT play the DVDs at all in the same drives. This becomes a PITA when trying to use Handbrake to rip the DVDs to my media library, or even just wanting to watch a DVD...

If I do a very bad thing and copy the "libdvdcss.2.dylib" file from the VLC 0.9.9a package contents, and drop it in to replace the version in the VLC 1.0.5 package contents - it all works. VLC 1.0.5 will now play the DVDs. An alternate is to install v0.9.9 as "VLC" and install v1.0.5, renamed to "VLC_105". I can run one version to watch media (the newer one) and use the older VLC to rip the DVDs.

So my question is - what changed in the libDVDcss.2.dylib file between v0.9.9a and v1.0.0? Will the functionality I see when using the v0.9.9a software to play DVDs in a RPC1 flashed drive be rolled into the v1.0.x version of libdvdcss.2.dylib?

Would you like a bug report on this?

many thanks
R

[LinLan]

Try to open the DVD Player.app application just once on the machine 1.0.5 won't play the DVD on. It sounds crazy, but this has fixed some DVD reading related issues in Handbrake.

[rbh]

Hi,

Tried that. Doesn't work. Have also tried all the relevant preference settings in VLC 1.0.5 too. DVD Player just plays it btw.

The problem is not just running Handbrake, but even just watching DVDs.

I've currently got v1.0.5 with the libdvdcss.2.dylib file from v0.9.9a dropped into the package - and it is sweet. (I don't like running multiple variants of the one app)

Could someone please explain what changes have been incorporated into libdvdcss that would explain this weird behaviour?

Many thanks,
R

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

You have very probably found a bug in libdvdcss 1.2.10. Can you file a bug on our trac system?

[rbh]

Hi,

I went and registered on trac to report the bug but noticed this disclaimer:

Welcome to VLC Trac ¶
Note to users: Spammers have been targeting our VLC trac, forcing us to disable creating and editing of Tickets for non validated accounts. Please register first and then have your account validated by us. To validate, please join #videolan on irc.freenode.net.

As I'm not a user of IRC I think it will now be some while before my account (rbh - just like this forum) is validated.
Please let me know if/when it is validated and I'll be happy to lodge the ticket.

cheers
R

[rbh]

...and just in case I don't get validated here are the system details:

Operating system: 10.6.2 with the January 2010 security update (with Rosetta and QT 7.6.3 installed)
VLC versions: 0.9.9a, 1.0.5 (and 1.0.5 "doctored" as described in a previous reply)
QT plugins: Flip4mac v2.3.1.2, Perian v1.2, DivX v6.7

Hardware:

Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 2 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MM11.0055.B08
SMC Version (system): 1.3f4

DVD burner (rpc1 flashed to region-free)

MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-846:

Firmware Revision: FM3J
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media: To show the available burn speeds, insert a disc and choose View > Refresh

Airport:

Interfaces:
en1:
Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x86)
Firmware Version: Atheros 5424: 2.0.19.8
Locale: ETSI
Country Code: AU
Supported PHY Modes: 802.11 a/b/g
Supported Channels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165
Status: Connected

FireWire Bus:

Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec

IOMEGA MINIMAX Device 1:

Manufacturer: IOMEGA
Model: 0x0
GUID: 0x1D202E0BC0D84
Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Connection Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Sub-units:
IOMEGA MINIMAX Device 1 Unit:
Unit Software Version: 0x10483
Unit Spec ID: 0x609E
Firmware Revision: 0x102
Product Revision Level: 3.03
Sub-units:
IOMEGA MINIMAX Device 1 SBP-LUN:
Capacity: 250.06 GB (250,059,350,016 bytes)
Removable Media: Yes
BSD Name: disk1
Partition Map Type: APM (Apple Partition Map)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported
Volumes:
Iomega 250:
Capacity: 249.91 GB (249,905,090,560 bytes)
Available: 42.95 GB (42,950,844,416 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s10
Mount Point: /Volumes/Iomega 250

[tempfile]

I confirm this behaviour with different hardware. I have a late 2006 Core 2 Duo Macbook, running 10.6.2, all the current updates. I use 32 bit versions of Handbrake and VLC as recommended. My DVD drive:

MATSHITADVD-R UJ-857D:
Modell: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-857D
Version: KBVB

My drive too is flashed to RPC-1. It might really have to do somethign with region codes: I've just wasted an hour trying to rip an R1 DVD, myself being in R2. I've noticed the following behaviour in 1.0.5:

1. VLC doesn't read DVDs with a different region code at all. A yellow exclamation mark appears in the playlist, I once managed to bring up some sort of error console which stated reading errors in red.
2. Handbrake takes about ten minutes to scan a DVD with different region code. It can't read the audio or video though, all it sees are the total track lengths.
3. Correct region code DVDs are read by VLC, but the output is garbled.
4. Correct region code DVDs are normally and quickly scanned by Handbrake, the output is garbled.
5. After replacing libdvdcss with the one from 0.9.10, everything (VLC and Handbrake) works fine no matter which region code is being used.

A side question, as I might get a new computer this year. DVD lock-up measures seem to get harder and harder over time. Will VLC still be able to play foreign DVDs should it encounter an RPC-2 drive? (And why keep movie studios insisting on copy "protection" like this that it's actually more comfortable to just illegally download HD movies than fiddle around with all the BluRay certification crap?)

Anyway. I hope my input helps.

[ajmas]

Hi,

I went and registered on trac to report the bug but noticed this disclaimer:

Welcome to VLC Trac ¶
Note to users: Spammers have been targeting our VLC trac, forcing us to disable creating and editing of Tickets for non validated accounts. Please register first and then have your account validated by us. To validate, please join #videolan on irc.freenode.net.

As I'm not a user of IRC I think it will now be some while before my account (rbh - just like this forum) is validated.
Please let me know if/when it is validated and I'll be happy to lodge the ticket.

cheers
R

Its been this way for a while. For getting onto IRC, the best way to go, on the Mac, is Colloquy. Once there join the the videolan group and see if there is anyone there who can help. Once you have your trac account feel free to delete Colloquy. There are some web sites you can use, but I am not sure of a current web based client.

[fkuehne]

Hey guys,

Here's the same announcement I already made on another thread. From what I've heard, my fix appears to be working, but it will need more testing...

I've put a unfinished version of VLC 1.0.6 on our OS X development server. It would be awesome if you had a look at it and see if it solves your DVD playback issues. Personally, I cannot reproduce any issue on my MacBook2,1 with OS X 10.6.2 and Region 2 discs in a RPC2 drive.

If this version doesn't solve your issues, please give as much info as you can. Basically, I need: Mac model, drive model, region the drive is set to, region of the DVD, name of the DVD.

http://jones.videolan.org/~videolan/fpk ... .6-git.dmg

Please don't share this version on versiontracker, etc., otherwise I'll have to pull it. Please note that this build is Intel-only.

[rbh]

Hi,

Thanks very much - I'll download it and have a go.

As for your concerns about sharing - your secrets are safe with me, but the URL is accessible in a publicly viewable forum.

Regarding the main machine that is having the problems (my old Mini) I have posted all(most?) of the details you might be after in one of the previous replies to this thread.

[edited a couple of hours later to add:]

WELL - the news is good. Just tested the 1.0.6 GIT version on my old Mini with the RPC1 flashed drive using "The Island" (region 4 PAL) and "The Thing" (region 1 NTSC). Both played happily in the new test version 1.0.6 of VLC, AND both were well behaved with Handbrake v0.9.4 i386.

Both DVDs were also successfully tested in the rpc1 flashed drive in my late-2007 Alu 17" MacBook Pro after I installed the VLC test variant. Handbrake 0.9.1 worked perfectly, as did v0.9.4 when I upgraded it, and both discs were watchable in VLC itself.

Looks like the bug might have been squashed!

Can you let us in on what the problem(s) was?

cheers,
R

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Can you let us in on what the problem(s) was?

Latest version of libdvdcss is broken.

[pascalfor]

Hello ;

I have a MacBook Pro. I tried to play a PAL DVD that is obviously protected. It doesn't want to play my DVD ! Is there a solution ?

Thanks.

[fkuehne]

Is the DVD from the same region as your drive is set to? Are you using the pre-release build instead of the 1.0.5 release?

[halley]

Very similar behavior here, so I'll put in my semi-confirmation. I'm at work now, so I'll add details of model numbers or diagnostic output if requested. Short answer: "doctored" dylib from 099a did not fix the problem for me.

I have been using many versions of VLC on an early intel MBP17 for years. I don't really have much use for multi-region or region-free, as I just rent from Netflix which has all region 1 discs (that I know of).

Just picked up a brand new unibody MBP13 (May 2010) - Snow Leopard. Dreaded Matshita drive. After noting the problem, I reflashed to region-free successfully (shows region-free in the DVD Info X output), thinking it would help.

Before reflashing, VLC can play the menu but no other chapters of my first couple discs I tried. Couldn't even play the menu on another. I get the yellow triangle and "cannot read from drive" in the error log.

After reflashing, with 1.0.5's libdvdcss file, VLC attempts to play the content chapters on some discs but it's extremely garbled. Recognizable fragments of image and sound, but many mpeg-style squares are garbled like a bad satellite feed.

Tried the 0.9.9a libdvdcss file as suggested above, but this seems to have no effect on the VLC behavior-- still garbled in the same way.

As an aside, the 1.1-pre1 (32bit and 64bit) will not open the video playback window at all. Audio for the main dvd menu chapter works, but I can't hear audio if I select other chapters from the app's main menu bar. Without the visuals, can't do anything to get it to try playing via the dvd's menu.

I will try to use 1.1-pre1's libdvdcss file since the leaked 1.0.6-git url is now dead.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

halley: you should clean you dvdcss cache.

[halley]

After deleting ~/.dvdcss I can confirm that VLC is working on a reflashed Matshita in a unibody Macbook Pro 13" 2010!

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

thx