Why Videolan has to disappears?

angelgz · Postby **angelgz** » 02 Dec 2005 00:26

Sorry I cannot read French, so I have not read what's on their website although my question probably would be answered there. However, I don't see what is against the law to have DVD-Reading capabilities. I have just read the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and it has no information regarding DVDs. I mean, if you guys meant that VLC can record certain shows (including those on DVDs). Then DVD-Recorder which you hooks up to the TV can literally do the same thing. Then we should just out rule, VCRs, CD recorders, DVD-RWs...etc but that will not happen. If the European Union is making such an unreasonable law, please feel free to move your server to the USA.

zorglub · Postby **zorglub** » 02 Dec 2005 00:32

Hello,

The problem comes from the fact that most DVD are encrypted, using an algorithm known as "CSS" (Content Scrambling System).
Software or hardware that want to decrypt such DVDs need to purchase a decryption key from the DVD Consortium. Such keys are extremely expensive. They are also required to keep the key secret.
Of course, no free software project could purchase a key, and no commercial DVD player was made for Linux, so Linux users had no way to read their DVD.

But the CSS algorithm has been analyzed by cryptography experts, who found fatal weaknesses in the algorithm, and who proposed methods to make CSS decryption easy.
All free software that can read DVD use these methods to decrypt CSS (most are based on VideoLAN's libdvdcss).

As CSS is considered as a content protection measure, working around it by decrypting it without having purchased a key is illegal under the terms of the DMCA, the EUCD (European adaptation), and the DADVSI (French adaptation). These 3 laws all come from an WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) traitee, signed in 1996.

(Libdvdcss must not be confused with DeCSS, which wasn't based on cryptoanalysis, but contained a key that had been found by reverse engineering a proprietary player)

andreaplink · Postby **andreaplink** » 02 Dec 2005 09:51

Hi, where can we read articles about this problem in english, the articles suggested in videolan's website are all in French.
Is there anything that people not from france can do with french and european institutions to support the videolan project?

angelgz · Postby **angelgz** » 04 Dec 2005 07:09

Well, from what Mr. zorglub said, any nation who is a member of the WIPO will have such a law preventing the decription of DVD encryptions. However, there is a way around that. Mr. zorglub said that there is no software DVD player on the market but there actually is. Intervideo's LnDVD is for linux and it is 100% legal. Although I am not technical enough to know how they did it, but I believe that as long as there is something out there, there must be a way. People in the US have been protesting against Microsoft's anti-trust policies for over years and many software providers now has taken linux into account due to its growing users. Even some kids in my sisters school use only Linux (my sister is in 6th grade). I do see hope for VideoLAN's development although it might be forced to take out its "DVD features" temperorily until one like what InterVideo is using can be developed. If buying a 'key' becomes necessary, I am sure most users won't have a problem with VLC becomes a paid program as long as the price is not unreasonable. VLC is the best all-in-one media player I have ever used and the good thing about it is its built-in codecs. I had to install 20-30 codecs one by one when I was using Zoom player and it doesn't have the features which VLC had. Yet Zoom player is a paid program. I really do want to see VideoLan keeps living.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » 05 Dec 2005 11:11

LinDVD (Intervideo) is not 'really' a commercial Linux product: it's not for sale as a separate software. Intervideo proposes it only to companies that make stand-alone DVD players.
Even if nothing it said by Intervideo about the CSS key by itself, we can presume that it's the reason of this limitation.

FORCE · Postby **FORCE** » 09 Dec 2005 18:55

VLC is best quality dvd player i have ever seen and if they force to remove dvd feature then move to new server or distribute player what cannon decrypt only play non-crypted DVD, but do not remove DVD play ability. Best idea is move to new server and show middle finger to law.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » 28 Dec 2005 16:36

VLC is best quality dvd player i have ever seen and if they force to remove dvd feature then move to new server or distribute player what cannon decrypt only play non-crypted DVD, but do not remove DVD play ability. Best idea is move to new server and show middle finger to law.

My dear idiot,

What is videolan worth to you ?

And would you be willing to donate a single USD to the videloan developers, to enable them to buy that key ?

If not, maybe we should show you the middle finger ?

The law is the law, cannot do anything about that.

But what you suggest here is that videolan takes a route that will be destructive in the end.

Just donate that 1 USD or try to write it yourself, I would say.

But never try to lure good people into criminal activities, for your own pathetic benefit.

That's all folk's.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » 28 Dec 2005 16:38

So how much does a key cost ?

FORCE · Postby **FORCE** » 28 Dec 2005 23:45

Only one legal solution is make dvd play witout libdvdcss, there is alternative ways to watch dvds with driver mode decss and lots of dvd-s is without decryption.

FORCE · Postby **FORCE** » 29 Dec 2005 00:47

Some day i plan donate more than one usd but dont loose dvd play ability, just make dvd play ability just like i said before. Continue best mediaplayer because this is future. Sorry before about middle finger bus some laws is VERY stupit.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » 30 Dec 2005 12:04

Some day i plan donate more than one usd but dont loose dvd play ability, just make dvd play ability just like i said before. Continue best mediaplayer because this is future. Sorry before about middle finger bus some laws is VERY stupit.

Bloody good and classy reaction to my very tough assault on your previous post with regard to a few of your fingers.

But to that last statement I fully agree,

Especially because this protection mechanism goes too far.
If I have to switch my DVD to different region (can do that only 4 times as I understand it), then my DVD's from different regions get worthless very soon.

Buy another DVD player, after switching 4 times ? ... Don't think so.

It is a mighty lobby indeed.

I guess they are over-eating now and in that sense they will become lazy anyway. And that will be the moment to grab 'm by the balls.

Anyway, I am happy I still got the right Videolan version.
The one that plays anything (originals and copies) and does not ask me to switch myDVD player to a different region all the time.

But that is my own decision, I would never

ask the development team to do something criminal on my behalf.

regards,

octavius · Postby **octavius** » 01 Jun 2006 17:13

I was looking for information about this feature on the docs, surfing the web but everywhere (including this site) says this feature is provided by the libdvdcss library but the info doesn't say if the lib is actually included in the distributions. I recently read on ubuntu forums around the world that Synaptic is not configured to download this lib due to laws for certain countries. What I'm asking is which ways lead to having a DVD capable (with encryption of course) vlc to download (specially for ubuntu

) and which ways don't (for any distro) in case laws from my country become more restrictive.

Thanks and keep the awesome work.

Regards

Guest · Postby **Guest** » 07 Jun 2006 22:55

LinDVD (Intervideo) is not 'really' a commercial Linux product: it's not for sale as a separate software. Intervideo proposes it only to companies that make stand-alone DVD players.
Even if nothing it said by Intervideo about the CSS key by itself, we can presume that it's the reason of this limitation.

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