Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

[flarson]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Turns out there are quit a number of threads about this for over a year. The problems have mostly been solved, I think, but there is some weirdness in Kubuntu JJ and maybe Intrepid.

I grabbed 2 dvds, one new (Cars) one old (Musketeer). The old one played on both my 64 bit and my 32 bit JJ installations. Cars caused my 65 bit installation to call for some extra packages which got installed and it then ran. On 32bit it called for one package, ffmpeg, which is already installed and which amarok asks for on every startup today, and never gets the message that it is installed. Then it would not play and I saw messages much like yours. I found that I had installed mandvd on my 64bit so I installed it on my 32 bit and now Cars plays with no problem.

In a nutshell
sudo aptitude mandvd
will install a few more packages and probably fix the problem. This is probably just an instance of incomplete dependencies, and I have to admit I do not really know which package fixed the problem.

Also, it works in vlc but not dragon. Your vlc error indicates that you are looking in the wrong device, I think.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

have you installed dvdread4 and dvdnav4 libraries?

Got to the medibuntu and follow their steps for setting up multimedia capabilities.

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

GreyGeek : thanks, I have run through that, dvdread4 and dvdnav4 libraries already the latest versions.

mando_hacker : thanks : running 'sudo aptitude mandvd' returns 'unknown comand'
'sudo aptitude install mandvd' returns 'Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "mandvd"'

So I d-loaded the .deb and installed that way.

But no luck - still the same situation.

VLC returns;
Playback failure:
DVDRead could not open the disk "/dev/scd0".
Your input can't be opened:
VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvd:///dev/scd0'. Check the log for details.

I wasn't sure which log this meant but in messages I got;

main info: Running vlc with the default interface. Use 'cvlc' to use vlc without interface.
dvdread error: DVDRead cannot open source: /dev/scd0
main error: no access module matched "dvd"
main error: open of `dvd:///dev/scd0' failed: could not create access: no access module matched "dvd"
logger info: using logger...
dvdread error: DVDRead cannot open source: /dev/scd0
main error: no access module matched "dvd"
main error: open of `dvd:///dev/scd0' failed: could not create access: no access module matched "dvd"

Does this help?

[The Liquidator]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Googling some of the read errors produces these results:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=496385

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1023025

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-902566.html

In the last 2 examples the main part of the fix appears to be to go into the home directory and delete the hidden file .dvdcss. That is the config for libdvdcss and it's not removed by uninstalling/reinstalling that package. Worth a go!

[flarson]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Damn, I just can't type as fast as I think.
I am pretty sure that the effect of installing mandvd on my system was that it depended on and installed a library that is used in the playing but is not in the dependencies of the other packages. So looking at aptitude show mandvd to see what it depends on that might fit that purpose I find
mencoder
mplayer
transcode
dvd+rw-tool
You might look at which of those are not installed in your system and try some or all of them.

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Thank you all again for your time and trouble.

Liquidator ; I folowed through the threads you kindly indicated and went through a few of the relevant looking suggestions.
And I deleted and replaced .dvdcss folder.
No joy.
Interstingly, I tried regionset but it returned 'Error;region code could not be set'

mando_hacker; I installed all those but still no joy.

Hmmm.
So, I tried for the first time to play a bootleg dvd on a system that had played many other official dvds previously without a single problem. I have since then been unable to play most dvds with the exception of the odd one from the many I have tried.
I have completely re-installed the OS and all the required software.
I still cannot play most dvds - why some and not others
I can read data discs.
What does it mean?
It would be some coincidence if the cause were not the copied dvd. But how would that cause it? And how can that affect a fresh install?

I am tempted to spend £30 on a new drive, but I suspect that that would not solve the issue.

[flarson]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

I too suspect that a new drive would not solve the issue. The synopsis you lay out makes it sound like the use of a bootleg dvd caused your player to be disabled, but I am pretty sure that is not the case. If you do reinstall I would suggest you use Jaunty. I really get the feeling that Intrepid is too much of a transition system and may never really mature.

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Hokay Jose.
I am going to give JJ a go.

I'll post back how it goes.

Thanks again to all who contributed time and brainpower!

[GreyGeek]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Just a wild thought .... is your DVD player sensitive to the type of DVD?

I am using a Sony VAIO VGN-FW140E/H and I find that a DVD+R works very well in it.

Or, is it a "Blue-Ray" device? I've never seen one but I understand they use special DVDs... Like I said, just a wild thought.
GG

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

JJ upgrade via internet went very smoothly.
(Apart from not having an internet connection - but hey, its a beta).

No change on the dvd front tho.
VLC returns the very same error.
Same dvds play as did before. Same don't that didn't.

GreyGeek - it seems that my drive is indeed sensitive, but it wasn't before!
VAIO VGN-A217M.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

JJ upgrade via internet went very smoothly.
(Apart from not having an internet connection - but hey, its a beta).
....

You upgraded via the internet without an internet connection?

I'd like to know how you did that. I can save $72 and cancel my cable connection!

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Maybe I wasn't clear.

I had an internet connection prior to upgrading.
Post upgrade I have no internet connection.

Anyway, still same situation re dvd playback
Some will, some won't.

Bizarre.

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Hey Grey Geek ...
I guess that sounded kind of abrupt.
Soz.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Hey Grey Geek ...
I guess that sounded kind of abrupt.
Soz.

No offense taken. I could see that you were up to your eyeballs in a swamp full of alligators.

The "selective" behavior of your DVD is certainly puzzling. Are the DVDs you can't get to play have the same region designation as those that do play?

[avocado]

Re: Vaio laptop and copied dvd didn't get along ...

Yes, they are all UK region 2.
Some my own, some rentals from lovefilm.com.

Is there some kind of way the hardware can be set (perhaps when it detects a bootleg) via firmware (or something) independent of the OS?
Like with region setting, you have 4 changes set by the manufacturer which retains its info regardless of OS.

Completely guessing here, as all the more obvious/logical routes appear to have been covered.