VLC will not play DVDs (have installed all libraries)

Support & Help Requests
1

Hello,

I can’t play any DVDs.

Following advice from other threads, I have installed dvdpkg and assorted libraries, and ubuntu-restricted-extras. I have also used regionset to set my DVD to region 2.

This is what I have installed:

ii  dvd+rw-tools                                7.1-11                                     amd64        DVD+-RW/R tools
ii  libdvd-pkg                                  1.4.0-1-1                                  all          DVD-Video playing library - installer
ii  libdvdcss-dev:amd64                         1.4.0-1~local                              amd64        library for accessing encrypted DVDs - development files
ii  libdvdcss2:amd64                            1.4.0-1~local                              amd64        library for accessing encrypted DVDs
ii  libdvdnav4:amd64                            5.0.3-1                                    amd64        DVD navigation library
ii  libdvdread4:amd64                           5.0.3-1                                    amd64        library for reading DVDs

If I run vlc from the terminal (so that I can see the error output), this happensL
$ vlc /dev/sr0
VLC media player 2.2.2 Weatherwax (revision 2.2.2-0-g6259d80)
[0000000000c23148] core libvlc: Running vlc with the default interface. Use ‘cvlc’ to use vlc without interface.
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 5.0.3
libdvdnav: DVD Title: LILOSTITCH_D1
libdvdnav: DVD Serial Number: 2e2abad2
libdvdnav: DVD Title (Alternative):
libdvdnav: DVD disk reports itself with Region mask 0x00f50000. Regions: 2 4

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 0x0000014f
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_0.VOB at 0x00000199
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB at 0x00007273
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_0.VOB at 0x001b6a89
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_02_1.VOB at 0x001b6a8f
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_03_0.VOB at 0x001b8466
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_03_0.VOB (0x001b8466)
libdvdread: Elapsed time 2
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_03_1.VOB at 0x001b846c
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_03_1.VOB (0x001b846c)!!
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_04_0.VOB at 0x001b929e
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_04_0.VOB (0x001b929e)
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_04_1.VOB at 0x001b92a4
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_04_1.VOB (0x001b92a4)!!
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_05_0.VOB at 0x001d2b5d
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_05_1.VOB at 0x001d2b63
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_06_0.VOB at 0x002e081a
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_06_0.VOB (0x002e081a)
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_06_1.VOB at 0x002e085b
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_07_0.VOB at 0x002e303f
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_07_1.VOB at 0x002e3045
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_08_0.VOB at 0x002e340d
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_08_1.VOB at 0x002e3413
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_09_0.VOB at 0x0032ef0e
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_09_0.VOB (0x0032ef0e)
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Get key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_09_1.VOB at 0x0032ef14
libdvdread: Error cracking CSS key for /VIDEO_TS/VTS_09_1.VOB (0x0032ef14)!!
libdvdread: Elapsed time 0
libdvdread: Found 9 VTS's
libdvdread: Elapsed time 2
[00007fac50000958] core input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[00007fac50000958] core input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[00007fac50000958] core input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[00007fac50000958] core input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called

I also tried MPV, no luck. What am I missing?

2

I don’t know what you are missing and am certainly no video expert but, to see if you are missing /something/ try copying the vob files over. If you can’t copy them over then something is missing but I couldn’t say what.
If you can copy them, try them from your hard drive, first as the vob file but if that doesn’t work try relabelling them to .mp4 IIRC vob is just mp4 with a different label.

3

Thanks for reply Dom, interesting thought. It turns out, I can see the VOB files, but can’t copy them. Either graphically using caja, or using cp on the command line, gives “input/output error”.

4

Not quite - DVDs use MPEG-2 video, not MPEG-4, but then again, for VLC the extension does not really matter.
Also, if the disc is encrypted, then copying the VOB files will not result in playable video.

What could maybe work is using a different value for the DVDCSS_METHOD environment variable.
E.g. start vlc with DVDCSS_METHOD=whatever vlc, with the valid options being key, title and disc. From the log output above it looks like the disc method is active.

5

I was close but no cigar :grin: @quartz There was an earlier post in this section about 12 hours ago about encrypted videos, maybe that will help.

6

Yeah, that one was solved simply by installing the DVD Playback Support package from the Welcome screen. I’ve already got that!

I could kind of understand if libdvdcss wasn’t working properly that it might not decrypt the disc. But I don’t understand why it won’t even copy the VOB files. I can open files from ordinary data DVDs no problem.

7

This is because VOB files on most video DVDs are encrypted with CSS for copy protection.
In general you need a special DVD ripping tool to extract the VOB files from such a disc.
Provided the DVD playback support package is installed, to decrypt an entire disc you can use dvdbackup -M -o TARGETFOLDER (install with sudo apt install dvdbackup).

8

Hello again!

I can not access a DVD disk on 16.04, thru 17.10 installs. I have been here before with 16.02 but was able to get it to work. I have followed all the recommended procedures for this well known issue and have gained nothing,

With the same drive, I can put in a data disk and it works immediately every time. The system sees the drive. But when I put in a DVD - nothing. VLC + Kodi + all other dvd reading software can not open the file system…

Like I said earlier… This same computer and same drive worked perfectly under 16.02.x

libdvd-pkg
libdvdread4 libdvdnav4
libxvidcore4
gstreamer1.0-plugins-base
gstreamer1.0-plugins-good
gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly
gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad
gstreamer1.0-alsa
gstreamer1.0-fluendo-mp3
gstreamer1.0-libav
Codecs - all installed

Are all installed successfully

sudo dpkg-reconfigure libdvd-pkg - tells me it is already installed.

/usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh` - does not exist in these ubuntu versions and can not be executed.

I have hooked up external dvd drives - same issue. They read data but not DVDs

Am I missing something?

Thanks

9

Quartz, I find it interesting that you and I are having a similar issue and are both running an AMD 64 bit version.