Playing a DVD

[Jaime Davila]

Jean Hollis Weber wrote:
> Jaime Davila wrote:
>> Jean Hollis Weber wrote:
>>> So maybe there is some problem with the hardware? It works fine under 
>>> Windows. :-(  It's a CD read/write, DVD read drive; music CDs seem to 
>>> work fine, but obviously that's just sound!
>>
>> What machine are you using? This sounds like an xserver issue. Can you 
>> see video that doesn't come from a DVD? For example, can you watch 
>> videos that come from video.google.com?
> 
> I'm using a Dell Inspiron 510m laptop, with an internal 24x Max 
> DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive. (That info is off the invoice for the machine; if 
> more info is needed, I'm not sure how to find it.)
> 
> Yes, I can see video from video.google.com. I had some problems with 
> that earlier this week but got it working (after installing more 
> software), with much help from people on this list.
> 
> Here are today's adventures, in case they contain any clues.
> 
> Overnight I had turned off the machine completely, so this morning I 
> rebooted into Ubuntu.
> 
> When I put in DVD#1, Totem started and played both the sound and video 
> of the start of the DVD (yesterday it played sound only, no video), but 
> then stopped and gave this message:
> 
> "The source seems encrypted, and can't be read. Are you trying to play 
> an encrypted DVD without libdvdcss?"
> 
> Since I had installed libdvdcss yesterday, the answer to that question 
> clearly was "No", but that didn't help. My only choice was "OK" :-) 
> which of course did not cause anything useful to happen. Perhaps I 
> should try re-installing it?
> 
> So I put in DVD#2 (one I'm fairly sure is not encrypted). With this one, 
> Totem did not show any video at all -- but while yesterday it gave me a 
> black screen, today it gave me a blue one! Sound is okay on this DVD, 
> but stops (and loops) at what should be the menu screen for the DVD. 
> Apparently it's waiting for me to choose what to do... but since there 
> is no video, I can't choose.
> 
> Now when I tried to play DVD#1 again, I got no video but I did get the 
> audio at what should be the menu screen; again it loops.
> 
> Next I turned to xine. Thanks to your instructions in a previous note, I 
> found how to start a DVD. Result with both DVD#1 and #2: blue screen, 
> opening music, which loops.
> 
> Further suggestions welcome.
> 
> --Jean
> 
I've had a similar problem on my laptop, although only when driving a 
vga screen from the vga output. Something having to do with the Xv 
drivers, and such things. I solved the problem by starting xine with a 
video driver other than Xv. i.e. start xine like this:
    xine -V XShm

xine remembers which options you used the last time you called it. So, 
if it works, you don't need to give that option next time.

-- 

******************************************************
Jaime J. Davila
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Hampshire College
School of Cognitive Science
jdavila at hampshire dot edu
http://helios.hampshire.edu/jdavila
*******************************************************