David Reynolds david@reynoldsfamily.org.uk wrote:
Hi,
A quick google search suggests you need the RPM with libdvdcss, which can be found with instructions for xine here: http://cambuca.ldhs.cetuc.puc-rio.br/xine/
Once libdvdcss is installed, other movie players should understand it too.
I think the reason it wasn't installed should be pointed out. The code for decoding encrypted DVDs (as some are not encrypted, most are, but not all), is closed source and has to be licensed for use. So hence, I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) that this code is not official and probably illegal to run.
It's not that it's closed source, the algorithm wasn't open though, and the libdvdcss code came from reverse engineering said algorithm... In itself, it is not illegal to use or modify, using it to copy DVDs, however, is where it all goes a bit pete tong... It's perfectly valid to use it to watch DVDs, as long as that's all you're doing... of course, there's a few other things that it lets you do that some things won't, like skip stupid copyright notices, etc, as it's up to the application using the library to enforce that, not the library itself.
It's not 'official' as far as the EVIL corporations are concerned, the ones that don't actually want you to be able to use the things that you've bought, the likes of Sony, for example. DRM is all the rage, these days... and who are the rights for? Sure as hell isn't the user.
Also, they've got a rather prolific website if it is illegal, there was lots of discussion about this at the time that it first came out, but it's now been around for several years... and it no longer has the banners that it used to have surrounding it saying "these people are trying to sue us... and these ones... and these 'ere other ones", infact, it's all been rather quiet on that front. But, I don't know of any distribution that actually carries the DeCSS code, as there may be issues...
There's an FAQ on the videolan site that semi-answers the question: http://www.videolan.org/doc/faq/en/index.html#id289349
Which basically says "it might be illegal in places, the US we're fairly sure it is".
Cheers,