How can I play DRM-protected DVDs in Ubuntu?

I'm having problems playing DVDs in Ubuntu Jaunty (9.04); some DVDs work, but most don't. The error message in dmesg is:

end_request: I/O error, dev sr0

All DVD player programs simply freeze after this error.

Torandi

Posted 2009-07-19T13:47:35.450

Reputation: 768

Answers

It is css encrypted disks that causes this error. The solution is to install libdvdcss2, which can be install by first installing libdvdread4, and then running

/usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

This will add the medibuntu-repos and install libdvdcss2 and solve the problem.

Torandi

Posted 2009-07-19T13:47:35.450

Reputation: 768

Thanks! This fixed my problem. Unfortunately a little late; I already bought a brand new DVD drive and SATA cables only to discover I still couldn't play DVDs. Thank you very much to the media industry, making just a bit more profit thanks to ridiculous DRM! – mgiuca – 2011-02-27T01:26:28.280

The Medibuntu repository has the packages for supporting encrypted DVD playback. Check out this page on the Ubuntu Wiki for installation details.

mutewinter

Posted 2009-07-19T13:47:35.450

Reputation: 767