DVD In Linux:HowTo (By Me)


 

To watch a DVD film in Linux you should follow the following steps (to complete the hack, as in challenge, not crack!).

1) Get the DVD encryption kernel patch from http://atv.ne.mediaone.net/linux-dvd/  It is the file "linux-dvd-2.2.12.1.diff.gz"
    LOCAL MIRROR
    Insert it into the 2.2.13 kernel with the command "patch < linux-dvd-2.2.12.1.diff"

    This patch will be incorporated into a later kernel.

2) Recompile your kernel and reboot.

3) Download a vob player (the DVD format) from  http://home.germany.net/100/5083/index.htm Either compile it or download the binary.
    LOCAL BINARY MIRROR

4) Download the CSS key maker from  www.eyrie.demon.co.uk/derek/dvd/css You want the file "css-auth-.4.tar"
    LOCAL MIRROR

5) untar the css auth file into a new folder and go into that folder. run "make"
    If you get a unknown "key" error change the following lines in tstdvd.c
    line 199, key to key1
    line 200, key to key1
    line 225, key to key2

It matches the kernel file /usr/include/src/linux/device/cd-rom.c (or something like that) The reason for this is that the SCSI cd-rom uses key and key not key1 and key2 like in the IDE.

/* The following must be done for each disk */

6)    tstdvd /dev/dvd                                                       Authorizes to disk and writes "disk-key"

7)     mount the DVD (assuming /dvd for this)
        mount /dev/dvdrom /dvd/

8)    tstdvd  /dev/dvd  /dvd/video_ts/vts_01_1.vob            writes "title-key"
       mv title-key title1-key

/**********************************/
 

9) Output a vob file to the hard drive while decoding it
    css-cat /dvd/video_ts/vts_01_1.vob > output.vob

10) Play the Movie.
    mpeg2player -vob -f output.vob
    (use the option -na for no sound)
    (use the option -nv for no video)

11) You can use ac3dec to just play the sound if you want.

/***************************************************************/

Comments:

    You will not be able to play both video and sound in the current configuration unless you have some sort of a high end system.  Min requirements would have to be a 350Mhz for just sound or Video.  (At least 128MB mem)  Min Req for both sound and video would have to be somewhere around a 600Mhz.  The highest I have tested it on is a 450.  The reasoning behind this is that the code is very very new and hasn't yet been optimized at all.  I have no clue as to dual system.

    There is only one button, so to say.  That is PLAY.  Once you start a film you have to quit the program to end it!  Even then, you have to have the vob files lined up.  You could stream them from the cd-rom to the decoder to the player, but that would require a insane system.  And mpeg2player doesn't do streaming yet ( | ), but we would all appreciate it if someone would simply submit a patch to the author that would allow it.

    There is no Menu functionality whatsoever.  You can only view it in DVD size 769*239 (something like that).  That is how big it is on the screen.  You can't get Subtitles or any of the other fun stuff.  You can't grab any or the sub picture or handle the navigation at all.

    At some point shortly (MAYBE) a lot of this will be merged together to form a software backend for the Linux DVD API. [link].  Thus you will be able to use a player (any player) to play the movie without having to do all of this.  But that is a long way down the road to have this software work in full.  The Linux-DVD API is being developed by the DVD hardware group who will be releasing hardware decoders around Christmas that support that API.  And then you will not need this software at all.  Other groups will also be coming out with a fully functional (and much faster compared to todays hack) software decoder within the turn of the millenium , that will support everything that a DVD does.

    Full screen does not work, nor can you resize the window.

    Please do not post silly comments to the mailing list.  When this gets on slashdot please use the feedback on slashdot to handle any minor issues that you will have.  Please do not badger the authors to make bug fixes or to do something.  These people have been working at it for a long time and will do it when they see fit.  PLEASE debate the ethical side of this on slashdot and NOT on the newsgroup.  Thanks.

    For all those out there that thinks that this is a wonderful chance to copy the DVD, think again.  Yes, you do have full access to the drive and you would be able just copy the files somewhere else.  The only thing is that you need somewhere to copy it too.  The only place to put it is on a DVD-RAM.  And that is around $25 for a disk.  The real DVD is $15 to $20.  So it is quite silly to copy it to DVD-RAM.  Also you simply copy the decrypted files you won't be able to run it as a DVD at ALL.  You get funny video, or really weird shit, but none of the DVD features at all.  This hack was NOT meant as a DVD-RIPPER.  And it is almost the exact opposite of that.  There are windows programs that are designed for that and those are the people that you should be yelling at about this.

contact: linuxdvd@hotmail.com