[WWW] Enabling DVD & MPEG Playback in SuSE Linux

[DavidMD]

Hello, everyone.

I found an article about enabling DVD and MPEG playback in SuSE Linux.

You can read it at the following URL:

<http://www.pctech101.com/dvd_playback.php>

Felix Cumpian, Jr., wrote the article for PCTech101.com (http://www.pctech101.com/) and Dennis Newsome was the editor.

I hope that the article is helpful!

Thank you. :)

Cordially,

David

[Davy]

very nice :)

but if you're still having a tough time, you might wanna give vlc a try. it's an awesome player. that side steps the whole dvd library/codec installations. the packman repository has it available at: http://packman.links2linux.org/?action=377

[Piko]

Install Smart, update.

Now, download libdvdcss from VLC, "./confiure", "make", and "make install" done!

The reason playback doesn't work 99% of the time on a SuSE system is the Xine it comes with has most of it's fetures disabled. Downloading xine, and buidling it your self fixes most of the problems you will have.

Though if you use smart it will automaticly get the xine package from Pacman, and SuSE Guru, and fix all your problems. Also you can install mozplugger, and mplayer to get all your internet video needs. Smart is a SuSE users best friend. I don't even have Xenworks installed anymore, smart updates for me, and does a much better job.

You can get smart packages in RPM form for SuSE from!
http://linux01.gwdg.de/~pbleser/

[DavidMD]

Hello, Davy and Piko!

Thank you for your detailed replies. :)

I posted the URL for PCTech101.com (http://www.pctech101.com/)'s article on enabling DVD and MPEG playback in SuSE Linux -- because I know that many people have problems with this aspect of GNU/Linux, regardless of their distribution (and I am sure that I will be one of those people). :p

Not too long ago, I read a article in the Linux Journal about video players and servers, which was my first exposure to VideoLAN (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) (VLC). I am amazed by the number of platforms that VLC supports. I will have to check to see in which issue of the Linux Journal that the article appeared; it reviewed several video players and servers for Linux, as well as providing a helpful chart comparing them (and distinguishing between a player and a server).

I have the retail version of SuSE Linux 10.1, which I have not yet installed, so I do not know which of the details of the PCTech101.com article apply to the open-source version of SuSE Linux, the retail version, or both.

(In addition, I have PCTech101's "special edition" DVD of SuSE Linux, which is supposed to include all of software needed for multimedia under SuSE 10.1, except for the Flash and RealPlayer software; this edition of SuSE 10.1, of course, like the standard open-source version, comes with no installation support by Novell.)

I will "remind myself" ;) to provide you with the issue of the Linux Journal that contains the article in question, as well as to list each of the players/servers reviewed in that article. (If the article offers a URL for on-line resources, naturally, I will share that information, as well.)

I welcome additional comments, recommendations, and suggestions.

Thank you both, again!

Cordially,

David

[cybertron]

This is becoming a pet peeve of mine. It's incredibly annoying to not be able to play DVDs in Linux without doing something illegal (in the U.S. anyway). Particularly since in some cases the lack of libdvdcss can result in strange error messages showing up in dmesg that take you an hour or more to resolve (speaking from experience:(). Can I just say that the DMCA is one of the worst thought out laws in recent history? :mad:

/rant

[DavidMD]

Hello, 'cybertron'.This is becoming a pet peeve of mine. It's incredibly annoying to not be able to play DVDs in Linux without doing something illegal (in the U.S. anyway). Particularly since in some cases the lack of libdvdcss can result in strange error messages showing up in dmesg that take you an hour or more to resolve (speaking from experience:(). Can I just say that the DMCA is one of the worst thought out laws in recent history? :mad:

/rantThank you for your message.

I am just now to the point with Linux at which I am interested in viewing DVDs.

Playing a DVD is trivial in Mac OS X or Windows. (I've never watched a DVD on my Windows computer, but I have the PowerDVD application. Mac OS X includes a DVD player as part of the operating system; although I rarely watch DVDs on my Mac, this program does everything I need.)

I am still doing my initial research on playing DVDs in Linux, but I am irritated by the complexity of the process -- not to mention the legal issues that you mention. I want to view DVDs ethically and legally in Linux. :rolleyes:

In my opinion, the DMCA is a "knee-jerk" and all-too-encompassing piece of legislation that seems based upon the premises that (1) users of digital content have no rights to decide how to use the content that they have licensed and that (2) most of us are potential pirates. :(

I suspect that most other Linux users share my desire to be able to view DVDs legally in Linux.

As you say, 'cybertron', why should Linux users (in the United States, at least) have to choose to do something illegal (i.e., violate the DMCA) to perform a simple function (watch DVDs), when this process is trivial in the two most popular commercial operating systems (Windows and Mac OS X)?

Thank you for your feedback, 'cybertron'. The more I think about this "mess," the more irritated I become!

(Then there is Sony's audio-CD copy-protection fiasco of this year that damaged Windows -- causing security problems -- and that led to users of Mac OS X to find that they could not even eject such copy-protected CDs from their computers.)

There should be a straightforward legal and ethical way for Linux users to view DVDs. :mad:

Cordially,

David