Copy Protected DVD playback in Vista

S

Solar

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 16, 2005
Messages
228
For some reason, I cannot play back copy protected DVD's in Windows Vista. When I try the same DVD in XP it works fine. I've installed a CyberLink mpeg2 decoder and using the XP DECHECK Utility I've selected it as my preferred decoder. Is this something else thats new under the hood preventing me from doing so?. Here are the error messages I'm getting:

WMP.jpg


MPC-1.jpg


MCE.jpg





UPDATE:
Solved my problem at the bottom of page 3. It was funky DVD firmware mixed with funky Vista DRM protection schemes of region 0 drives.
 
The Cyberlink decoder has to be Vista compliant. That is why you can't play the DVD in Vista.

If you want to use the Cyberlink decoder, you will need to wait for them to release a version that will work with Windows Vista.
 
I have seen that exact same problem in XP, it is a problem with the decoder and not with the OS.
 
so even though I can play unencrypted DVD's just fine, I'm looking at a decoder issue?
 
Please, please, don't bother, because it has nothing to do with the topic at hand. This is nothing new, and happened in XP as well.
 
Source? I have never heard of XP refusing to play a DVD because "there is a problem with digital copy protection between your DVD drive, decoder and video card."

Seems to me the DRMed guts of Vista is the EXACT problem here. This message wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them.

I look forward to your evidence of XP ever encouraging a user to lower the output resolution, or the content will not, for completely aritificial reasons, play.
 
If you want to use Vista, DRM is a fact of life.

I use MCE 2005 for my HTPC and I occasionally have to renew my DRM license so I can ensure that I can record shows properly. Its annoying to be sure, but since MCE 2005 is the best in its market (until Vista is released, that is) I have to put up with it.
 
Considering normal DVDs can be ripped and stripped of CSS by just about anyone, I'd consider using HDCP to cover them nothing less than insanity, but then, I'm not sure why I would expect different from MS and their media cohorts on this front.

Nonetheless, the linked report does explain why, on the fundamental level, the OP is having this problem. With that knowledge, an informed choice can be made.
 
I'm using Vista Ultimate RTM (64-bit) now. I have an 8800 GTX, and of course I'm using the 100.30 (leaked) drivers for it. I've been trying various apps out to see what works and what doesn't. So far most things work - after I read this thread, I decided to install PowereDVD 7 (which I own), and I was able to playback a copy-protected DVD. The Aero glass interface was disabled while playing the disc (and automatically re-enabled after exiting PowerDVD), but other than that, no problems.

I've also been playing a bunch of x264 and XviD stuff using MPC, and that's working brilliantly well. One thing that really surprised me - is that I can fire up a high-def movie (unencrypted mind you!), and if I open Flip3D (winkey + tab), then I can see the video playing in there... It's not the most useful thing I guess, like something that you would "need to have", but I was impressed anyway :)

-prof
 
eloj said:
Source? I have never heard of XP refusing to play a DVD because "there is a problem with digital copy protection between your DVD drive, decoder and video card."
Click to expand...
Ummm...the source is my eyes? Do a clean install of XP, try to play a DVD in Windows Media Player. XP doesn't come with a DVD decoder, so it will pop up with a message much like the one in that picture.
eloj said:
Seems to me the DRMed guts of Vista is the EXACT problem here. This message wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them.
Click to expand...
The same restrictions which existed on Vista dealing with DVDs exist on XP as well.
eloj said:
I look forward to your evidence of XP ever encouraging a user to lower the output resolution, or the content will not, for completely aritificial reasons, play.
Click to expand...
It's thinking he may have a problem with hardware, and it's probably suggesting he lower his resolution to free up resources.
eloj said:
Considering normal DVDs can be ripped and stripped of CSS by just about anyone, I'd consider using HDCP to cover them nothing less than insanity, but then, I'm not sure why I would expect different from MS and their media cohorts on this front.
Click to expand...
Since when does MS manufacture DVDs? How does HDCP have anything to do with this thread?
eloj said:
Nonetheless, the linked report does explain why, on the fundamental level, the OP is having this problem. With that knowledge, an informed choice can be made.
Click to expand...
Except the article you linked to deals with Vista's content protection on HD material, and a DVD is anything but. DVD uses CSS, which has been supported since Windows 98 with all its associated restrictions. The addition of HDCP to Vista has no effect on how it plays DVDs!

To the OP: I'm running Vista x64 here, and I just popped in a DVD. It played. Perhaps it's the Cyberlink decoder that's giving you trouble? I haven't installed any DVD software at all, and MCE had no trouble playing my DVD.
 
eloj said:
Source? I have never heard of XP refusing to play a DVD because "there is a problem with digital copy protection between your DVD drive, decoder and video card."
Click to expand...

I have also seen this exact error in XP. It was caused by some software our hockey departments uses that corrupts the DVD decoder. Reinstalling the DVD software on the computer repaires the problem.

I have also seen it on a a friends XP MCE PC. It would state that there was a problem with the copy protection and it couldn't play the DVD.

So this is nothing new to Vista.
 
i've seen this error before, on windows xp. it was right after my friend 'upgraded' to windows media player 11. it may not be vista's fault, but it is microsoft's fault
 
eloj said:
Seems to me the DRMed guts of Vista is the EXACT problem here. This message wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them.

I look forward to your evidence of XP ever encouraging a user to lower the output resolution, or the content will not, for completely aritificial reasons, play.
Click to expand...


Incorrect, if MS didn't include the DRM you would not be able to play the content at all because of the content creators employment of the DRM. So really the problem isn't with MS...they simply are following the rules neccesary to allow you...the user to play the video.
 
@eloj
I've read a good portion of that article and more than anything it filled me with the warm and fuzzy feeling of FUD as evidenced in my rant/evaluation (depending on how you look at it) at Chanel 9 of Vista's revamped audio stack
---on a side note windows audio is still an annoying beast (at best) that occasionally chooses to stop working with me. I can't decide if it's the beta creative drivers, the now CPU based audio rendering, or the fact that I have a Xi-Fi (a model notorious for audio stuttering) that is causing the stuttering audio from time to time. Or it could be a combo of all three.

@LstOfTheBrunnenG
On the subject of resources, I have an Opteron 170 and GeForce 7900GT with 2GB of ram. I don't think I'm under powered here. My windows experience is a 5.0 :D! I have a wide screen monitor with a native resolution of 1680x1050. TV and DivX movies play fine (with occasionally stuttering audio). But when I try Media Center in full screen and get the message above and my resolution will drop to something like 640x480, but closing media center will remedy the resolution drop.

--------

I also have an older version of nvidia's purevideo codec but the CSS DVDs still refuse to display. Using DECheck I see that MS has an MPEG-2 decoder installed, is that the one that expired around Jan. 5th?

Here's another thing I just remembered: a while back I flashed the firmware of my Memorex DVD drive, which was a Pioneer OEM to be a region free Pioneer DVD drive. Could Vista be mad that I have a region free DVD player? XP never complained.

Overall though, I'm thinking it's a codec problem with windows. I'll look into finding an MPEG-2 codec that will play right with Vista. From this thread I'm hearing WinDVD 8 and PowerDVD 7 are good options to look at.
 
For all purposes it's best to stay clear of Vista - that is unless you're a true masochist.
 
I would say it's best to stay away from posting unless you know what you're talking about.
 
Solar said:
For some reason, I cannot play back copy protected DVD's in Windows Vista.
Click to expand...



Same here; I can play DVDs with VLC, but I can't play any in WMP/WMC. Have you found a resolution to this yet Solar? I think I might go and trawl the Vista/WMP support newsgroups to see if anyone has any info on this issue.
 
Mr.Buttocks said:
Same here; I can play DVDs with VLC, but I can't play any in WMP/WMC. Have you found a resolution to this yet Solar?
Click to expand...
I am just curious: Why not use VLC if it works? What does WMP offer the VLC does not, aside from the lack of copy-protected DVD video playback?
 
I had a problem with playback using wmp or wmc .. I had installed PowerDVD 5 (been using it for years ..got it with a dvd drive or somethen awhile back) and it didnt play anything

so I uninstalled it and then windows media center was able to play movies , but no audio with the movie ..yet you could hear the dings and what not whilst navigating thru the menu options

I installed the latest K-Lite codec package and it informed me of a corrupt wma codec and fixed it and now all is righteous in Vista land again and I am happily watching my movies using wmc now ...yay?

 
drizzt81 said:
I am just curious: Why not use VLC if it works?
Click to expand...

I resorted to just using VLC ..but for some reason in Vista I found that the video playback quality was severely lacking , yet it was just fine in XP

I am using Vista 5744 at the moment tho

 
This problem (for me) was caused by 3rd-party DVD drive firmware. If you have unofficial firmware on your drive change back to the manufacturers firmware and see if the problem goes away.


(For future searchers with this problem, I'll stick the error code so they can find this post: C00D1163 )
 
It worked normally for me. Before I installed DVD playback software WMP11 gave an error that no DVD playback codec was installed. I installed the demo of WinDVD 8 and then it played the DVD in WMP11 and in WinDVD 8.
 
Ok. I'm getting the same message in the picture in the first post of this thread. I just installed Vista Ultimate x64 and assumed it came with a DVD decoder of its own so I didn't install any other DVD playing software / decoder.

I popped in a DVD and WMP gave me this message. How do I fix it? Do I really need to install something like WinDVD just to play these DVDs?
 
Ok, the problem was that my NEC ND7170A had RPC1 firmware. Updated it to non-RPC1 firmware and WMP plays DVDs, BUT there is no audio when viewing DVDs. WMP plays my mp3s just fine. Is this no audio thing also part of copy protection?
 
This thread is really weird to me, I was able to play any of my DVDs on Media Center/WMP with a clean Vista install.
 
I had the same problem using region free firmware on my NEC DVDRW (2510A, i think -- an old 8x model).. anyway, i put stock firmware on it and I am now able to play many DVDs, but not all DVDs. I think I'm just going to have to replace the drive with a newer one.
 
Ok, after reading stuff from other places, it looks like any drive with RPC1 firmware is going to cause Vista / WMP11 to throw that message at the user. You need to use a drive that has non-RPC1 firmware.

As for my other problem with audio from DVDs not playing, well I still haven't figured that out.
 
devman said:
This thread is really weird to me, I was able to play any of my DVDs on Media Center/WMP with a clean Vista install.
Click to expand...


Exactly. The topic poster is experiencing a genuine problem, and the repsonses received are largely a complete pile of shit! People who don't know what they're talking about shouldn't bloodywell post advice!


It is possible that the software programs mentioned by the topic poster have creatd the issue. It is possible that the drive in use would be better replaced. But either way, a default install of Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate should give out-of-the-box DVD playback capability, irrespective of whether or not the disk is copy-protected. You'll even get prompted or your choice of Media Center or Media Player to play the bloody things in!

Same deal with all the bullshit you see posted about people needing 'codecs'. To play back purchased DVD content you simply don't need anything other than the installed OS capabilities. If people tell you that you need "the correct codec" then they must be referring to a restriction of some shitty software program they are using, rather than a restriction of a Vista install!
 
Why are you so hard-on for Vista catweazle? Why do you feel the need to make excuses and defend it? I find it hard to see what your motivations are or where they come from.

The fact is Vista is loaded with DRM nobody wants in it and Vista _is_ being forcefed to the consumers against their will. People could continue to happily use XP for at least a decade unless it's forcefully terminated by M$ as it is. Old XP's will soon cease to function with hardware updates and activation problems.

I'm expecting to see a whole new subculture of either linux or illegal xp users.
 
I've never ran into the problem on Vista either. I can play copy protected DVD's all day long and it won't give me the DRM message.
 
IsLNdbOi said:
Ok, the problem was that my NEC ND7170A had RPC1 firmware. Updated it to non-RPC1 firmware and WMP plays DVDs, BUT there is no audio when viewing DVDs. WMP plays my mp3s just fine. Is this no audio thing also part of copy protection?
Click to expand...

While I note that you've solved your problem, when my boss ran into this kind of issue after also installing Vista Ultimate he found that reinstalling the OS resolved all of his media problems - the OEM discs that we got at work were shitty; normally had to reinstall at least twice before we got a 'good' working install.

(As a sidenote: I'm hating how UAC in Vista-business calls for me to input my admin domain password seemingly everywhere to do damn near anything...)
 
Finn said:
Why are you so hard-on for Vista catweazle? Why do you feel the need to make excuses and defend it? I find it hard to see what your motivations are or where they come from.

The fact is Vista is loaded with DRM nobody wants in it and Vista _is_ being forcefed to the consumers against their will. People could continue to happily use XP for at least a decade unless it's forcefully terminated by M$ as it is. Old XP's will soon cease to function with hardware updates and activation problems.

I'm expecting to see a whole new subculture of either linux or illegal xp users.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize CSS was Vista's thing, o wait. If you can't play dvds in Vista from a clean install something is wrong (bad install, faulty DVD drive), its not DRM being forced down your throat.
 
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