Ubuntu 9.10 Enabling DVD Playback Support…   November 8th, 2009

Ubuntu is a great OS.  Almost anything you could possibly need in terms of software is available ‘out of the box’, there are of course a few noteworthy exceptions; one of which is DVD playback support.  However, unlike Microsoft Windows it isn’t a huge problem to fix and there is no need to part with any money to purchase codecs.

To play DVDs on Ubuntu you need to install libdvdcss2.  In Ubuntu 9.10 just like in previous versions, there is no need to manually configure the the Medibuntu repository.  All you need to do is the following:

  • Open a Terminal window (Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and type the following:
    sudo apt-get install libdvdread4
  • Next type the following:
    sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

Thats it, it’s really that easy!

Next time you mount a DVD, it’ll play back in the native Movie Player.

Enjoy.

twilight

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 19:15 and is filed under Blah, Linux, Technology Related, Ubuntu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

14 Responses

November 12th, 2009 at 00:56
Prashanth Says:

Hi Mike,

That’s a pretty helpful one……, Thanks…
I will try it when i get a chance….

November 13th, 2009 at 14:57
Jocke Says:

Bingo!
Thanks a lot.

November 16th, 2009 at 02:59
Mitch Says:

Thanks! Why isn’t this standard?
Works perfect and easy!

November 16th, 2009 at 12:08
Mike Says:

Thanks all for your comments.

Mitch, I suspect the only reason that DVD playback is not supported ‘out of the box’ is because of licensing restrictions. Whilst getting the codecs is a simple and free process, the licence is different to the license for Ubuntu and the rest of the bundled apps so has to be handled differently, I guess for ease they simply leave it out and you need to install independantly.

…or maybe they forgot ;- )

November 21st, 2009 at 15:48
mrkim Says:

Argh … no joy:>(
Fresh 9.10 32 bit version install, added Gstreamer(s), successfully entered/completed command line instructions above and neither Movie Player nor VLC will play my DVDs. Any suggestions?

December 7th, 2009 at 07:55
John Says:

Yeah, mrkim, I realized I had to eject my disc and then reinsert it before it would play. Hopefully this is your problem.

December 14th, 2009 at 19:27
John Says:

Thanks for the information. It is hard to find good blogs nowadays, I am glad I came across yours. I look forward to read your next blog. Best Regards!

January 17th, 2010 at 03:50
Bradley Says:

Thank man, Helped a ton! Very simple to do.

January 17th, 2010 at 10:43
Mike Says:

No worries Bradley, glad that you found the info useful! Goes for you all, apologies for not responding individually, have been a busy of late…

January 20th, 2010 at 19:32
Jonathan Lumb Says:

Nice guide… to the point and easy for beginners to follow.

I hope that the Ubuntu team can add a more “visual” method of enabling DVD and improve documentation on this topic so that new Ubuntu users are able to enable DVD support without opening up a terminal – DVD playback should be something that, if not standard, should be easy for users to enable.

January 30th, 2010 at 15:55
TrueGod Says:

It’s not a licence issue, it’s a legal issue… decss is forbidden by the DMCA, so in the USA (or countries with similar laws) you couldn’t distribute ubuntu if you ship it with libdvdcss2 included…

February 6th, 2010 at 20:30
Saiyaman77 Says:

I did both and it doesn’t work. I have 9.10 i386 on Dell Latitude d600. Help!

February 10th, 2010 at 13:43
Mike Says:

I guess technically you are right about it being a legal issue as opposed to a licensing issue but of course both (as a rule) go hand in hand, the *reason* they haven’t got licensing rights to distribute the codecs is the legalities behind the licensing no?

March 1st, 2010 at 15:13
Jon Says:

Nice one

Cheers

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