Playing DVDs over a Network

[Torghn]

Is there a way to play a DVD over a network without ripping it to the harddrive. I'm on a 100Mb full duplex network so there should be enough bandwith, but when I tried it with WinDVD it just wouldn't play. It would start (show the warning screen) then quit. Any one have any Ideas?

[ritmo2k]

the latency, and other aspects play a factor. I wouldnt believe anyone even if they say they made it work...

HTH,

[Zhnujm]

that does only work for not css encrypted dvds. maybe because the player doesnt see the network drive as real dvd drive, but i dont know.
maybe another player work.

and so you will never know the truth, ritmo2k. ;)

[cofferscuffs]

http://www.linux.org/apps/AppId_4886.html - VideoLAN (linux only)

VideoLAN is a portable set of MPEG2 network-based tools for Unix and BeOS. The server broadcasts MPEG2 streams, and the client can play them from the network, from a file (typically a DVD), or from a pipe. Available interfaces are X11, GGI, GNOME, the Linux framebuffer, and even BeOS or Hurd.

[ritmo2k]

Yea, but I would like to see you stream upto 10 meg over the wire!
It would be choppy, and unreliable!

jlc

[Zhnujm]

where in the world would you get an 10 meg (you mean megabyte?) mpeg2-stream ??
max bitrate for a dvd should be around 10-12MBit=1.5Mbytes, so no problem for a 100MBit network.

[ritmo2k]

You misunderstood, I meant 10 meg bitrate, as in the max a dvd allows, or more precisely 0.5 to 9.8 Mbps over the wire. That is alot of data to stream in realtime. Try it, and you will see, It will sux!

Patientce my friend...

[Zhnujm]

i have done this many times from a hd over network (stupid small harddisk in my playback pc) and i never see a problem. i can even watch my tv captures (around 2-3MB per second).
are you sure you havent a problem with your network ? maybe its more a problem in a big network (i have 2 pcs with direct connection).

[ritmo2k]

Your not reading the posts. To stream a "DVD" over the wire is not acceptable. I make a living working on large networks.

Although you have a valid point, the more machines on a network the more the traffic, thats not the deciding factor. That becomes proportional to the OS, equipment, and how the lans are seggregated. Anyway, irelevant.

At the end of the day, even on 100base, your not gonna stream a "DVD" over the wire effectively. The bitrates you speak of are small! But still not acceptable (in my point of view). Remember, and I dont care what anyone says, you dont, cant, and never will utilize the entire "theoretical" bandwidth on any pipe! To many other factors...

If your so dead set on it, there is ways to make dvd players play of hard drives, map it and try it. Rip a dvd, let me know what you think!

All I am saying is that I am not satisfied with anything but perfect.
For example, I have never dl-ed a rip of the net yet I liked. Sometimes, i make 3-4 attempts before i get it right. If I see one pop, artifact, stutter, chop, skip or just about anything, it bugs me! But then again, thats me.

Oh well....

[Zhnujm]

as i said above i use this many times. and it works as good as playing from my dvd drive.
sorry if it dont work for you but i see its hopeless... :rolleyes:

[ritmo2k]

So you are able to rip a dvd to your drive on one puter, and watch it it on another, over the network?

[Zhnujm]

? i thought thats what we are talking about.

- rip the full dvd with smartripper backup mode
- move the video_ts folder to any directory
- mount the directory as drive on the other pc
- select the new drive in windvd 3.0 as dvd drive
- exit windvd (dont know the reason for that, but it doesnt start the movie without)
- start windvd again and watch the dvd

same for playing from dvd-rom over network, but only for non-css encrypted discs

[yiannis]

@ritmo2k
I don't quite understand your logic; nobody is assuming that
a 100BT connection will get you 100 Megabits/sec, but the
bandwidth required for a DVD is no more than 10Megabits/sec, which is
10% of theoritical bandwidth and well within the "practical"
bandwidth of a 100BT line. In
a small network (like most people have at home by using a small
hub or switch) you would have no latency problems either; At
work we routinely run real-time applications over ethernet; on
a single hub/switch, you get less than one millisecond latency
provided that the traffic is minimal.

In any case, and just to be 110% sure, I just watched 20
minutes of the Phantom Meanace on my portable; the files
(VIDEO_TS/AUDIO_TS) were stored at a different PC running Win2k;
connection is a 100BT switch, with another PC on the network;
Can't tell the difference between running on the local disk
or across the network; so the answer to the original query is YES
you can do it, on a 'clean' network.