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View Full Version : Playing DVDs on PC = fail


dukey
16th October 2009, 21:05
So, like a fool i set my dvd drive to region 1 and back a few times to play ntsc discs I owned. Now my drive is locked to region 1. I could probably fix this by reflashing the firmware but thats hassle. Probably could find a region free hacks as well. But anyway.

So anyway I wanted to play a legal dvd ..

Media player classic gave me this
http://imgur.com/aoFTQ.jpg

turns out only MS renderers are allowed when connected to the MS DVD source filter. So I try the system default and VRM9 both of which don't give macrovision errors, but the player just hands.
http://imgur.com/wyTEx.jpg

So .. I tried VLC.
http://imgur.com/xqKJE.jpg

VLC at least authenticated with the drive so it could read the files. Just decryption clearly totally failed.

I figured, if ripping programs can so easily rip dvds ? Why is it so hard for players to play discs with the wrong region. So anyway I set about to make my own directshow source filter that plays DVDs for my own HTPC software.

My htpc software looks something like this
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9119/dvdsq0.png
I had a thread on it here for anyone that was intersted.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=143521

Anyway, to cut a short story shorter, it now works and I can play dvds :o of any region. I authenticate with the drive normally, then in short just brute force the key. Don't bother with any of the hand shaking stuff. Takes less than 1 second to do.

Heres a screeny
http://imgur.com/fDHU2.jpg

I would probably be interested in writing a proper open source replacement for
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd388609%28VS.85%29.aspx
One that doesn't have the same restrictions (macrovision.. region fail.. forcing you to watch the crappy stuff at the start). My dvd source filter is really basic, it just decrypts and streams, no menus or anything. A proper open source navigator could be used in media player classic and other directshow projects easily. But i lack the skills to do it all on my own, don't know how to parse mpeg streams really. Dunno if anyone would be interested in such a project.

Ghitulescu
16th October 2009, 21:17
Finally the most burning desire of the content providers became true: a PC cannot play a commercial medium. Yes yes hurra :p
Reflashing the firmware does not change the region code counter as this resides in a different flash zone. But you can flash it with a region free firmware that resets for you that counter ... :)

setarip_old
17th October 2009, 00:04
@Dukey

Hi!

Is there some reason you've started yet another thread about this same software?


http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=143521