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Are There Linux DVD Players on the Market? 82

Posted by Cliff from the is-this-real-or-vapour dept.
veldrane asks: "I saw this article on CNN.com about there being authorized DVD players on the market for Linux. Of course, the article is vague about Mark Litvak's claim so I'd like to know is this for real or is it just a statement to take credibility from the LUG protesters in DC?" After reading the article, I found it odd that Mr. Litvak didn't mention any company names that were working on DVD Players for Linux. If anyone knows anything more, I'd be interested in finding out if such a thing exists or is actually just more vapourware expressly for the purpose of discrediting the DeCSS supporters as veldrane suggests. Updated: 04/03 05:51 by C

Oops! I posted this story late on the 28th (with it scheduled to show up today) and had missed the LinDVD announcement. However, contrary to some of the comments that mention this point, this player is not yet on the market. It will be released "soon", but until it appears, it is still vapourware. It would be very cool if InterVideo would release a beta versions of their players so that we can see for ourselves how far along they are and how far they have to go. However this remains their decision. I wish them luck in their work, and am glad to see at least one company step up to the plate like this (even if it is only a binary player).

veldrane wanted to know if there was an actual player that he could go out and buy now, and according to Mark Litvak's comment in the original article, there should be one available.

I'm still wondering why he didn't mention any names if such an animal did exist.
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Are There Linux DVD Players on the Market? More

Are There Linux DVD Players on the Market?

Comments Filter:

  • Re:DVD Players for Linux Announced (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What did one Slashdot author say to the oth...
    Oh yeah, that's right. They don't communicate with each other. :)

  • DVD on Linux... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Haven't heard of any native... Suppose you could do it in WINE...??? Anyone tried?
  • there is an authorized, gpl'd player for creative dxr2 decoder board. check opensource.creative.com for the driver.
  • The point is, that the use of CSS in only "approved" players, effectively eliminates Fair Use. Which until the DMCA was passed was a healthy part of copyright law.

    Now, the DVD CCA can throw the law around to protect it's cartel...
  • Whether or not you can "use DVDs on Linux" may depend on whether you are talking about:
    • The generic notion of being able to read data off of a filesystem, or
    • The more specific notion of being able to read data encoded as video off the filesystem in a way that may be interpreted for viewing.

    The former may be a mite more supported than the latter...

  • That's entirely irrelevant.

    Unless there's some kind of monopoly (ie patents), or the developers of DeCSS et al signed contracts agreeing that they would not do anything (ie trade secrets), it's quite legal to RE.

    You're telling me that just 'cos Dell makes computers that I can't make my own? Stupid argument. Even the judges involved in this case aren't that dumb.
  • Can you give us any details, such as what company made this viewer? While certainly several companies have announced that they are planning such products, I haven't seen any actual products shipping by anyone.
  • Isn't that licensed application that Valenti referred to *Windows* ???
  • DST sucks! Do they think we are idiots? Setting the clocks back and forth to create some kind of illusion? What this really creates is fourth dimensional disorientation. It causes seasonal depression, car wrecks, suicides, etc.

    They say it is to help farmers, however, every farmer I've asked (I live in Nebraska, so there are a lot of them) says it's the dang-most infernal dumbness they ever heard of. We all know that farmers wake up when the rooster crows, and that rooster sure ain't dumb enough to believe in a stupid concept like "Daylight Savings Time".

    More power to the only two intelligent states in the union - Indiana and Arizona - neither of them force such a display of advanced moronics on their people!

    We geeks should be against DST as a rule - it is nonsensical and kludgy.

  • Obviously Linux does not need a DVD player, but drivers for them. Even if they are created by a commercial company, I'm sure the algorithms won't be open sourced. Given this, I'm sure x86 Linux will once again enjoy something that all the other flavors will miss out on.
  • Another option would be a free DVD player with a dummy DeCSS stub routine. Such a player would only decode CSS encoded material if the end user compiled in the much-maligned decss subroutine.
  • Hawaii doesn't participate in such foolishness.


  • go to ebay, people sell them all the time. but you must get a dxr2 OVERLAY card. There are plans to possibly support the inlay version of the dxr2, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
  • Maybe there needs to be a new category for insiteful humor?
    The reasoning is the same. Only the scale is different. (Of course, DOS has a copy command, so I suppose that DOS ...)
  • There was an article on Slashdot just a few days ago at this link [slashdot.org] that talked about Intervideo's release of the "LinDVD" player software. In all likelihood there WILL be a DVD player for Linux eventually, whether LinDVD turns out to be vaporware or not. The media companies are greedy-- not stupid, and are more than willing to allow "properly restricted" access to DVDs for Linux users with no other way to play them. After all-- it means they'll sell more crap!

    It is important to note that this in no way affects the credibility of DeCSS as a tool for the playback of DVDs on systems that do not yet have a software DVD player. Those systems may no longer include Linux, but they DO still include AmigaOS, BeOS, several commercial Unixes, OS/2, and BSD, among others. (Please correct me if I have overlooked a player available for one of these operating systems!) And since DeCSS is open source and available for porting to these OSes, users stuck without commercial DVD support will be able to view DVDs on their own.
  • It was early in the morning, and I completely neglected to follow through on that part of things. Obviously, a binary-only release is only useful for the hardware platform it is built on, and leaves Linux users on PPC, MIPS, Alpha, or whatever out in the cold.

    Which only makes the point further-- despite the availability of a DVD player for x86 Linux, DeCSS's credibility as a way to play DVDs on platforms (*including* Linux this time!) with no support is in no way harmed.
  • I reckon we should all be supporting the OpenDVD campaign at www.opendvd.org [opendvd.org]. Make sure that you get that logo on your websites!
  • > appointmenta

    See... being up an hour early even makes me spell worse than usual.

    --
  • "mpeg2dec MMX code was checked into CVS last night. Go to www.linuxvideo.org to try it out. SSE/3dnow version isn't checked in but is mostly done. If someone knows how to schedule or otherwise optimize MMX instructions please take a look at the code."

    I already did :-) It was in fact that code to which I was refering. As for the other guy above who was talking about how I could achieve the framerate I was refering to, he should have read what I said: I am using the GATOS r128 overlay stuff so my card is doing some of the work.

    Cheers,
    Jonathan.
  • Sigma Designs [www.sigmadesignes] has plans to release a dvd player for linux. you can find info on the product here [sigmadesigns.com]

    i found this after seeing a posting from Jack Valenti at TheStandard.com [thestandard.com] in which he said:

    Linux users are not being barred from playing DVD movies on their systems. The professor obviously is not aware that all Linux users have available to them a licensed application to do precisely that.

    hope this helps.
    ----------------
    "All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal, or fattening."
  • This is something of a metoo but I've been using this for all my dvd's and am very happy with it.

    I would recommend a dxr2 card to any linux weenie who wants a cheap but high quality DVD solution, the howto's are a cinch to follow and the player is very simple to use (there are also a few GUI interfaces for the play, but I didn't like them).

    BTW, one of the howto's descibes how to use an ATI card with video in in conjuction with the DXR2 to give VGA overlay.
  • Ruben, you are mistaken when you say the software is no longer avalible. Itis. I know it is, as I've already stated, I use it.

    I refer you to http://opensource.creativelabs.com/

    It is true the dxr2 has been replace by the dxr3, but I think that in time support for the dxr3 will be added. One of the pages linked to from creative labs web site suggests that users simply obtain a dxr2 card from ebay, which is not a bad idea. Many computing outlets still have dxr2 for sale.

    On a further note:
    "There is no currently available DVD for Linux...." This is also untrue. The software is readily avalible and not illegal to use, despite what the MPAA wan't you to think (although in the USA, distrobution of such code is currently prohibited I believe...)

  • Re:Yes (Score:1)

    by taaz ( 27571 )
    5). LiViD is getting there - THEY REALLY NEED MMX OPTIMISERS - if you are a super genius mmx coder I'm sure they'd really want your help.

    mpeg2dec MMX code was checked into CVS last night. Go to www.linuxvideo.org [linuxvideo.org] to try it out. SSE/3dnow version isn't checked in but is mostly done. If someone knows how to schedule or otherwise optimize MMX instructions please take a look at the code.
  • Here are pictures from Linux-Expo 2000 (playing "Le Diner de Cons", a french unencrypted movie):

    http://www.via.ecp.fr/assoce/linuxexpo-20000202/

    This is definitely not vaporware, I forgot to add there's a Linux framebuffer port and a BeOS port.

  • Well, there was a software-only MPEG2 decoder in this french computing school called ECP, it was playing MPEG-2 flow at Linux Expo 99 and playing unencrypted DVDs at Linux Expo 2000.

    It'll be available here soon:

    http://videolan.via.ecp.fr

    I remember it compiles on x86, PPC and was playing at 30 fps on a Celeron 400 from a DVD.

  • "The professor" Valenti spoke of was I. As I said in response, I was 'not aware' because there was no such application. There are hardware devices, but no code. Valenti was simply wrong about the facts, but no doubt angry because I called him the ken starr of cyberspace.

    see the Cyberspace Prosecutor [slashdot.org]

  • ... the man says that there are Linux DVD players "on the market".

    However you want to read that, to me that suggests that I can get one now. Not some time soon (And that's 'soon' in software release dates, which we all know never slip).

    In other words, I reckon he was talking flying monkeys.
    --

  • Periscope wrote:
    "Yes, in fact there are DVD players available for Linux. I contacted /. a couple of months ago regarding the upcoming LinDVD software DVD player from Intervideo and they finally ran the story the other day :-) Anyway, the LinDVD software player was demonstrated at CEBIT several months ago and people reprted that it was very good.So this is not "vaporware" but rather "betaware" in that it exists and has been demonstrated but will not be released for a couple of months."

    I wouldn't call it available if it won't be out for months. =) Promising, exciting, hope-inspiring, maybe -- but available is when someone can download (or walk into CompUSA or wherever), install, and play.

    timothy
  • It allows for more hours of daylight during the summer

    WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? How could it make more hours of daylight? All we did was change the cute lil' numbers on the clock! If the rooter isn't fooled, do you really think we'll slip one by THE SUN?!?

  • I have not seen any players around
    I thought that the DVD makers didnt want linuxusers to be able to watch dvd's

    but im uniformed..

    www.burgatronics.net [burgatronics.net]


    Burgatronics [burgatronics.net]

  • i did say i was uniformed....
    but thanks i will read it now
    see what happens when you go offline and miss a few days reading of /.
    your whole online knowledge is really behind

    Burgatronics [burgatronics.net]

  • That would be something to try. But i have a dvd decoder pci card, so i dunno if wine could handle that. Software DVD playback sucks everwhere i've seen it...its just not quite as smooth has a hardware decoder...i think i'll email them about linux drivers...that would be cool.
  • Sweet, thats who makes my decoder card(HW+). I was just about to head on over there to ask them about linux :) But yes, a previous poster does have a point. Standards should be open; anything else stifles competition. If someone could redo deCSS without reverse enginiering, we'd be ok. Thats why that injuction went thru...if you stumple upon cokes secret reciept, its ok...having a coke employee tell you it is not.
  • Whoa there! You may want to hold back a little, if you want Slashdot to retain a reputation of professionalism. The sexism/homophobia has got to go. Please keep your bigoted opinions to yourself, thank you. Can someone put a leash on this guy?

  • So far as I am concerned, binary-only doesn't count. However, this is bad news, since the courts cannot be counted on to understand that.

  • Perhaps the question should be:
    How many slashdot readers does it take to screw "First Lightbulb"?
    ;-) /Guran
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Windows DVD players usually talk directly to the hardware and directly to the video card (ie, not making standardized syscalls like a well-behaved program), so it's unlikely that they'd work in a library emulator like WINE.
  • In reaction to the arrest of Linus Torvalds, the internet community organized a protest. This protest explains the lack of many internet services, as the protestors took off of work and were unable to maintain the network. Sites such as yahoo.com, cnn.com and even hotmail.com were unreachable for the good of the week. When Torvalds was released on bail, the sites were again reachable.

    Right now the whereabouts of Mr. Torvalds is unknown. Internet rumours state that he was taken to a hidden "hacker compound" somewhere in california, but there is no evidence to back this up.

    Rob Malda, and Jeff Bates have been in police custody for the good of a week. These two, also known by the hacker psudonyms "cmdrtaco" and "hemos" run an underground linux hacker webpage known as slashdot. On this site, illegal activities are openly discussed and a large amount of anti-government propaganda is spewed from the hacker community.

  • I seem to recall a couple of months ago seeing a link off www.kde.org [kde.org] for an open source DVD player. Looked like a major hack to get it to work, and since I don't own a DVD player........
  • Creative has had this going since before December on their DXR2 cards, take a look at opensource.creative.com [creative.com] I also think ATI announced that they were releasing the specs for their DVD stuff or something for developers. Don't hold me to this.
  • Didn't ATI recently supply an API to their rage128 cards that included DVD decoding functions? Has anyone written any code to utilize it?

    It wasn't clear (to me) from their announcement if their API would be all that's needed to do the decoding or if you would still need to posess a key at the software level. It'd be interesting to hear from anyone that actually tinkered with it.

  • i did say i was uniformed....
    So you're uninformed and you can't spell? Are you sure you're not the person who posted this article to begin with?
  • Don't you read Slashdot? A few days ago, Slashdot ran an article (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/03/30/23024 3&mode=nested) [slashdot.org] on an MPAA authorized, Linux DVD player. The company releasing the software is called InterVideo and the player will be names LinDVD.

    kwsNI
  • Yeah, score -1 Redundant for Cliff.
  • By that logic, there's no reason why a GPL'ed Windows player shouldn't exist.

    And this is a good point. Why shouldn't there be one? And why can't there be one?

    ISTR that the main complaint from the MPAA was that a movie could be copied directly from one machine to another. So surely all we need to do is create a version that doesn't copy to disk.
  • sorry guys, wrong place, wrong time

  • It doesn't exist yet. Vaporware doesn't count.

  • Can some one come up with a non-reverse engineering way to create DeCSS (even if it requires tons of computing power)?

    I'm not a crypto expert but as I understand it the css key is only 40bit. Then there should be only 2^40 or about 1.1 trillion keys. There are 500 difrent keys on each disk. Any one will decrypt the disk. (a difrent one is given to each player vendor) Thus there is a 1:2.2 billion chance that a given key will be valid. With moderen computers one could have a good chance of being able to guess a key within a few months. Once a key is known to the community there would be nothing anyone could do to prevent currently existing players and dvd's from using that key.
  • "Oh yeah, that's right. They don't communicate with each other."

    Their not communicating with each other would not be so bad if they actually read /. themselves.

  • I is nice to be recognized by one's peers.

    As a "grits poster" I have impressive footsteps to follow and pledge to keep the faith.


  • I read about this DVD issue in a tech rag called "Video Information Technology". It is on page 72, written by Dr. Douglas Hapheur.

    A good read, this guy is definetely an insider. I appears that his finger is right on the pulse of the engineering/software comunity in the Linux/DVD area.

    Here is a quote:

    "The tray that holds the shiny DVD moves in and out of the unit. It makes a quiet wirring sound that is quite pleasing. I also observed that the tray is solid, without a pass-through, which enables the user to load it full of grits."

  • Isn't this what the DeCSS is all about? I am not sure that there are DVD players for linux, but you can try http://www.linuxapps.com or http://www.freshmeat.net. they may not have one, but they do have announcements for commercial products. PS. THIS IS NOT A TROLL!!!!!!

  • Re:Creative Labs do linux (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Yes, the dxr2 drivers are nice. However, due to the propietary nature of the navigation files, many of the advanced features that make DVD so attractive are unavailable.

    But perhaps more importantly, the Dxr2 has been out of production for over a year, making getting one very difficult
    And note that the Dxr3 (and Sigma Hollywood+) are *not* supported as the chipset they use does CSS in software

  • A friend of mine just opened a comptuer store. A month ago he could buy dvd drives to sell for $70 (I think his retail would ahve been 70, but I'm not sure). Now he has trouble even getting them, and has to pay $150. (I think that is wholesale prices, even if his retail you get the idea)

    In other words, you can't buy them anymore so it doesn't matter.

  • There was a DVD player in January. I watched Contact on it, but in the Linux world simply getting a solution out the door doesn't count. Only a clean, academic implementation of an MPEG2 decoder, built on dynamically linked plugins in ANSI C will suffice. It's merely a question of when the Linux DVD players will reach the standards of computer science in the Linux world.
  • I'll field that flamebait: whoever said I was a Linux advocate, dumb or otherwise?

    I'm wearing my "free software advocate" hat, or maybe even my "open file formats" hat.

    If the MPAA convince courts that distributing software to decode CSS is illegal, that means that Free software to view DVDs can never be distributed. I believe that everyone should have the right to write and distribute whatever software they like, under whatever terms they like.
    --
  • i did say i was uniformed...

    I love a man in uniform. Come over and sit by me sailor boy.
  • Creative Labs Linux compatible DVD player and software is NO LONGER on the market. The Linux stuff from Creative was a joint effort with interested developers. Creative Labs told me point blank at the Linux Expo in NYC that they are holding up release of NEW DVD Software for their current offering BECAUSE of the Lawsuits brought by the Motion Picture industry.

    THUS, not only is the DMCA preventing the distribution of DeCss, but they also KILLED Creatives plans for bringing out DVD for Linux.

    There is no currently available DVD for Linux....if that was the only point.

    They also killed off much of Broadcast2000, a great video editing package for Linux. So the issue is not just to have Software of a DVD player, but that it be open sourced

    Ruben I Safir
  • I spoke with him over the phone last week on this topic and he told me that Sigma Designs was the company he was talking about. I therefore emailed Sigma Designs, asking when their drivers will be out, yadda yadda.

    Oh well. At least he was willing to tell me where to look.

  • DIY (Score:2)

    by GeorgeH ( 5469 )
    If you want to do it yourself, check out http://www.directron.com/bookpc.html [directron.com].

    Tasty little boxes, with S-Video, AV and VGA out, plus 4 channel stereo. I'm definatly considering one of these.
    --
  • Actually, nearly every surplus & closeout dealer on the net is selling DXR2 cards for $30.

  • You can also check out the Linux group on their NNTP news server, REALmagic.linux [sigmadesigns.com].

    Not only is it not completely open source (just the "unclassified" parts, which they expect the Linux community in general to write for them), you'll have to buy a whole new card (which, due to being aimed primarily at the server/kiosk market rather than the home video market, is currently MSRP at $200 ) to use it! They're not going to release Linux drivers for their Hollywood Plus, for no really good reason that they'll explain (something about being afraid it could be cracked and/or would violate their DVDCCA agreement or something).

    Not only that, but they estimate it to be several months until it's ready.

    The fact that it's not 100% open source I can deal with...but wanting me to buy a whole new $200 card just goes right out the window. (Or should that be the (MS) Windows? :) That it's being used in the fight against DeCSS is just the icing on an already bad-tasting cake.

    Someone has announced they'll be trying to reverse-engineer the H+ drivers...I wish them all the best of luck and hope, if they're successful, that people mirror what they come out with before the company gets it shut down.

  • > DST sucks! Do they think we are idiots?

    Of course they think we're idiots. We wouldn't have voted them into office otherwise, would we?

    Re DST - join the movement. Don't set your clocks back. Get up an hour early and make your appointmenta, but when people notice that your clock is on normal time, take the opportunity to explain that
    DST sucks!


    --
  • Well.. we forgot the obligatory First Post, Hot Grits and Petrified Portman posts.. though they are just replies..

    ---
  • HNN [hackernews.com] is reporting today
    "contributed by Brad
    It was only a matter of time. After all the bruhaha over DeCSS someone has finally created a legal DVD player for the Linux platform. LinDVD has been created and will be marketed by Intervideo for $29.95 and will be available this spring."    Related links: Wired [wired.com] and Intervideo [intervideo.com]

  • ...but not posting it in a timely manner *cough* last week *cough* tends to be pretty embarrassing.

    And not just for me.

    I had this submitted last Wednesday or Thursday. The aforementioned article pretty much answered my question.

    Idea for the next version of /. source: a method of retracting submissions once they become too old. Believe me, I would have taken advantage of that feature last Friday.

    -Vel
  • I ask this as an honest question. Here's why:

    CNN is owned by Time Warner, which is a member of the MPAA. Is it possible, then, that CNN is deliberately biased in order to promote Time Warner's interests? or is this too far-fetched?

    At the very least, when CNN reports on matters involving Time Warner, the RIAA or the MPAA, they should post a disclaimer stating that there is a conflict of interest involved.

    I know it sounds dumb, but these huge conglomerates kind of scare me.

    Take care,

    Steve




    ========
    Stephen C. VanDahm
  • This was not the point of our protest in DC. The point was to talk about the DMCA as a whole, and use DVDs as an example. The fact that the article which appeared on CNN (but came from IDG?) completely missed the point is, well... besides the point. Even if such a DVD player product exist, it is not Free and even if such a product was released under the Free Software Guidelines, it still wouldn't change the law, which was what the protest was about. I realize this post itself may be off topic, but I thought it important that this clarification be made. - Serge Wroclawski
  • I've been watching dvds in linux with my dxr2 decoder card for a long time now.

    This isn't a linux-dvd player. It's a hardware player that works with linux. A true linux dvd player would be a solution that works no matter what model dvd player you use. Also, the new models in this line do CSS in software- which means to get the dx2, you have to find one... And they probably won't be around for too much longer...

    Josh Sisk

  • Biased (Score:3)

    by volkris ( 694 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:42AM (#1155242)
    I found this article to be pretty biased in it's language. For instance where they were quoting the pro-DeCSS side they said the arguement is that DMCA "gives copyright holders 'sweeping legal protection' to restrict access to their property" where the arguement really is over weather it is still their property. By saying it this way, it seems to say that the commie Linux users don't want any more private ownership.


    Also, check out the links. Link to MPAA website, but no link to an pro-DeCSS website, only a link to tux.org that was thrown in there halfheartedly.


    I have to say, though, that the part where they say there are no authorized Linux players was only citing what their interviewee said, so I wouldn't call that a scandal like the Slashdot headline said... it was just unbalanced reporting.


    ~Chris

  • Well, there's _allegedly_ one... (Score:3)

    by jht ( 5006 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:28AM (#1155243) Homepage Journal
    In fact, just a couple of days ago, this /. article [slashdot.org] discusses how Intervideo expects to release a binary-only DVD player, but it's been vaporware so far. I'll believe it when I see it. The hardware-based standalone players are generally based on a handful of chipsets and custom non-any kind of Unix RTOS.

    - -Josh Turiel

  • Yes (Score:3)

    by periscope ( 20296 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @05:45AM (#1155244) Homepage
    Hi,
    Yes, in fact there are DVD players available for Linux. I contacted /. a couple of months ago regarding the upcoming LinDVD software DVD player from Intervideo and they finally ran the story the other day :-)

    Anyway, the LinDVD software player was demonstrated at CEBIT several months ago and people reprted that it was very good. So this is not "vaporware" but rather "betaware" in that it exists and has been demonstrated but will not be released for a couple of months. I first spoke to Intervideo about LinDVD over a month ago and they said that they would announce LinDVD soon - they did. I have no reason to assume that there won't be a release by the summer.

    There are also other players being developed that I have heard of, but I am not prepared to discuss the details of these just yet - suffice it to say that there are others.

    On the non-commercial front, I can get about 15-20fps using the LiViD software and have just finished using the new rage 128 stuff to watch the Matrix fullscreen on my PII. I think anyone with around a PIII-500+ should be able to watch DVDs reasonably. I have also tried the Heroine XMovie stuff, which was very very nice but not that optimised (yet) although I think it's only time before that is very good also. Futhermore, Creative labs have done a reasonalbe job with their Linux DVD stuff also.

    Those of you wishing to use WINE - you're out of luck since WINE presently doesn't handle the IO calls needed to handle DVD drives, although the Xing player will load, as will the version 1.0 beta of PowerDVD. I think it's only time before you'll be able to watch DVDs using PowerDVD 1.0 under WINE (later versions do not work properly and require M$ DirectCrap anyway).

    So we have:

    1). LinDVD is coming out in the next couple of months - I have no pricing details yet although I am being kept informed of the details as they emerge and will tell /. - that is IF they actually bother to post what I tell them :-)

    2). DeCSS is still very much relevent as we want an open source player - LinDVD is based on WinDVD, which has it's faults.

    3). Other players are being released later in the year - I will not provide details.

    4). WINE won't help you yet, but will very soon I think.

    5). LiViD is getting there - THEY REALLY NEED MMX OPTIMISERS - if you are a super genius mmx coder I'm sure they'd really want your help.

    6). See below for some mails which are relevent.

    Cheers,
    Jonathan.
    --
    slashdot-comment-contact@easypenguin.co.uk

    === FROM Intervideo ===

    Subject:
    RE: LinDVD
    Date:
    Mon, 28 Feb 2000 15:56:23 -0800
    From:
    "Scott Marvin"
    To:
    "'Jon Masters'"

    Hello Jon,

    We are still approximately 3-4 weeks from releasing any information
    regarding LinDVD.

    Regards,
    Scott

    Scott Marvin
    Sales Manager
    InterVideo Inc.
    mailto:scottm@intervideo.com
    Office (510) 651-0888x305
    Fax (510) 651-8808
    Mobile (408) 781-2943

    === END ===

    === FROM Intervideo ===

    Subject:
    RE: Hi
    Date:
    Fri, 24 Mar 2000 19:51:01 -0800
    From:
    "kelly"
    To:
    "'Jon Masters'"

    Dear Jonathan

    Thank you for your e-mail. LinDVD is under consideration here, but at
    present time, we offer no further information, other than the fact its going
    to be released sometime later this year.

    Regards,

    Kelly Hsiao
    Technical Support
    InterVideo Inc.

    === END ===

    === FROM Slashdot ===

    Subject:
    Re: Linux DVD
    Date:
    Fri, 3 Mar 2000 03:16:31 -0500 (EST)
    From:
    hemos
    To:
    Jon Masters

    We've been waiting on the official release - we don't have enough to link
    to right now.

    === END ===

    === FROM Me To Slashdot ===

    Subject:
    Linux DVD
    Date:
    Thu, 02 Mar 2000 15:07:10 +0000
    From:
    Jon Masters
    To:
    hemos

    Hi,
    I'm not being a whinner and I wouldn't normally complain that my story
    submission didn't get in, but this story should get on slashdot:

    Intervideo, the guys who brought WinDVD are about to release a software
    only DVD player for Linux called LinDVD. They'll be officially making an
    announcement in 3-4 weeks time and the player will have similar system
    requirements as the windows counterpart. Now if this story isn't
    directly relevent to the current DVD Linux situation, I don't know what
    is - please tell me why it's been rejected twice? Is it becasue the DVD
    CCA and Forum have got to you guys and silenced you from publishing
    anything relating to Linux and DVD? I've run a /. search and LinDVD
    isn't mentioned anywhere on the site so unless I'm missing something
    this story is new.

    Jonathan.

    === END ===

    === FROM Me To Slashdot ===

    Subject:
    LinDVD
    Date:
    Sat, 25 Mar 2000 22:02:31 +0000
    From:
    Jon Masters
    To:
    malda
    CC:
    hemos

    Hi,
    I notice there's still no word about LinDVD on /. even though we know
    that it exists and that it is definatey being released later this year.
    Can you tell me what further information you want before you can
    announce this to the world? I think it's good not to announce this until
    the right moment, after all, we don't want the DVD Forum and co. to use
    this against the community however, I believe /. is the lesser of many
    evils in that you'll proably phase the announcemnt tactfully so that
    this doesn't become negative.

    If you want further info, I can try digging for you.

    Cheers,
    Jonathan.

    === END ===

    === FROM Me to Slashdot ===

    Subject:
    Re: LinDVD
    Date:
    Sat, 01 Apr 2000 00:00:20 +0100
    From:
    Jon Masters
    To:
    hemos

    Hi,
    Thanks for finally mentioning LinDVD.

    Jonathan.

    === END ===

    Hope this helps to clarify everything and I'd love to know why /. held out so long on that story in the first place.

    Jonathan

  • Sigma Designs is doing something... (Score:3)

    by pxpt ( 40550 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:26AM (#1155245) Journal
    Well I know that Sigma Designs have announced their intentions regarding Linux...

    http://www.sigmadesigns.com/press/000201.htm

    Have a looksee

  • LiViD - The Open Source DVD Player (Score:3)

    by ebola-zaire ( 122422 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @04:38AM (#1155246) Homepage
    The guys at the Linux Video Project [linuxvideo.org] have been working on an Open Source DVD Player [linuxvideo.org] (among other things). Their DVD player looks like it will be great, but still needs some work in the performance area. I also suggest you check out their DVD Playing HOWTO [linuxvideo.org].

  • DVD Players for Linux Announced (Score:4)

    by bflame ( 21224 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:19AM (#1155247)
    On Friday March 31, /. ran this article [slashdot.org] about a Linux DVD player.

  • Creative Labs do linux (Score:4)

    by oolon ( 43347 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:27AM (#1155248)
    I have been playing my DVDs using my DXR2 card from Creative Labs, for months now. Though the software (The version I have is very basic, no forward and back, there may be a better version now) it works like a dream. No problems with CSS as the card handles that....

    I play directly via the AC3 output to my widescreen TV. Not sure if graphics overlay works yet, though I don't like that mode. The software as is suits my needs perfectly. (Though I have been good and not bought any new DVDs).

    Though the linux cache is quite amusing at times, with up to 15 minutes of my DVD in the cache...!

  • Re:Player Availability / DeCSS issue (Score:4)

    by tjwhaynes ( 114792 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @04:13AM (#1155249)

    It is important to note that this in no way affects the credibility of DeCSS as a tool for the playback of DVDs on systems that do not yet have a software DVD player. Those systems may no longer include Linux, but they DO still include AmigaOS, BeOS, several commercial Unixes, OS/2, and BSD, among others.

    Linux is far more than just x86 platforms. When I see source code (preferably clearly legally available) for a Linux DVD player, then we can say that there truely is a Linux DVD player. Until that time we can all suffer with kernel incompatabilities (especially once 2.4 comes out) caused by a binary-only release, along with a complete absence of support for platforms like Alpha, StrongARM, PPC, etc.

    Cheers,

    Toby Haynes

  • Linux is not the point (Score:5)

    by slim ( 1652 ) <john.hartnup@net> on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:25AM (#1155250) Homepage
    Linux is just an example of a "non standard" platform upon which DVDs should be viewable. If DVD wants to be the standard format for selling video, then the right to develop a player should be free.


    Bringing out a closed-source, X86 binary only player for Linux does *not* get the MPAA off the hook as far as CSS is concerned. Simply substitute NetBSD, LinuxPPC, QNX, whatever, for "Linux", and make the same argument all over again.
    --

  • Commercial DVD? I hope not (Score:5)

    by theonetruekeebler ( 60888 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @04:22AM (#1155251) Homepage Journal
    If some company starts rushing an "authorized" Linux DVD driver/player out the door, it will be a tactic in the pending DeCSS lawsuit, not a goodwill gesture to the Linux community. They will release it unsupported, due to the "unstable and unpredictable" Linux environment. But they will mention that there are authorized DVD players for Linux, thus proving once and for all that a tool like DeCSS are for stealing, just like kitchen knives are for stabbing battered spouses. Why own a kitchen knife when you can buy wholesome products already sliced for you?

    They can't Open Source it. That would be violating their own collusion--err--consortium's charter. When such a player does show up, it will be closed source, so as to protect the already widely known trade secrets the lawsuits are trying to make us unknow. It won't be an effort to embrace another user community; it will be an effort to control yet another market segment.

    --

  • Q: How many Slashdot authors... (Score:5)

    by guran ( 98325 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:56AM (#1155252)
    ...does it take to post a story about the screwing of a lightbulb?

    A: Only one... per section
    A2: Six
    One to report the news "Lightbulb broken", One to post "Ask Slashdot: best way to screw a lightbulb", One to discuss patents about lightbulbs, One to report about the "Open Source Lightbulb Exchange Project" and finally JonKatz to write a meg about how the lightbulb soon will be obsolete in the digital age.
    Six? yeah they count like they spell...

  • Linux made illegal under the DeCSS (Score:5)

    by luckykaa ( 134517 ) on Monday April 03, 2000 @03:54AM (#1155253)
    Here's some important news I just made up.

    In court today, Microsoft succesfully managed to gain an injunction against the Linux Operating system on the basis that it is a tool for piracy.

    This was demonstrated by the Microsoft representatives using cat </dev/hda1 >/nfs/dev/hda1 to copy Windows98(tm) from one computer to another. They also claimed that Linux reverse engineered some of Microsoft's intellectual property including SMB.

    Linux users claimed that Linux is useful as an OS for the PPC and Alpha platforms that MS wasn't supporting. MS pointed out that there were legal operating systems for these platforms and said words to the effect of "What are they cmplaining about.

    In related news, programmer Linus Torvalds was arrested for his role in writing Linux, as well as a number of other international programmers.

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