Media Players for Windows Without DRM? 85
jasonmicron asks: "I am curious as to what you Linux/UNIX people use for a media player that supports both license lookup on the internet and DVD Playback support. I am quite sick of Microsoft's media player telling me that my 'license is invalid', even on DVDs that I own. I find that VERY lame. I ask because not only does Microsoft tell me that my license is invalid but Real Network's Real Player tells me the same thing (even though I place my totally VALID and self-owned DVD in my DVD-ROM player in my DVD-ROM, which runs on Windows). What media players does Slashdot recommend to bypass the total ignorance of Microsoft and Real Networks? I am looking for a Windows solution, though any Linux / UNIX solution is completely welcome."
Mplayer32 (Score:5, Insightful)
Mplayer is available for a multitude of platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X, and *nix. In fact my girlfriend uses mplayer and mplayer only on her Mac OS X due to Quicktime being unable to play a large amount of movies.
Of course if you want dvd playback you will need libdvdcss, libdvdread, etc.
Get mplayer here [mplayerhq.hu].
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:2)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:1)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:2)
Grab.
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:2)
Now stfu
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:1)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:2)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:1)
I, for one, welcome our new redundantly-welcomed "I, for one"-typing redundant overlords.
Is SlashDot set to half-duplex? (Score:2)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:2, Informative)
Both Xine [xinehq.de] and VLC [videolan.org] are based on the mplayer code. In Linux GUIs, Xine is the clear choice (mplayer beating it out for consoles). Many of my Windows friends extol the virtues of VLC, but it leaves much to be desired in its Linux implementation.
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:1)
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:1)
Powerdvd is not free but keys can be found.
bsplayer is free and seems pretty fast but is suceptible(sp?) to codec havoc
mplayer comes with its own codec lib
vlc also comes with its own codev lic.
Vlc while not being based on mplayer code admits that they use
Re:Mplayer32 (Score:1)
actually, I believe that the newest releases of mplayer for windows have all that built in, I've played dvd's with mplayer on a fresh install of windows without installing anything extra
VLC (Score:5, Informative)
Re:VLC (Score:2)
I also love to use ogle for linux to watch dvd's.
Re:VLC (Score:4, Informative)
Don't forget libdvdcss
It is open source (Score:1)
Re:VLC (Score:3, Informative)
Re:VLC (Score:2)
Most definately. I use it under Windows, Linux, and OSX. (Under Linux I'm more likely to fire up MPlayer, but that's due to it dealing better with my slow hardware).
Re:VLC (Score:2)
VLC is great. Mplayer can play slightly more bizarre video formats, but it can be very hard to get to work, espically for a beginner. VLC is complete self-contained (no downloading of lots of weird conflicting subtitle / codec packages), plays every video file I've ever wanted to play. On windows in parcticular, it is much easier to use it to watch things like fansubs, as it doesn't require downloading codec packages.
Also, very usefully, on both
Not just that... (Score:2)
here's what i use (Score:4, Informative)
Where have you been? (Score:1)
VideoLan Client (Score:3, Informative)
A player and oh so much more.
Also, next time try Google. Really.
Overkill (Score:3, Funny)
The lightswitch in my bedroom stopped working, so I'm wondering what other types of housing options might work for me. Should I switch to living in a cave, a hut, or a bamboo shack? Or should I just bulldoze my entire home and rebuild a new on in its place? Please help as I am desperate to get my lightswitch working again. Thanks.
- L. Oozer
Re:Overkill (Score:2)
The guy is planning on switching operating systems to get his DVD to work
Get him to use Mandriva Linux (Score:2)
Re:Overkill (Score:5, Interesting)
It sounds like a CODEC problem to me, since both players are having that problem. I would guess that even if he installs another media player, he'll have the same problem.
It sounds like a Spyware problem to me. Real and Windows Media Player all talk back to their creator every time you play a file. You can turn it off, but tcpdump on my router shows otherwise. They can get fscked for all I care. I don't particularly want M$ or Real knowing my viewing habbits.
This has nothing to do with a broken light switch and living in a cave. Real and windows media player are the worst two players in existance. I think this is more about coming out of a cave and finally finding a program that can play many more media types and can handle partial (still downloading) and corrupted (bit rot on my CDRs) files with style and grace. I know Windows Media Player takes out the OS when you give it a file with some errors and ask it to play full screen. At least mplayer just detects the errors and exits gracefully!
Re:Overkill (Score:1)
Re:Overkill (Score:2)
you watch too much pr0n...
I watched Will and Grace one time and now M$ thinks I'm gay!
No spyware (Score:2)
Re:No spyware (Score:2)
I promise you, I have no spyware on my system.
So you don't have Windows installed then?
Re:Overkill (Score:1, Funny)
Please desist immediately from use of our new Darknesstm operating system trademark.
Thank you
Dewey, Suem and Howe
Corporate Council
Evil Empire, Inc.
Redmond, Washington
3 key options. (Score:4, Informative)
MediaPlayerClassic - Hosted at sourceforge, this recreates the WMP 6 UI and has pretty solid playback. Friendlier than Mplayer, but a tad less solid video playback.
VLC - yup the one and truly. Not too user friendly.
Re:3 key options. (Score:2)
Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:5, Informative)
Along with everything else, the Mega Codec Pack includes "Windows Media Player Classic" which despite the name isn't anything to do with Microsoft, though it does clone the interface of Media Player version 6.
I carry the Mega Codec pack around with me on a USB Stick, you can install just one thing or you can install everything. Media Player Classic has built in support for a lot of things (I think including DVD Playback) so I'm sure it'll fit your needs exactly. If it doesn't by itself, the Mega Codec Pack includes plugins for just about any codec you'd ever need, including a DVD Decoder.
I really can't recommend the family of K-Lite codec packs enough, especially the Mega becasue you don't need to install Real Player or Quicktime anymore! It'll install cut down versions of them that have just the bare bones dll's, enough for MPC to play Quicktime/Real clips without needing all the bloat those programs bring on their own.
Give the site a look over, I'm sure it's probably what you're looking for. The Mega pack might be overkill for you, but Media Player Classic I think suits the bill perfectly.
Tim
[Sorry for the double post, I accidently posted this without being logged in. Duh]
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:2)
i think no (free) player includes DVD playback as MPEG2 decoding needs a license (or some part of it, bu
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:3, Informative)
I'd used some terrible codec packs before K-Lite and some of them did mess up pretty bad and that's why I praise this one so highly, it's never given me any grief. The few times I have uninstalled it, it's removed everything cleanly.
You're right in that installing all those codecs is really overkill, but don't forget that installing this codec pack also allows you to *encode* as well as decode, something neither MPC or ffdshow will do. As I under
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:2)
ffdshow is now an encoder aswell, and handles audio. it's come a long way.
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:2)
I'll hae to investigate ffdshow a bit more, see if it will replace my current use of K-Lite.
I doubt it, but we'll see!
Tim
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:1)
FFDShow can't do Quicktime, RealMedia or WMV, but it can decode pretty much all types of MPEG. If you're looking for another codec pack, steer clear of almost all, including K-Lite. K-Lite is just a bundler - it doesn't change the default settings or anything, so nothing works together. It's also got a lot of stuff you will never need, & more that's redundant.
Personally I like this one: the Combined Community Codec Pack [kickassanime.org]. It's made by a bunch of anime fansubbers, so they know what they're doing, but it'
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:2)
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:2)
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:1)
Lagarith. Dunno why, it's a free codec.
Re:Check Out The K-Lite Codec Pack (Score:2)
I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it.
I'm not sure what the entry criteria is for a codec to make it in though, because there's quite a few in it already I've not really heard or ever needed.
Re:Why is license seen as invalid by WMP? (Score:3, Interesting)
Maybe it's due to something having gotten corrupt with the poster's registry or DLL files.
Maybe it's due to a failing DVD-ROM drive.
Re:Why is license seen as invalid by WMP? (Score:2)
Winamp (Score:2, Insightful)
Most like its not DRM (Score:5, Insightful)
Media Player by itself will not display 'license is invalid' message for normal DVD playback.
You just need to buy a new DVD decoder.
NVidia PureVideo Decoder or WinDVD are some of the best around.
Re:Most like its not DRM (Score:4, Insightful)
For example, you can install WinDVD and have WMP or RP use the WinDVD decoding to play back DVDs. I'm not sure why anyone would want to do this, but that's just me. Remember, you USUALLY have to pay for a decoder, so the software maker can pay the monolithic MPAA for the CSS keys.
As for Linux programs, see the other comments about MPlayer, VLC, Xine, etc.
This is NOT DRM (Score:4, Insightful)
Nope, instead the parent post is most certainly right. WMP9/10 will not prevent you via any DRM mechanism from watching a DVD. The DRM technology is for downloaded and locked content. Examples of such content? I don't really know of any. It's one of those things they spent a lot of money to build but no market for it yet.
The error message you are getting, and the fact you get the same message via WMP and RealPlayer is likely because they both are using the same CODEC for DVD data. The CODEC has expired. Remeber, by default Windows out of the box (Excluding Plus+ Pack) can't play DVDs. So you had to install something to make it work (unless the OEM pre-installed something) and that something appears to have been a trial only.
But, it is funny how well trained you are to immediately think DRM/MS conspiracy to prevent you from playing your legitimatly own DVDs. Shows the OpenSource FUD is working.
It wont be long now until Microsoft^h^h^h^$oft is groveling at the feet of the supreme GNU council begging for a seat at the table...
Oh how they'll pay....
Re:This is NOT DRM (Score:2)
videolan (Score:3, Insightful)
Other Issues (Score:2)
Even so, you're more tolerant of Media Player's shortcomings than I am. When I watch a DVD, I usually just want to open the main menu and watch the DVD the way it was programmed to be watched. (One exception: stupid spammish DVDs that try to make you sit through a lot of commercials before the main menu.) No obvious way to do that in Media Player.
I almost always use Power DVD, which I would never
Re:Other Issues (Score:2)
Re:Editing? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Editing? (Score:2)
Real Player (Score:4, Interesting)
I had this problem with NFL direct. Enable cookies and your content should play. The new Real Player now defaults to secure mode (no cookies) which I appreciate. Works under Linux and Win32.
Enjoy,
PS (Score:1)
get a clue! (Score:2, Insightful)
not real hard to use Google
Your problem seems a bit strange... (Score:2)