Limit users from using DVD movies

[skieslimit]

Hello, I work for a large company who operates many facilites around the United States. They are looking to install training kiosks into each facility within the next year or so. These will be locked terminals with only limited functionality. Included within that functionality will be the ability to watch dvd training videos that are produced here at corporate. The only problem, is that we don't want them to be able to play commerical movies on this drive. Is there a way to "lock" the drive to play only our movies (they are all produced here and we have total control over encryption, copying, etc.)? We just don't want them watching Batman Begins instead of training...any ideas? Thanks!

[boldego]

Just hire employees you can trust.

[kirky99]

Off the top of my head I can't think of anything commercial, BUT you can probably write a program or service even that will scan the contents of a DVD in the machine and if it doesn't find a certain file or something then just eject the disk.

This would be the quick/dirty way of doing it. I think you're out of DVD spec if you put other files on the disks, BUT you probably don't care much about that.

[skieslimit]

Thanks for the reply kirky. That's a really good idea, I guess now we just have to figure out how to program that in. I have been using flash a lot lately, so maybe i'll try using that (as we had planned to design the frontend in that anyway). Thanks again.

[redwudz]

You could set the player to a different region code than the US '1'. That would stop most commercial US made DVDs but a burned disc would still play. Depends how determined they are to not watch your training videos.

[skieslimit]

That's true, the only problem with that (which I probably should have mentioned) is that we want them to be able to play in a personal DVD player as well. Just a regular commerical one. Actually...if we try to put some kind of file so that the computer recognizes it (I say we, but I'm not really in charge of the actual DVD making process, so hopefully this isn't a dumb question) will a commercial DVD player still play it? I guess they could figure that out. Thanks for the input!

[garryheather]

Perhaps some low tech, mechanical lock or barrier in front of the drive that stops the tray ejecting (or prevents the use of the eject button) would be deterrent enough ?

Or if it's going in a PC enclosure, mount it back a little and don't knock out the bezel in front of it.

[lordsmurf]

It's a dumb question. You either make a DVD-Video, or you don't. If you don't, it only works in a computer, not a normal DVD player.

If your employees are that worthless, fire them, and hire people you can trust. If people want to screw around instead of work, nothing you do will change it. They will play solitaire on the computer, daydream, listen to walkmans, play portable video games, read a book, do lines of coke, smoke out back, whatever. I don't aim to come across blunt, but sometimes that's the best way to get the point across.

[skieslimit]

hmm, what do you mean exactly garryheather? Like a physical mechanism that actually keeps the drive from opening? The only thing is how would they get it to open for the dvds that are supposed to go in it. Maybe some sort of key lock, with a supervisor or someone must unlock? Almost too much trouble i guess, thanks for the post!

[lordsmurf]

If you wanted to dismantle the remotes and remove the eject button (if one exists), and then open the DVD player and rip out the eject button, and then duct tape the DVD player shut, maybe that would work. But you ruin a perfectly good player in the process. And there's no guarantee that will work. If an employee is determind, they'll find a way to remove the tape and re-enable the eject button, maybe even bring in a remote from home. Maybe you could wrap chains around the unit and put on padlocks.

Or place it inside a clear box that is locked, and the only thing that penetrates it is a remote control, the unit is locked from human access.

But doesn't this begin to sound expensive and borderline retarded at some point? Are your employees adults or children?

[skieslimit]

Point taken lordsmurf. I suppose there is a limit as to how much limitations you can put on someone, at some point I guess you just have to forget about it or whatever. I'm just designing some of the interfaces for the units, but at the meeting on Monday i'll probably bring up that we should just trust the employees...if they're going to waste time they'll do it either way. Thanks for all the posts everybody, it has been very helpful.

[mikel]

skieslimit,

Maybe you could make your productions on mini-dvd size disks
and then epoxy a plastic ring into the player tray that
would prevent a normal size disk from working.. ?

[Neil1970Poole]

There is a program/software that can be purchased that will lock your CD/DVD Drive and has password protection so anyone who doesn't know the password wont be able to eject/open the drive (even disables the eject button) see the following Link for further details:-


http://www.toplang.com/cdromlock.htm

May be of help to you.

[adam]

What I'd do is author the DVDs with a G rating and then set the parental lock on the player to level 8 and set the password. They will be limited to only viewing other G movies and maybe backups (not sure if level 8 will lock out movies with no rating flagged...I'd think so.) It better than nothing and very simple to implement.

[INFRATOM]

Don't install any program that can play video , then make your training videos in a format that certain player (codec) can play it only!!

[Mister Flonk-Flonk]

Just network them with the computers at corporate office and remove the DVD drives from the machines. If you haven't ordered/built the machines yet, leave the DVD drives out. Then just download your videos from corporate office and play them from the hard disk. Employees playing commercial DVDs in a nonexistent drive would be a pretty good trick.

[Joex444]

This might be a strange solution, but don't put DVD drives in the comps. Just have a file server in the back with the VIDEO_TS folders and the comps just connect via network to it and play from there. No drive, no problem.

[Joex444]

damnit, 2 minutes quicker than me Mister Flonk-Flonk...

[Joex444]

I must have missed something cuz it sounded very much like a PC solution. Right, skieslimit, you're not asking us how to stop ppl from watching commercial DVDs on a standalone player?

[canadateck]

Its a Flash front end.Must be PC>?

[canadateck]

I would just make VCD's and install a Cd-rom.cant Play DVD's on it,
May Need more then one Cd to fit the Video on though, also for better quality.

[Joex444]

...if we try to put some kind of file so that the computer recognizes it (I say we, but I'm not really in charge of the actual DVD making process, so hopefully this isn't a dumb question) will a commercial DVD player still play it?

My experience says that Nero will not allow you to burn a DVD-Video with files outside the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS directories, and will not allow non-.ifo, non-.vob, and non-.bup files in either of those directories, thus, I'll say no, you can't add files to the DVD format and expect it to play on a commercial DVD player. I never tried, though, perhaps you can try it on a DVDRW disc and see what your players do with it...or if you can create it to start with.

[Mister Flonk-Flonk]

...if we try to put some kind of file so that the computer recognizes it (I say we, but I'm not really in charge of the actual DVD making process, so hopefully this isn't a dumb question) will a commercial DVD player still play it?

My experience says that Nero will not allow you to burn a DVD-Video with files outside the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS directories, and will not allow non-.ifo, non-.vob, and non-.bup files in either of those directories, thus, I'll say no, you can't add files to the DVD format and expect it to play on a commercial DVD player. I never tried, though, perhaps you can try it on a DVDRW disc and see what your players do with it...or if you can create it to start with.

I'm not familiar with NERO's DVD creation software, but I have used their burning software, and can tell you that you can add additional content to a DVD outside of the VIDEO_TS & AUDIO_TS folders (read: additional folders containing extra files, or loose files on the "root") and the discs will play just fine. There may be a few players out there that may reject them, but most players will play DVD-Video as long as there is at least the VIDEO_TS folder portion of the DVD-Video hierarchy present.

[TBoneit]

Really, I put pictures, text files, html etc. on a DVD and burn it now with Nero 6 and before with nero 5.5.

It may or may not be part of the DVD spec but think of how many Commercial DVDs have PC content on them. I seem to recall that one of the Harry Potter Movies had a game on one of the DVDs.

[lordsmurf]

we want them to be able to play in a personal DVD player as well. Just a regular commerical one.

I have been using flash a lot lately, so maybe i'll try using that (as we had planned to design the frontend in that anyway). Thanks again.

Huh?

Are you making a DVD-Video, for which a DVD player plays?

Or some sort of computer thing? Which means only a computer will play it, and no, there's really not a lot you can do control what a person does on a computer. When you do, you tend to limit other aspects and therefore limit the usefulness of a computer.

Please clarify.

[canadateck]

as well

[adam]

lordsmurf I don't think you get it He wants the DVDs to remain compliant so that they can still be played on settop players but the actual kiosk player can be a pc. When he mentioned programming with flash above I don't think he was talking about a standalone dvd player.

[jimmalenko]

Looks pretty simple to me ........

The training DVDs must be able to be played in a standalone settop player. The training terminals should only be able to play the training DVDs and not any other DVDs.

[canadateck]

Use Mpeg1 on the DVDs instead of Mpeg2 and make sure there is no Mpeg2 Decoder on the computer terminal.

I think this would work..

[kirky99]

Looks pretty simple to me ........

The training DVDs must be able to be played in a standalone settop player. The training terminals should only be able to play the training DVDs and not any other DVDs.

That's how I understand it. If that's the case, then you need something on the computer that will reject disks that should not be played.

So my suggestion still stands. If you want to keep the DVD compliant, then you can use the label to accept or reject the disc. It won't stop someone from figuring it out, but I would say MOST people will NOT make a connection between the disk label and it's ability to play. It'll keep them busy for hours trying to figure out why the disk keeps ejecting.

You could even create a database of acceptable DISC label, so you can allow other training videos (ones that maybe you didn't author) to play if that ever happens.

It's probably the easiest to implement, EXCEPT I do like that parental lock idea too, but then they can still watch Bambi, etc.