Need DVD player recommendation

[Electrojim]

Are there any relatively simple and commercially-available DVD players that will NOT display "This operation prevented by disc" or whatever when you try to bypass warnings, trailers, etc.? I've got a Sony DVD player and a Sony Blu-Ray player that drive me nuts when I try to skip around. In some instances I'm going back to a movie I was halfway through, and still have to suffer through the FBI/Interpol and whatever else warnings, including being urged to visit that Website where it will be clearly explained to me that video pirating is not a victimless crime. Heck, all I want to do is watch the darn feature before the disc is due back at Red Box. Any thoughts?

[dannyboy48888]

All legit players have to respect prohibited user ops, only way around it is by ripping it. There may be a player out there that does but then that nulls out the commercially available part.

[Electrojim]

Well, that's a bummer. I used to have a Lite-On DVD recorder that would play anything and let you FF/RW even when it wasn't supposed to, but that was long ago.

I'm really surprised that someone doesn't put out a bare-bones DVD drive that runs off a PC software routine, rather than resident firmware, and simply plays raw data: pits and lands or whatever. File decoding, volume organization, etc. would have to be part of the controlling software too, but it doesn't sound impossible.

[usually_quiet]

You should build an HTPC if you want to play a DVD using software. I suspect anyone who manufactured a unlicensed device like the one that you propose which ignores prohibited user operations would be sued.

[Electrojim]

Build one? I can't even pronounce it... sell me a noun, Vanna! I suppose the copyright protectors would certainly go after a manufacturer like that, particularly if the primary advertised feature was to skip over government-sanctioned warnings. Yet I see Web ads for all manner of software for obviating one DRM scheme or another, blatantly advertised for what it was developed for. Even Amazon sells a 'player' that promises, "* The best Blu-ray player software to play Blu-ray disc, BD movie folder and Blu-ray ISO image file without quality loss, regardless of Blu-ray disc region codes and protections;".

[usually_quiet]

Build one? I can't even pronounce it... sell me a noun, Vanna! I suppose the copyright protectors would certainly go after a manufacturer like that, particularly if the primary advertised feature was to skip over government-sanctioned warnings. Yet I see Web ads for all manner of software for obviating one DRM scheme or another, blatantly advertised for what it was developed for.

HTPC = Home Theater PC. Copyright enforcers do go after such companies and individuals if they are in a place where they can be sued.

Even Amazon sells a 'player' that promises, "* The best Blu-ray player software to play Blu-ray disc, BD movie folder and Blu-ray ISO image file without quality loss, regardless of Blu-ray disc region codes and protections;".

If you mean Leawo Blu-ray Player Software, it's being sold by a third party vendor using Amazon for fulfillment. Very few, if any, video products of dubious legality are actually sold by Amazon. In fact, Amazon may remove such third-party listings if they receive a complaint from the authorities. FIY the same software can be downloaded for free from Leawo's website: http://www.leawo.com/blu-ray-player/ or VideoHelp's software section.

[orsetto]

I used to have a Lite-On DVD recorder that would play anything and let you FF/RW even when it wasn't supposed to, but that was long ago.

DVD/HDD recorders were the sole "exception to the rule" that all hardware players must respect the irritating forced playback programming on commercial discs.

This convenient "loophole" was not limited to your LG: most brands and models of DVD/HDD recorder would (usually) let you bypass forced playback routines. The trick was to load the DVD, immediately switch to HDD mode, switch back to DVD, then the stopped DVD player would "overlook" all the junk and let you do whatever you want. It appears the act of switching to HDD mode makes the DVD player section believe it has already completed the forced disc programming, so when you return to DVD mode you can proceed unrestricted.

DVD-only, DVD/VHS, and BluRay players don't have an HDD section you can use as a "kill switch", so there's no way around the annoying programming when using that type of player. If you're patient and scour Craigs List, you should be able to find a 2006-2008 Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, Magnavox, etc DVD/HDD unit with HDMI connection for modern TVs. These were overpriced cult items for several years, but interest is beginning to wane as people get thoroughly spoiled by HDTV streaming and BluRays. So the final, desirable DVD/HDD models are beginning to turn up second hand at more reasonable prices. If you have tons of commercial DVDs you expect to play a lot in future, it might be worth picking up a couple of these machines when they hit $80 or less.

Or, get a media player or HTPC setup and play HDD rips of your discs, as recommended by others.

Do be aware that some really nasty commercial discs will force their programming routine no matter what: even DVD/HDD units and HTPCs will be ensnared. The only way to kill that garbage with those discs is to use a multi-featured ripping tool like DVDfab, which will let you omit the junk from the rip. Or, use a utility like MakeMKV to save the disc as a straight-up video file without any programming at all.

[Electrojim]

Thanks, orsetto; yours is the second recommendation that I get an HTPC setup up and running, and if video entertainment were higher on my priority list, I certainly would. I have ripped some material using the free or low-cost versions of the utilities you named, and generally had good success. Cinavia is the only fly in the ointment, as my Sony Blu-Ray player killed the audio after a bit and put the warning notice on the screen. I had to resurrect my trusty old LiteOn player/recorder in that case, although it does have some mechanical issues.

I wonder whether Cinavia and other DRM methods will eventually gravitate to the TV set or HD monitor level; that is, will the 'chip of death' find its way into all user interfaces? I'm certainly no expert, but it seems to me that if various DRM schemes ultimately allow playback and viewing on approved devices in approved households, etc., some of us might be reduced to an equivalent of pointing a camcorder at the permitted screen, its built-in mic picking up audio from permitted loudspeakers. Of course there will always be clever hackers who strive to do this entirely in the digital domain, but as the DRMers fight to get their chips embedded in even the most elementary consumer equipment, maybe 16mm film with an optical soundtrack will be the ultimate hack. Who knows!

[orsetto]

I have ripped some material using the free or low-cost versions of the utilities you named, and generally had good success. Cinavia is the only fly in the ointment, as my Sony Blu-Ray player killed the audio after a bit and put the warning notice on the screen. I had to resurrect my trusty old LiteOn player/recorder in that case, although it does have some mechanical issues.

Cinavia is not nearly as big an issue with dvd rips as it is with BD: unless you are dealing with a lot of very recent commercial dvds, primarily from Sony-related studios, I wouldn't expect it to be a frequent problem. When it does bite, it only affects hardware BluRay players. Cinavia is ignored by dvd players (tho it would not surprise me to hear Sony retrofitted Cinavia detection into its current $28 dvd player).

Hardware BluRay players are fine for playback of commercial discs, or rips/video files that were NOT made from Cinavia-afflicted sources. If you find it preferable to play Cinavia-contaminated dvd rips with unwanted programming suppressed, you would need to use a dvd-exclusive player. For best compatibility with Cinavia-contaminated rips on HDD or USB drives, you'll want a dedicated separate Media Player box or full-blown HTPC.

Personally, I prefer using a dvd player or standalone media player, limiting my BluRay player to non-Cinavia material. HTPC is amazing if you have the personality to exploit the features and don't mind the effort involved to coordinate everything. Standalone media players can be a good compromise: they're simply a small box with a remote control and USB port to connect whatever drive you have your rips and video files stored on. Western Digital USB Live variations were once the best option, but the good models are no longer made or sold. Other brands and models are available, plus you might look at the media player functionality included in various streaming boxes or TiVO.

As long as the playback device does not include a dedicated hardware BluRay player, Cinavia should be a non-factor. It is certainly possible Cinavia detection might migrate to a wider spectrum of devices in future, but perhaps not. Other restriction technologies (like mutations of HDMI) seem poised to replace it (and BluRay itself isn't exactly setting the world on fire anymore: streaming services are rapidly reducing demand for physical media to geek niche status).