CSS Protection Warning

[ronbo613]

Hello everyone-From time to time I get this error message; "CSS Protection Warning - This version of Software Cinemaster does not support playback of DVD content that has a kernel debugger enabled." This time, I was testing DVD authoring programs with my new Sony DRU 500A(MyDVD), but I had this error message even before the DVD RW and related software were installed. Can anyone steer me in a direction to figure out what the deal is. I suspect stuff like DivX codec 5.02 and the ATI MMC among other things. Any ideas? Thanks in advance-Ron B

[gll99]

That sounds like the real name for what we commonly call macrovision.

[gll99]

Do you have any software like "softice" or any other kernel tracking or debugging software installed on your system?

The program is either detecting something or it may be that it is only a standard warning saying that the DVD drive's macrovision protection (CSS) will prevent it from working if it detects the presence of a windows kernel debugger like SoftIce).

By the way, lots of programmers use those tools to trace their programs execution they are not illegal in themselves but CSS does not like them since they can be used to see how their stuff works.

[ronbo613]

Hello again-I'm not working with any copyrighted materials. I haven't installed any kernel debuggers that I know of. At this point, I have so many video-related programs, media players, etc., it's hard to figure out what this is. Can a debugger be a part of a DivX codec, freeware like VirtualDub, media players(I use WMP6.4) or programs like ATI's MultiMedia Center? I disabled the atitivo32.dll in my System folder which is supposed to stop macrovision protection, haven't noticed any difference. Oh well.....

[gll99]

I don't use cinemaster to play my DVDs but I wonder if thats more of a warning rather than an error.

Eject your DVD player and reinsert an original store bought movie disk (Disney classic would be good cause its likely to be protected) then if it doesn't autostart by itself start the Cinemaster player, see if the msg comes up, see if you can play the DVD.

By the way its not that you are playing with copyrighted programs its a copy protection that is built into the DVD disk and that the software (Cinemaster) is designed to detect that the copy protect flag is set on.

This is what the msg is telling you:

Using Cinemaster, your DVD will not play if the disk has the macrovision flag on it and the program (Cinemaster) discovers a kernel debugger active in the memory of your computer.

That message is not just for you but every user of cinemaster.

If Cinemaster DVD player actually refuses to play a copyrighted DVD then you could suspect that unknown to you a kernel debugger is being loaded when your system boots up.

If it gives the msg but plays anyway then its just a msg and ignore it.