README for libdvdcss, a portable abstraction library for DVD decryption Introduction ============ libdvdcss is part of the VideoLAN project, which among other things produces VLC, a full video client/server streaming solution. VLC can also be used as a standalone program to play video streams from a hard disk or a DVD. Building and Installing libdvdcss ================================= See the INSTALL file. Running libdvdcss ================= The behavior of the library can be changed by setting two environment variables: DVDCSS_METHOD={title|disc|key}: method for key decryption title: By default the decrypted title key is guessed from the encrypted sectors of the stream. Thus it should work with a file as well as the DVD device. But decrypting a title key may take too much time or even fail. With the title method, the key is only checked at the beginning of each title, so it will not work if the key changes in the middle of a title. disc: The disc key is cracked first. Afterwards all title keys can be decrypted instantly, which allows checking them often. key: The same as the "disc" method if you do not have a file with player keys at compile time. If you do, disc key decryption will be faster. This is the default method also employed by libcss. DVDCSS_VERBOSE={0|1|2}: libdvdcss verbosity 0: no error messages, no debug messages (this is the default) 1: only error messages 2: error and debug messages Troubleshooting =============== A mailing-list has been set up for support and discussion about libdvdcss. Its address is: To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to: http://mailman.videolan.org/ When reporting bugs, try to be as precise as possible (which OS, which distribution, what plugins you were trying, and so on). Resources ========= The VideoLAN web site at http://www.videolan.org/ is a good start for information about MPEG and DVD playback. Have a look at the support section to look for answers.