libdvdcss
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| libdvdcss | |
|---|---|
| Developed by | VideoLAN |
| Latest release | 1.2.9 / July 11, 2005 |
| Written in | C |
| Genre | Library |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | www.videolan.org/developers/libdvdcss.html |
libdvdcss is a software library for accessing and unscrambling DVDs encrypted with the Content Scramble System (CSS). libdvdcss is part of the VideoLAN project and is used by VLC media player and other DVD player software such as Ogle, xine-based players and MPlayer.
libdvdcss is designed to be platform independent, with versions for Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, BeOS, BSD and Solaris. Released under the GNU General Public License, libdvdcss is free software.
[edit] Comparison with DeCSS
libdvdcss is not to be confused with DeCSS. While DeCSS uses a cracked DVD player key to perform authentication, libdvdcss uses a generated list of possible player keys. If none of them work (for instance, when the DVD drive enforces region coding) a brute force algorithm is tried so the region code of a DVD is ignored. Unlike DeCSS, libdvdcss has never been fought over in a courtroom, in part because Section 1201(f) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act authorizes such circumvention for purposes of software interoperability.
[edit] Distribution
Many Linux distributions do not contain libdvdcss (for example Debian, SUSE Linux, and Ubuntu) due to fears of running afoul of DMCA-style laws. In other cases some distributions refrain from preloading libdvdcss onto their install discs but it is available in their software repositories. Linux mint currently comes pre-installed with libdvdcss.
[edit] External links
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