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102-516: CSS is one of several complementary systems designed to restrict DVD-Video access. It has been superseded by newer DRM schemes such as Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM), or by Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) DRM scheme used by HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc , which have 56-bit and 128-bit key sizes , respectively, providing a much higher level of security than

204-400: A bit depth of 8 bits per color, encoded as YCbCr with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling . The following formats are allowed for H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 video: The following formats are allowed for MPEG-1 video: The MPEG-1 Part 2 format does not support interlaced video. The H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 format supports both interlaced and progressive-scan content, and can handle different frame rates from

306-404: A stream cipher and mangles the keystream with the plain-text data to produce the cipher text. The stream cipher is based on two linear-feedback shift register (LFSR) and set up with a 40-bit seed. Mangling depends on the type of operation. There are three types: In order to decrypt a DVD-Video, the player reads the disc-key-block and uses its player-key to decrypt the disc-key. Thereafter,

408-560: A DVD drive and an MPEG-2 decoder (e.g., a DVD player, or a computer DVD drive with a software DVD player). Commercial DVD movies are encoded using a combination of MPEG-2 compressed video and audio of varying formats (often multi-channel formats as described below). Typically, the data rate for DVD movies ranges from 3 to 9.5  Mbit/s , and the bit rate is usually adaptive. DVD-Video was first available in Japan on November 1, 1996 (with major releases beginning December 20, 1996), followed by

510-553: A DVD movie can be Dolby Digital (AC-3), DTS , PCM , or MPEG-1 Audio Layer II (MP2) format. In countries using the PAL system standard DVD-Video releases must contain at least one audio track using the PCM, MP2, or AC-3 format, and all standard PAL players must support all three of these formats. A similar standard exists in countries using the NTSC system, though with no requirement mandating

612-406: A DVD movie can be Dolby Digital (AC-3), DTS , PCM , or MPEG-1 Audio Layer II (MP2) format. In countries using the PAL system standard DVD-Video releases must contain at least one audio track using the PCM, MP2, or AC-3 format, and all standard PAL players must support all three of these formats. A similar standard exists in countries using the NTSC system, though with no requirement mandating

714-460: A DVD-Video disc as any DVD-ROM disc. The player reads the disc's user-data and processes them according to the DVD-Video format. However, if the drive detects a disc that has been compiled with CSS, it denies access to logical blocks that are marked as copyrighted (§6.15.3). The player has to execute an authentication handshake first (§4.10.2.2). The authentication handshake is also used to retrieve

816-562: A DVD-Video disc in the VOB container format ( V ideo Ob ject). VOB is based on the MPEG program stream format, but with additional limitations and specifications in the private streams. The MPEG program stream has provisions for non-standard data (as AC-3 , DTS , LPCM or subtitles used in VOB files) in the form of so-called private streams. VOB files are a very strict subset of

918-421: A DVD-Video disc in the VOB container format ( V ideo Ob ject). VOB is based on the MPEG program stream format, but with additional limitations and specifications in the private streams. The MPEG program stream has provisions for non-standard data (as AC-3 , DTS , LPCM or subtitles used in VOB files) in the form of so-called private streams. VOB files are a very strict subset of

1020-440: A computer. Extra features require additional storage space, which often means encoding the main title with lower than possible data rate to fit both the main title and the extras on one disc. Lower data rate may decrease visual and sound quality, which manifests itself in various compression artifacts . To maintain quality the main title and the extras may be released on several discs, or the extras may be omitted completely like in

1122-440: A computer. Extra features require additional storage space, which often means encoding the main title with lower than possible data rate to fit both the main title and the extras on one disc. Lower data rate may decrease visual and sound quality, which manifests itself in various compression artifacts . To maintain quality the main title and the extras may be released on several discs, or the extras may be omitted completely like in

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1224-445: A disc to be copied to hard disk unscrambled. Some DeCSS applications also remove Macrovision , region codes , and disabled user operations (UOPs). After DeCSS ripping software became available, companies developed techniques to introduce errors in DVD-Video discs that do not normally affect playback and navigation of a disc, but can cause problems in software that attempts to copy the entire disc. These approaches, which are not part of

1326-445: A disc to be copied to hard disk unscrambled. Some DeCSS applications also remove Macrovision , region codes , and disabled user operations (UOPs). After DeCSS ripping software became available, companies developed techniques to introduce errors in DVD-Video discs that do not normally affect playback and navigation of a disc, but can cause problems in software that attempts to copy the entire disc. These approaches, which are not part of

1428-642: A fee. The license, which binds the licensee to a non-disclosure agreement , would not permit the development of open-source software for DVD-Video playback. Instead, there is libdvdcss , a reverse engineered implementation of CSS. Libdvdcss is a source for documentation, along with the publicly available DVD -ROM and MMC specifications. There has also been some effort to collect CSS details from various sources. A DVD-Video can be produced with or without CSS. The publisher may for instance decide to go without CSS protection to save license and production costs. The content scramble system deals with three participants:

1530-458: A huge choice of discs. Contrary to popular belief, this practice is not illegal and in some countries that strongly support free trade it is encouraged. A normal DVD player can only play region-coded discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a code-free or region-free DVD player is capable of playing DVDs from any of the six regions around the world. The CSS license prohibits manufacturing of DVD players that are not set to

1632-458: A huge choice of discs. Contrary to popular belief, this practice is not illegal and in some countries that strongly support free trade it is encouraged. A normal DVD player can only play region-coded discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a code-free or region-free DVD player is capable of playing DVDs from any of the six regions around the world. The CSS license prohibits manufacturing of DVD players that are not set to

1734-554: A key length that had already been shown to be wholly inadequate in the face of increasing computer processing power (see Data Encryption Standard ). Based on the leaked DeCSS source-code, Frank A. Stevenson published in November 1999 three exploits that rendered the CSS cipher practically ineffective: The latter exploit recovers a disk-key from its hash-value in less than 18 seconds on a 450 MHz Intel Pentium III. The CSS design

1836-423: A logical format for DVD-Video compliant recording on optical discs and is commonly used on DVD+R/RW media. DVD-Video may also include up to 32 subtitle or subpicture tracks. Subtitles are usually offered as a visual aid for deaf and hearing impaired viewers, for displaying translated dialogue into other languages, or for displaying karaoke lyrics. They are sometimes used to present additional information about

1938-423: A logical format for DVD-Video compliant recording on optical discs and is commonly used on DVD+R/RW media. DVD-Video may also include up to 32 subtitle or subpicture tracks. Subtitles are usually offered as a visual aid for deaf and hearing impaired viewers, for displaying translated dialogue into other languages, or for displaying karaoke lyrics. They are sometimes used to present additional information about

2040-475: A max bitrate of 8 Mbit/s per angle to compensate for additional seek time. This limit is not cumulative, so each additional angle can still have up to 8 Mbit/s of bitrate available. Professionally encoded videos average a bitrate of 4–5 Mbit/s with a maximum of 7–8 Mbit/s in high-action scenes. Encoding at less than the max bitrate (like this) is typically done to allow greater compatibility among players, and to help prevent buffer underruns in

2142-475: A max bitrate of 8 Mbit/s per angle to compensate for additional seek time. This limit is not cumulative, so each additional angle can still have up to 8 Mbit/s of bitrate available. Professionally encoded videos average a bitrate of 4–5 Mbit/s with a maximum of 7–8 Mbit/s in high-action scenes. Encoding at less than the max bitrate (like this) is typically done to allow greater compatibility among players, and to help prevent buffer underruns in

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2244-502: A plain-text prediction for data repetitions in the MPEG program stream that enables the recovery of title-keys in real-time directly from the encrypted DVD-Video. In Geeks Bearing Gifts , author Ted Nelson states "DVD encryption was intentionally made light by the DVD encryption committee, based on arguments in a libertarian book Computer Lib .", a claim cited as originating from personal communication with an anonymous source ; Nelson

2346-518: A player must only play discs that contain its region code. In theory, this allows the motion picture studios to control the various aspects of a release (including content, date and price) on a region-by-region basis, or ensure the success of "staggered" or delayed cinema releases from country to country. For example, the British movie 28 Days Later was released on DVD in Europe several months prior to

2448-410: A player must only play discs that contain its region code. In theory, this allows the motion picture studios to control the various aspects of a release (including content, date and price) on a region-by-region basis, or ensure the success of "staggered" or delayed cinema releases from country to country. For example, the British movie 28 Days Later was released on DVD in Europe several months prior to

2550-416: A raw bitrate of 11.08 Mbit/s, with a 1.0 Mbit/s overhead, leaving a payload bitrate of 10.08 Mbit/s. Of this, up to 3.36 Mbit/s can be used for subtitles, a maximum of 10.08 Mbit/s can be split amongst audio and video, and a maximum of 9.80 Mbit/s can be used for video alone. In the case of multiple angles the data is stored interleaved, and so there is a bitrate penalty leading to

2652-416: A raw bitrate of 11.08 Mbit/s, with a 1.0 Mbit/s overhead, leaving a payload bitrate of 10.08 Mbit/s. Of this, up to 3.36 Mbit/s can be used for subtitles, a maximum of 10.08 Mbit/s can be split amongst audio and video, and a maximum of 9.80 Mbit/s can be used for video alone. In the case of multiple angles the data is stored interleaved, and so there is a bitrate penalty leading to

2754-779: A release on March 26, 1997, in the United States—to line up with the 69th Academy Awards that same day. The DVD-Video specification was created by DVD Forum and can be obtained from DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for a fee of $ 5,000. The specification is not publicly available and every subscriber must sign a non-disclosure agreement . Certain information in the DVD Book is proprietary and confidential. To record digital video, DVD-Video uses either H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 compression at up to 9.8 Mbit/s (9,800  kbit/s ) or MPEG-1 Part 2 compression at up to 1.856 Mbit/s (1,856 kbit/s). DVD-Video supports video with

2856-721: A result of a moderately flexible programming interface, DVD players can be used to play games, such as the DVD re-release of Dragon's Lair , along with more sophisticated and advanced games such as Scene It? , all of which can be run on standard DVD players. Modern DVD recorders often support additional disc and file formats, including DVD+/-R/RW, CD-R/RW, MP3 , WMA , SVCD , JPEG , PNG , SVG , KAR and MPEG-4 ( DivX / Xvid ). Some also include USB ports or flash memory readers. Player prices range from as low as US$ 20 ( £ 10) to as high as US$ 2,700 (£1,350). DVD drives for computers usually come with one of two kinds of Regional Playback Control (RPC), either RPC-1 or RPC-2. This

2958-721: A result of a moderately flexible programming interface, DVD players can be used to play games, such as the DVD re-release of Dragon's Lair , along with more sophisticated and advanced games such as Scene It? , all of which can be run on standard DVD players. Modern DVD recorders often support additional disc and file formats, including DVD+/-R/RW, CD-R/RW, MP3 , WMA , SVCD , JPEG , PNG , SVG , KAR and MPEG-4 ( DivX / Xvid ). Some also include USB ports or flash memory readers. Player prices range from as low as US$ 20 ( £ 10) to as high as US$ 2,700 (£1,350). DVD drives for computers usually come with one of two kinds of Regional Playback Control (RPC), either RPC-1 or RPC-2. This

3060-540: A single region by default. While the same license prohibits manufacturers from including prominent interfaces to change the region setting it does not clearly prevent them from including "hidden" menus that enable the player's region to be changed; as such, many high-end models in the U.S. include password-protected or otherwise hidden methods to enable multi-region playback. Conversely in the UK and Ireland many cheap DVD players are multi-region while more expensive systems, including

3162-492: A single region by default. While the same license prohibits manufacturers from including prominent interfaces to change the region setting it does not clearly prevent them from including "hidden" menus that enable the player's region to be changed; as such, many high-end models in the U.S. include password-protected or otherwise hidden methods to enable multi-region playback. Conversely in the UK and Ireland many cheap DVD players are multi-region while more expensive systems, including

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3264-509: A successful effort has been made to write a decoder by reverse engineering , resulting in DeCSS . This has led to long-running legal battles and the arrest of some of those involved in creating or distributing the DeCSS code, through the use of the controversial U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), on the grounds that such software could also be used to facilitate unauthorized copying of

3366-406: A successful effort has been made to write a decoder by reverse engineering , resulting in DeCSS . This has led to long-running legal battles and the arrest of some of those involved in creating or distributing the DeCSS code, through the use of the controversial U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), on the grounds that such software could also be used to facilitate unauthorized copying of

3468-447: A television set with a decoder. DVD-Video may contain chapters for easy navigation, and continuation of a partially watched film. If space permits, it is also possible to include several versions of certain scenes, called "angles". Today, the multi-angle feature is mostly used for internationalization. For example, it can be used to supply different language versions of images containing written text when subtitles would not do (e. g.,

3570-447: A television set with a decoder. DVD-Video may contain chapters for easy navigation, and continuation of a partially watched film. If space permits, it is also possible to include several versions of certain scenes, called "angles". Today, the multi-angle feature is mostly used for internationalization. For example, it can be used to supply different language versions of images containing written text when subtitles would not do (e. g.,

3672-402: A work, but CSS does restrict the playback software that may be used. CSS has caused major problems for the inclusion of DVD players in any open source operating systems, since open source player implementations are not officially given access to the decryption keys or license to the patents involved in CSS. Proprietary software players were also difficult to find on some platforms. However,

3774-402: A work, but CSS does restrict the playback software that may be used. CSS has caused major problems for the inclusion of DVD players in any open source operating systems, since open source player implementations are not officially given access to the decryption keys or license to the patents involved in CSS. Proprietary software players were also difficult to find on some platforms. However,

3876-444: A worldwide perspective regional coding may be seen as a failure. A huge percentage of players outside of North America can be easily modified (and are even sold pre-modified by e-commerce websites) to ignore the regional codes on a disc. This, coupled with the fact that almost all televisions in Europe and Australasia are capable of displaying NTSC video (at the very least, in black and white), means that consumers in these regions have

3978-444: A worldwide perspective regional coding may be seen as a failure. A huge percentage of players outside of North America can be easily modified (and are even sold pre-modified by e-commerce websites) to ignore the regional codes on a disc. This, coupled with the fact that almost all televisions in Europe and Australasia are capable of displaying NTSC video (at the very least, in black and white), means that consumers in these regions have

4080-646: Is 99 and the maximum titles allowed per DVD is 99. Almost all DVD-Video discs use the UDF bridge format, which is a combination of the DVD MicroUDF (a subset of UDF 1.02) and ISO 9660 file systems. The UDF bridge format provides backwards compatibility for operating systems that support only ISO 9660. Most DVD players read the UDF filesystem from a DVD-Video disc and ignore the ISO9660 filesystem. A DVD volume for

4182-433: Is 99 and the maximum titles allowed per DVD is 99. Almost all DVD-Video discs use the UDF bridge format, which is a combination of the DVD MicroUDF (a subset of UDF 1.02) and ISO 9660 file systems. The UDF bridge format provides backwards compatibility for operating systems that support only ISO 9660. Most DVD players read the UDF filesystem from a DVD-Video disc and ignore the ISO9660 filesystem. A DVD volume for

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4284-450: Is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVDs . DVD-Video was the dominant consumer home video format in Asia , North America , Europe , and Australia in the 2000s until it was supplanted by the high-definition Blu-ray Disc; both receive competition as delivery methods by streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ . Discs using the DVD-Video specification require

4386-430: Is compatible with the DVD standard. Some hardware players will also play DVD-ROMs or CD-ROMs containing "raw" MPEG video files; these are "unauthored" and lack the file and header structure that defines DVD-Video. Standard DVD-Video files contain extra information (such as the number of video tracks, chapters and links to extra features) that DVD players use to navigate the disc. The maximum chapters allowed per title

4488-430: Is compatible with the DVD standard. Some hardware players will also play DVD-ROMs or CD-ROMs containing "raw" MPEG video files; these are "unauthored" and lack the file and header structure that defines DVD-Video. Standard DVD-Video files contain extra information (such as the number of video tracks, chapters and links to extra features) that DVD players use to navigate the disc. The maximum chapters allowed per title

4590-403: Is not possible with every drive—even if the drive grants access to the feature, prediction of title keys may fail. However, DVD players exist which do not enforce regional restrictions (after being disabled manually), which makes regional restrictions less effective as a component of CSS. The DVD-ROM's main-data (§16), which are consecutive logical blocks of 2048 bytes, are structured according to

4692-796: Is not publicly available and every subscriber must sign a non-disclosure agreement . Certain information in the DVD Book is proprietary and confidential. To record digital video, DVD-Video uses either H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 compression at up to 9.8 Mbit/s (9,800  kbit/s ) or MPEG-1 Part 2 compression at up to 1.856 Mbit/s (1,856 kbit/s). DVD-Video supports video with a bit depth of 8 bits per color, encoded as YCbCr with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling . The following formats are allowed for H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 video: The following formats are allowed for MPEG-1 video: The MPEG-1 Part 2 format does not support interlaced video. The H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 format supports both interlaced and progressive-scan content, and can handle different frame rates from

4794-411: Is rare on a DVD. The official allowed formats for the audio tracks on a DVD-Video are: DVDs can contain more than one channel of audio to go together with the video content, supporting a maximum of eight simultaneous audio tracks per video. This is most commonly used for different audio formats—DTS 5.1, AC-3 2.0 etc.—as well as for commentary and audio tracks in different languages. DVD-Video discs have

4896-411: Is rare on a DVD. The official allowed formats for the audio tracks on a DVD-Video are: DVDs can contain more than one channel of audio to go together with the video content, supporting a maximum of eight simultaneous audio tracks per video. This is most commonly used for different audio formats—DTS 5.1, AC-3 2.0 etc.—as well as for commentary and audio tracks in different languages. DVD-Video discs have

4998-524: Is reserved, and region 8, which is used exclusively for passenger transport such as airlines and cruise ships. A virtual machine implemented by the DVD player runs bytecode contained on the DVD. This is used to control playback and display special effects on the menus. The instruction set is called the Virtual Machine (VM) DVD command set. There are 16 general parameter registers (GPRM) to hold temporary values and 24 system parameters (SPRM). As

5100-459: Is reserved, and region 8, which is used exclusively for passenger transport such as airlines and cruise ships. A virtual machine implemented by the DVD player runs bytecode contained on the DVD. This is used to control playback and display special effects on the menus. The instruction set is called the Virtual Machine (VM) DVD command set. There are 16 general parameter registers (GPRM) to hold temporary values and 24 system parameters (SPRM). As

5202-447: Is the author of Computer Lib . DVD-Video#Restrictions DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVDs . DVD-Video was the dominant consumer home video format in Asia , North America , Europe , and Australia in the 2000s until it was supplanted by the high-definition Blu-ray Disc; both receive competition as delivery methods by streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ . Discs using

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5304-638: Is used to enforce the publisher's restrictions on what regions of the world the DVD can be played. (See Regional lockout and DVD region codes .) While open-source software DVD players allow everything, commercial ones (both standalone models and software players) come further encumbered with restrictions forbidding the viewer from skipping (or in some cases fast-forwarding) certain content such as copyright warnings or advertisements. (See User operation prohibition .) When DVD drives first became commercially available in 1997, they often came with special encoder/decoder cards, which were designed to pass through either

5406-638: Is used to enforce the publisher's restrictions on what regions of the world the DVD can be played. (See Regional lockout and DVD region codes .) While open-source software DVD players allow everything, commercial ones (both standalone models and software players) come further encumbered with restrictions forbidding the viewer from skipping (or in some cases fast-forwarding) certain content such as copyright warnings or advertisements. (See User operation prohibition .) When DVD drives first became commercially available in 1997, they often came with special encoder/decoder cards, which were designed to pass through either

5508-412: Is usually adaptive. DVD-Video was first available in Japan on November 1, 1996 (with major releases beginning December 20, 1996), followed by a release on March 26, 1997, in the United States—to line up with the 69th Academy Awards that same day. The DVD-Video specification was created by DVD Forum and can be obtained from DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for a fee of $ 5,000. The specification

5610-625: The MPEG program stream standard. While all VOB files are MPEG program streams, not all MPEG program streams comply with the definition for a VOB file. DVD recorders can use DVD-VR or DVD+VR format instead of DVD-Video. DVD-VR format store multiplexed audiovisual content in VRO containers. VRO file is an equivalent to a collection of DVD-Video VOB files. Fragmented VRO files are not widely supported by hardware or software players and video editing software. DVD+VR standard defines

5712-531: The MPEG program stream standard. While all VOB files are MPEG program streams, not all MPEG program streams comply with the definition for a VOB file. DVD recorders can use DVD-VR or DVD+VR format instead of DVD-Video. DVD-VR format store multiplexed audiovisual content in VRO containers. VRO file is an equivalent to a collection of DVD-Video VOB files. Fragmented VRO files are not widely supported by hardware or software players and video editing software. DVD+VR standard defines

5814-686: The Queen 's spell book in Snow White , and the scrolling text in the openings of the Star Wars films). Multiple angles have found a niche in markets such as yoga , erotica , animation (e. g. for storyboards ), and live performances. A significant selling point of DVD-Video is that the storage capacity allows for a wide variety of extra, or bonus, features in addition to the feature film. These extra features can include Extra features often provide entertainment or add depth and understanding to

5916-523: The Queen 's spell book in Snow White , and the scrolling text in the openings of the Star Wars films). Multiple angles have found a niche in markets such as yoga , erotica , animation (e. g. for storyboards ), and live performances. A significant selling point of DVD-Video is that the storage capacity allows for a wide variety of extra, or bonus, features in addition to the feature film. These extra features can include Extra features often provide entertainment or add depth and understanding to

6018-425: The " Superbit " line of DVDs. DVD-Video has four complementary systems designed to restrict the DVD user in various ways: Macrovision , Content Scramble System (CSS), region codes , and disabled user operations (UOPs). There are also anti-ripping techniques intended to foil ripping software . Many DVD-Video titles use Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption, which is intended to discourage people from copying

6120-425: The " Superbit " line of DVDs. DVD-Video has four complementary systems designed to restrict the DVD user in various ways: Macrovision , Content Scramble System (CSS), region codes , and disabled user operations (UOPs). There are also anti-ripping techniques intended to foil ripping software . Many DVD-Video titles use Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption, which is intended to discourage people from copying

6222-563: The DVD-Video format has the following structure of directories and files: IFO files store control and playback information – e. g. information about chapters, subtitles and audio tracks. They do not store any video or audio data or subtitles. BUP files are only backups of the IFO files. Data structures recorded on a DVD-compliant disc are components of one of the four data groups called domains: Video, audio, subtitle and navigation streams are multiplexed and stored on

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6324-517: The DVD-Video format has the following structure of directories and files: IFO files store control and playback information – e. g. information about chapters, subtitles and audio tracks. They do not store any video or audio data or subtitles. BUP files are only backups of the IFO files. Data structures recorded on a DVD-compliant disc are components of one of the four data groups called domains: Video, audio, subtitle and navigation streams are multiplexed and stored on

6426-417: The DVD-Video format. The DVD-Video contains (besides others) an MPEG program stream which consists of so-called Packs. If CSS is applied to the disc then a subset of all Packs is encrypted with a title-key. A DVD-ROM contains, besides the main-data, additional data areas. CSS stores there: CSS also uses six bytes in the frame header for each logical block of user data (§16.3,§6.29.3.1.5): The drive treats

6528-399: The DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and an MPEG-2 decoder (e.g., a DVD player, or a computer DVD drive with a software DVD player). Commercial DVD movies are encoded using a combination of MPEG-2 compressed video and audio of varying formats (often multi-channel formats as described below). Typically, the data rate for DVD movies ranges from 3 to 9.5  Mbit/s , and the bit rate

6630-473: The beginning of a disc). However, grey market players ignore UOPs and some DVD "re-authoring" software packages allow the user to produce a copy without these restrictions. The legality of these activities varies by jurisdiction and is the subject of debate. (See fair use .) Each DVD-Video disc contains one or more region codes, denoting the area(s) of the world in which distribution and playback are intended. The commercial DVD player specification dictates that

6732-473: The beginning of a disc). However, grey market players ignore UOPs and some DVD "re-authoring" software packages allow the user to produce a copy without these restrictions. The legality of these activities varies by jurisdiction and is the subject of debate. (See fair use .) Each DVD-Video disc contains one or more region codes, denoting the area(s) of the world in which distribution and playback are intended. The commercial DVD player specification dictates that

6834-466: The case of dirty or scratched discs. In October 2001, aiming to improve picture quality over standard editions, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment offered " Superbit "—a premium line of DVD-Video titles having average bitrates closer to 6 Mbit/s. Audio quality was also improved by the mandatory inclusion of both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround audio tracks. Multiple languages, angles, and extra audio tracks were eliminated to free up more space for

6936-466: The case of dirty or scratched discs. In October 2001, aiming to improve picture quality over standard editions, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment offered " Superbit "—a premium line of DVD-Video titles having average bitrates closer to 6 Mbit/s. Audio quality was also improved by the mandatory inclusion of both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround audio tracks. Multiple languages, angles, and extra audio tracks were eliminated to free up more space for

7038-609: The content can be encoded on the disc itself at one of several alternative frame rates, and use flags that identify scanning type, field order and field repeating pattern. Such flags can be added in video stream by the H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 encoder. A DVD player uses these flags to convert progressive content into interlaced video in real time during playback, producing a signal suitable for interlaced TV sets. These flags also allow reproducing progressive content at their original, non-interlaced format when used with compatible DVD players and progressive-scan television sets. The audio data on

7140-609: The content can be encoded on the disc itself at one of several alternative frame rates, and use flags that identify scanning type, field order and field repeating pattern. Such flags can be added in video stream by the H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 encoder. A DVD player uses these flags to convert progressive content into interlaced video in real time during playback, producing a signal suitable for interlaced TV sets. These flags also allow reproducing progressive content at their original, non-interlaced format when used with compatible DVD players and progressive-scan television sets. The audio data on

7242-512: The data on the discs. The Videolan team, however, went on to make the libdvdcss library. Unlike DeCSS, libdvdcss can access a CSS-encrypted DVD without the need of a cracked key, thus enabling playback of such discs on opensource players without legal restraints (although DVD rippers using this library may still be subject to restrictions). The DMCA currently affects only the United States , however many other countries are signatories to

7344-450: The data on the discs. The Videolan team, however, went on to make the libdvdcss library. Unlike DeCSS, libdvdcss can access a CSS-encrypted DVD without the need of a cracked key, thus enabling playback of such discs on opensource players without legal restraints (although DVD rippers using this library may still be subject to restrictions). The DMCA currently affects only the United States , however many other countries are signatories to

7446-438: The disc to specify whether or not the user may perform any operation, such as selecting a menu, skipping chapters, forwarding or rewinding – essentially any function on the remote control. This is known as User Operation Prohibitions, or Prohibited User Operations (UOPs or PUOs). Most DVD players respect these commands (e. g., by preventing skipping or fast-forwarding through a copyright message or an advertisement at

7548-438: The disc to specify whether or not the user may perform any operation, such as selecting a menu, skipping chapters, forwarding or rewinding – essentially any function on the remote control. This is known as User Operation Prohibitions, or Prohibited User Operations (UOPs or PUOs). Most DVD players respect these commands (e. g., by preventing skipping or fast-forwarding through a copyright message or an advertisement at

7650-477: The disc, the drive and the player. The disc holds the purported copyright information and the encrypted feature. The drive provides the means to read the disc. The player decrypts and presents the audio and visual content of the feature. All participants must conform to the CCA's license agreement. There are three protection methods: The first two protection methods have been broken. Circumvention of regional protection

7752-451: The disc-key-block and the title-keys. The drive may also support Regional Playback Control (RPC) to limit the playback of DVD-Video content to specific regions of the world (§3.3.26). RPC Phase II drives hold an 8-bit region-code and adhere to all requirements of the CSS license agreement (§6.29.3.1.7). It appears that RPC Phase II drives reject title-key requests on region mismatch. However, reading of user-data may still work. CSS employs

7854-468: The disc. Usually, users need to install software provided on the DVD or downloaded from the Internet such as MPlayer , TotalMedia Theatre , PowerDVD , VLC or WinDVD to be able to view the disc in a computer system. CSS does not make it difficult (any more) to copy the digital content now that a decoder ( DeCSS ) has been released, nor is it possible to distinguish between legal and illegal copies of

7956-412: The disc. Usually, users need to install software provided on the DVD or downloaded from the Internet such as MPlayer , TotalMedia Theatre , PowerDVD , VLC or WinDVD to be able to view the disc in a computer system. CSS does not make it difficult (any more) to copy the digital content now that a decoder ( DeCSS ) has been released, nor is it possible to distinguish between legal and illegal copies of

8058-554: The film's release in North American movie theaters. Regional coding kept the European DVD unplayable for most North American consumers, thereby ensuring that ticket sales would be relatively unaffected. In practice, many DVD players allow playback of any disc, or can be modified to do so. Entirely independent of encryption, region coding pertains to regional lockout , which originated in the video game industry. From

8160-429: The film's release in North American movie theaters. Regional coding kept the European DVD unplayable for most North American consumers, thereby ensuring that ticket sales would be relatively unaffected. In practice, many DVD players allow playback of any disc, or can be modified to do so. Entirely independent of encryption, region coding pertains to regional lockout , which originated in the video game industry. From

8262-575: The film. Games, bloopers , and galleries provide entertainment. Deleted scenes and alternative endings allow the audience to view additional content which was not included in a theatrical release. Directors cuts allow the audience to see how the director envisioned the main title without the constraints which are placed on a theatrical release. Other extras that can be included on DVDs are motion menus, still pictures, up to 32 selectable subtitles, seamless branching for multiple storylines, up to 9 camera angles, and DVD-ROM / data files that can be accessed on

8364-575: The film. Games, bloopers , and galleries provide entertainment. Deleted scenes and alternative endings allow the audience to view additional content which was not included in a theatrical release. Directors cuts allow the audience to see how the director envisioned the main title without the constraints which are placed on a theatrical release. Other extras that can be included on DVDs are motion menus, still pictures, up to 32 selectable subtitles, seamless branching for multiple storylines, up to 9 camera angles, and DVD-ROM / data files that can be accessed on

8466-416: The integrated video on the computer motherboard or the video card . The cards were necessary since most computers did not have sufficient processing power to handle the decoding on the discs. As CPU speeds and video card memory drastically increased in the late 1990s, in addition to software alternatives such as PowerDVD becoming readily available, the decoder cards quickly became obsolete; however, before

8568-416: The integrated video on the computer motherboard or the video card . The cards were necessary since most computers did not have sufficient processing power to handle the decoding on the discs. As CPU speeds and video card memory drastically increased in the late 1990s, in addition to software alternatives such as PowerDVD becoming readily available, the decoder cards quickly became obsolete; however, before

8670-638: The introduction of GPU video encoding technology (such as Intel Quick Sync Video ), a proprietary MPEG2 / MPEG4 encoder card may be used. Video game systems with DVD-Video playback functionality include: Panasonic Q (a variation of the GameCube sold exclusively in Japan), PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Wii (with an unsupported hack), Xbox (additional remote required), Xbox 360 , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X . DVD-Video#Directory and file structure DVD-Video

8772-548: The less secure 40-bit key size of CSS. The content scramble system (CSS) is a collection of proprietary protection mechanisms for DVD-Video discs. CSS attempts to restrict access to the content only for licensed applications. According to the DVD Copy Control Association (CCA), which is the consortium that grants licenses, CSS is supposed to protect the intellectual property rights of the content owner. The details of CSS are only given to licensees for

8874-481: The main title and thereby to ensure the highest data rate possible. In January 2007 the Superbit line was discontinued. Some DVD hardware or software players may play discs whose MPEG files do not conform to the above standards; commonly this is used to support discs authored with formats such as VCD and SVCD . While VCD and CVD video is supported by the DVD standard, neither SVCD video nor VCD, CVD, or SVCD audio

8976-425: The main title and thereby to ensure the highest data rate possible. In January 2007 the Superbit line was discontinued. Some DVD hardware or software players may play discs whose MPEG files do not conform to the above standards; commonly this is used to support discs authored with formats such as VCD and SVCD . While VCD and CVD video is supported by the DVD standard, neither SVCD video nor VCD, CVD, or SVCD audio

9078-484: The majority of home cinema systems, are preset to play only region 2 discs. In China, DVDs for television series are usually released in MPEG-1 video, with MP2 audio. By forgoing Dolby standards, manufacturers cut costs considerably; encoding in lower bit-rates also allows a TV series to be squeezed onto fewer discs. There is no region coding in such cases. There are also two additional region codes, region 7, which

9180-432: The majority of home cinema systems, are preset to play only region 2 discs. In China, DVDs for television series are usually released in MPEG-1 video, with MP2 audio. By forgoing Dolby standards, manufacturers cut costs considerably; encoding in lower bit-rates also allows a TV series to be squeezed onto fewer discs. There is no region coding in such cases. There are also two additional region codes, region 7, which

9282-457: The official DVD-Video specification, include Sony ARccOS Protection , Macrovision RipGuard , X-protect, ProtectDisc SecureBurn, Anaho, Fortium, and others. All of these methods have been circumvented (as might have been expected, since all standard DVD players naturally circumvent them to play and navigate the discs normally). Riplock is a feature that reduces drive noise during playback but inadvertently reduces ripping speed. DVD-Video allows

9384-457: The official DVD-Video specification, include Sony ARccOS Protection , Macrovision RipGuard , X-protect, ProtectDisc SecureBurn, Anaho, Fortium, and others. All of these methods have been circumvented (as might have been expected, since all standard DVD players naturally circumvent them to play and navigate the discs normally). Riplock is a feature that reduces drive noise during playback but inadvertently reduces ripping speed. DVD-Video allows

9486-431: The ones mentioned above by using pulldown . This is most commonly used to encode 23.976 frame/s content for playback at 29.97 frame/s. Pulldown can be implemented directly while the disc is mastered, by actually encoding the data on the disc at 29.97 frames/s; however, this practice is uncommon for most commercial film releases, which provide content optimized for display on progressive-scan television sets. Alternatively,

9588-431: The ones mentioned above by using pulldown . This is most commonly used to encode 23.976 frame/s content for playback at 29.97 frame/s. Pulldown can be implemented directly while the disc is mastered, by actually encoding the data on the disc at 29.97 frames/s; however, this practice is uncommon for most commercial film releases, which provide content optimized for display on progressive-scan television sets. Alternatively,

9690-618: The player reads the title-keys and decrypts them with the disc-key. A different title-key can be assigned for the Video Manager and for each Video Title Set . The title-keys are used to decrypt the encrypted Packs. CSS employs cryptographic keys with a size of only 40 bits. This makes CSS vulnerable to a brute-force attack . At the time CSS was introduced, it was forbidden in the United States for manufacturers to export cryptographic systems employing keys in excess of 40 bits,

9792-550: The similar WIPO Treaty . In some countries it is not illegal to use de-scrambling software to bypass the DVD restrictions. A number of software programs have since appeared on the Web to view DVDs on a number of different platforms. Other measures such as anti-ripping, as well as U.S. and non-U.S. copyright law, may be used to prevent making unauthorized copies of DVDs. CSS decrypting software, or ripping software, such as DVD Decrypter , AnyDVD , MacTheRipper , and DVD Shrink allows

9894-501: The similar WIPO Treaty . In some countries it is not illegal to use de-scrambling software to bypass the DVD restrictions. A number of software programs have since appeared on the Web to view DVDs on a number of different platforms. Other measures such as anti-ripping, as well as U.S. and non-U.S. copyright law, may be used to prevent making unauthorized copies of DVDs. CSS decrypting software, or ripping software, such as DVD Decrypter , AnyDVD , MacTheRipper , and DVD Shrink allows

9996-495: The use of or support for the MP2 format. DTS audio is optional for all players, as DTS was not part of the initial draft standard and was added later; thus, many early players are unable to play DTS audio tracks. Only PCM and DTS support 96 kHz sampling rate. Because PCM, being uncompressed, requires a lot of bandwidth and DTS is not universally supported by players, AC-3 is the most common digital audio format for DVDs, and 96 kHz

10098-446: The use of or support for the MP2 format. DTS audio is optional for all players, as DTS was not part of the initial draft standard and was added later; thus, many early players are unable to play DTS audio tracks. Only PCM and DTS support 96 kHz sampling rate. Because PCM, being uncompressed, requires a lot of bandwidth and DTS is not universally supported by players, AC-3 is the most common digital audio format for DVDs, and 96 kHz

10200-487: The video being played. Subtitles are stored as bitmap images and therefore can contain any arbitrary text or simple image. They are restricted to a 16-color palette, but are usually implemented with a limit of 4 colors. 16 levels of transparency are also supported to allow blending, but this is also not always implemented. The subtitle tracks are contained within the VOB file of the DVD. DVD-Video may also contain closed captioning material which can only be viewed on

10302-487: The video being played. Subtitles are stored as bitmap images and therefore can contain any arbitrary text or simple image. They are restricted to a 16-color palette, but are usually implemented with a limit of 4 colors. 16 levels of transparency are also supported to allow blending, but this is also not always implemented. The subtitle tracks are contained within the VOB file of the DVD. DVD-Video may also contain closed captioning material which can only be viewed on

10404-442: Was prepared for the leak of a few player-keys. New discs would not contain an encrypted variant for these player-keys in the disc-key-block. However, Stevenson's exploits made it possible to generate all player-keys. Libdvdcss uses such a list of generated player-keys. There are cases when no title-keys are available. A drive may deny access on region mismatch but still permit reading of the encrypted DVD-Video. Ethan Hawke presented

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