DVD player failure

[Guyverix]

Well I just made the switch to 4.0, and I have to say, after some problems (read operator error) I have a stable and very smooth system. I only have one problem that I cannot figure out. I cannot get the play DVD function to work. VLC plays the DVD's just fine, but I get an error message stating that the operation is currently not allowed for this DVD, and a hex code from Sage. This also freezes Sage, so I have to kill it with task manager. If anyone knows what I goofed up on, please give me a pointer (I am sure that this is something that I overlooked, not an issue with Sage).

Hardware:
CPU: Intel 2Ghz Celeron
RAM 512 MB
HDD 12 gig OS / 200 gig Sage Storage
DVD ROM Generic el`cheapo
Video Nvidia G-force 2 MX
OS fresh upgrade from Win 2K to XP Pro
Drivers: up to date.

[gplasky]

You need to use a decoder that supports playing encrypted DVDs. That means buying a decoder like nVidia, WinDVD, PowerDVD, etc. VLC doesn't use a direct show compatible decoder. You could also try DScaler5 decoder for free.

Gerry

[hmca]

My only problem with 4.0 is whenever I try to play a DVD, I get a message from Sage that I have a Direct X problem and to reload Direct X. Reloading 9.0C does not help. Everything worked fine under 2.1. Ideas?

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by hmca

My only problem with 4.0 is whenever I try to play a DVD, I get a message from Sage that I have a Direct X problem and to reload Direct X. Reloading 9.0C does not help. Everything worked fine under 2.1. Ideas?

Have you tried to re-install SageTV? That worked for me. Although mine wasn't specific to DVD's. You might also try seting up SageTV like a new install and only keep your Wiz.bin from the previous install.

BobP.

[LostInSpace]

I currently use nVidia decoder (trial).
Set it as DVD decoder and if you don't have a compatible audio card, set audio renderer to default.
Hope this helps

[hmca]

Tried a clean install of Sage V4.0. What I have now is a totally unuseable picture. Extreme pixilization and breakup with all codex's and modes. Image (1). Also the only way I can hear sound is from the default mode. Something changed or was changed with the upgrade to V4.0 from V2.1 and is not being reset. WMP is the same way too, so it is not Sage, but some setting from the upgrade to a driver or Windows or something! If I use the menu to try to jump in a chapter I get Playback Exception Error. Image (2)

[hmca]

I finally go some answers to my total failure of playing DVD's. Tried another player with the same results. Next I went through every codec I own. One that I have never used, the ATI, is the only one that produces a picture AND sound. I ahve no idea why I can't use Nvidia for both Video and Sound like I do with Sage Videos. Anybody got any further ideas as to why the installation of 4.0 changed things? What is so different about playing a DVD as opposed to a Sage Video?

[gplasky]

Don't load all the multimedia crap for your AIW. If you don't use the ATI DVD player don't install it. You'll need to clean out all of the ATI multimedia stuff and just install the video drivers for your AIW. Install just the nVidia decoders last. This should also make them your default decoders on your machine. See if that helps.

Gerry

[sleonard]

On 1 out of every 3 or 4 DVD's I also get the error that "the operation is currently not allowed for this DVD, and a hex code from Sage."

For me this problem has existed since 2.x and has survived numerous upgrades and fresh reinstalls. It appears to me that Sage is trying to skip to the main DVD menu skipping any commercials at the beginning. There used to be an option to turn that on and off but it is gone now. It may have come from a custom STV (Cayers) or was in a previous version (2.x) but it is gone now after fresh re-installs of 4.x versions. The next DVD that does this on me I'm going to enable AnyDVD and try again. That should narrow it down to a PUO or not.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by sleonard

On 1 out of every 3 or 4 DVD's I also get the error that "the operation is currently not allowed for this DVD, and a hex code from Sage."

That's not technically a "problem" at least not with Sage, it's a "problem" with the DVD. DVDs have what are called Prohibited User Ops. These are flags that tell the player it can't skip/ffw/jump to menu/etc at a given part in the movie. Sage is just obeying them (as it should technically). The only difference is most players give you a little more friendly message.

[sleonard]

But when Sage "Obeys" the PUO the UI goes nutso, with all the crazy geometric shapes covering the screen and the error message keeps coming back over and over and sometime just locks up completely. Sage shouldn't be trying to skip/ffw/jump to the main menu anyway, I have done fresh re-installs of the client that should have removed the old Cayars option. These problem DVD's also work just fine in other players, no error message at all, so why is Sage attempting PUO's in the first place?

[mlbdude]

I believe there is a property that tells Sage to do this automatically. Maybe it is set and you should disable it?

[stanger89]

Yeah, just because the UI option is gone, doesn't mean the property isn't set. Cayars probably just added a UI option to set it.

[Opus4]

Just to jump on the bandwagon... I think that would be videoframe/skip_dvd_menus=false. Of course, if it was a clean install w/a new properties file, then it should be false already... so it depends on how clean the install was.

- Andy

[sleonard]

I have already checked that and the videoframe/skip_dvd_menus=false property no longer exists in the SageClient.properties file (This is on a client machine) or I would have set it to False a long time ago. This was also a pristine re-install, I did not keep the previous .properties.

Since that property is not in the file by default anymore, I am going to try adding it and leave it set to False like Opus4 said.

[hmca]

Originally Posted by hmca

I finally go some answers to my total failure of playing DVD's. Tried another player with the same results. Next I went through every codec I own. One that I have never used, the ATI, is the only one that produces a picture AND sound. I have no idea why I can't use Nvidia for both Video and Sound like I do with Sage Videos. Anybody got any further ideas as to why the installation of 4.0 changed things? What is so different about playing a DVD as opposed to a Sage Video?

Problem FINALLY solved! Seems my Sage 4.0 install set the Decoders to Default in Sage Properties and was not changed by the screen menu selections. The Default settings have never worked for me, ever. I depended on Nvidia from Day 1.
I did a clean install of Sage V4.0 and still the same problem. Another clean install of V2.1 and everything worked then upgraded as I had originally done. This produced the same failure. Eventually I decided to poke around in the Properties file. And there I found the Decoders set to Default even though I specified different in the menus. Removed the reference to Default. Saved the file and rebooted Sage. Everything is back to normal.
This behavior should not happen.