DVD asked me to brake my S-video output?!

"Error: you have a problem with your videocard" - oops!
Details:
"This DVD wouldn't play because you S-video output is enabled"

I got the bizzare message afer trying to playback a DVD. They are complete bustards at Miramax!!! Don't they understand that If someone wants to copy a DVD, he WILL DO THAT, no matter what. This kind of protection only screws up people who simply want to watch a DVD movie on a TV screen.

Anyway, now I have a problem: a couln't find any settings on the NVIDIA card that disable the TV-output. Expert's help will be appreciated a lot...

 

Can't you just hit the Fn+External monitor key (F4, F5, etc...)? There should also be some option available in the Display Properties to allow you to change your Monitor type in Advanced Settings. One final thing, power off the system, pull Svideo cable out and power on unit. This should get it back to just internal monitor.

You should be able to output to a TV, not a VCR. So, try connect the Svideo cable directly to your TV, rather than your VCR (if that's what you were doing).

-Vb-

 

I have no TV connected. S-video port is free in the air.

I don't see any selection of monitors in the Display properties except 1."multiple monitor" and 2. "default monitor".
Multiple monitor settings behave as normal (allows to change screen resolution, for example), but the default monitor allows only 8-bit 800x640 resolution. I assume the def. monitor option is something irrelevant. On Radeons there's option to turn off TV output in the card settings. On the NVIDIA I see nothing at all. Strange, IMO.

 

Have you tried the Fn key option? Could this problem be with a Region issue? You may want to try something like DVD Region free or DVD Region Killer. This will allow any drive to play region disc without making any changes.

-Vb-

 

Yeah, I tried the fn keys and observed little change. Region should be OK, this is a NETFLIX DVD for US. (and I believe powerDVD is a multiregion utulity). I have never seen a DVD fail to playback like that - because of S-video output present on my machine.

 

Hmmm...this is weird. Do you have a DVD player (home theatre component) that you can play this on? I've never come across this before and it doesn't seem to be a settings issue on your notebook. Could it be possible Netflix put some kind of copy protection scheme on these DVDs? You know what, try connecting an SVideo cable to your notebook and then to the TV, do the Fn key switch option (you may have to hit it more than once to flip to SVideo out mode) and see if this works. Maybe your system needs the cable connected first before it can switch it off. Sounds stupid, but it's something to try. If all else fails, contact HP, there may actually be something wrong with your system.

-Vb-

 

At this point I couldn't solve the issue. My zv5000z plays back all other DVDs just fine, but not this one because of the S-video output issue.

And, my older notebook, without the S-video port, plays the damn DVD.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by alekkh

 

That's what I think. Still, a rather strange protection given that S-video port is as unusual to disable as an USB port. (imagine a CD asking you to disable your computer's USB because otherwise you may use your external CD-R to pirate this CD [xx(])

 

This is an Nvidia issue. It popped up sometime in the 4x.xx series drivers. They (Nvidia) screwed this up bably, and did it all wrong. Basically what is happening is your video card does not have a Macrovision chip on it to "protect" the video stream going out of the S-video port. I didn't know about Notebooks, but I did know the Visiontek GF3 series cards were sold without this chip, and if you had the 3x.xx series drivers for it, you could "theoretically" copy the video on your VCR perfectly. Macrovision came down hard on Nvidia for this and they just rolled over. Instead of disabiling the S-video port, (Like they should have!) the drivers won't play any Macrovision protected DVDs period. This is both the hardware manufacture's fault for not including Macrovision protection on that port. As well as Nvidia's fault for not making a fix that was both FAIR and balanced to both Macrovision, and the END USER.

Try updating (or maybe finding an older 38.xx driver. [ ]) your video driver, and see if they actually fixed this "problem".



Greg

 

Thanks!
I have the latest drivers, but they do no fix the prob.

I agree, that NVidia should have fixed the SVideo and make it at least selectable. But I also think that this kind of DVD protection sucks. What if I want my laptop connected to a big srcreen TV?? What if payed for the laptop, for the Svideo cable, for the DVD and for the TV and now simply want this configuration to work?

I guess, I'll just keep returning all the DVDs that have this sucky protection (or, maybe, look how one gets around that, thanks to the internet [ ] )