Is it possible to encrypt a home movie DVD, using the same CSS software that regular DVD's use? (i.e. professionaly produced one's, that you buy in a shop).

The reason I want to do this is because DVD shrink works prefectly on an encryted DVD, with no compatability issues with any DVD player I play it on.

Therefore, this got me thinking that if you could encyrpt a home movie DVD (like the professional's do) for regular films, then once this is done, you could use a program like DVD shrink and then use it on any DVD player with no compatability issues, (just like the regular films you buy don't have compatability issues).

Now, that would be the dream, wouldn't it!!!!

If you can get hold of such software, where can you get it?
I would be very interested to hear what you think of this theory.

I think that CSS endoing requires special hardware and special software.

I don't get it. A movie does not have to be encrypted to use DVD shrink.

think he means so its more compatible...well thats not what makes it compatible,its the disc type and the way its written.. encryption is just to make life hard for everyone

When I use DVD shrink, if the disc is not encrypted, either on my hard drive or DVD disc, it does not want to know, it only works on films you buy from a shop.

The point is this:-
Everytime I copy an encrypted disc (like the one you buy in the shop) with DVD shrink, the end result is that it 'carrys' the same compatability across with it.
i.e. it's just like buying a film from the shop that you know is going to play on any DVD player.

Therefore, if you could do this with home movies DVD, by somehow encrpting it first, then you would have the same compatability as one bought from the shop.

It looks like specialised software, but how much is it and where can you get it from?
It has nothing to security, the only reason for doing this would be for compatability like the big distributiors enjoy.

I'll be here later, if anyones got any suggestions.
- Many thanks.

As I said before you need special HARDWARE and software inorder to encrypt the dvd. You probably need $100,000 mastering equipment

Huh???
for one, dvdshrink does not "carry" over all the "compatibility".. It just shrinks the movie to an iso or VIDEO_TS folder for you to burn. and if you cant use shrink on non-encrypted movies you got a problem... you rippin em properly?

For DVD Shrink to make a copy of your movies it REMOVES the CSS encryption, so you ain't got a copy like the original, you just got plain decrypted VOB files that are either re-encoded (NOT re-encrypted) to fit on a blank DVD or just left decrypted ready to burn.

And not all movies you buy have encryption on them anyway.

As duffydack says, CSS encryption has nothing to do with compatibility. It's either you're using DVD Shrink wrong or something wrong with your system.

I think that, what he means is that maybe he make dvd's that is "off-the-proper-dvd-standard" and they work in some dvd players and not all.

If you have images produces within the dvd standard with correct sound and all it will work in all players. (as long as the media work in the player that is)

I'm not sure what he wants to do? It sounds like he thinks DVD Shrink makes movies more compatible...no that would be the DVD writer, Media & Authoring...nothing to do with DVD Shrink or CSS.

Only DVD-ROMs can do CSS, I believe DVD Authoring drives & -R Authoring disks can...but the cheapest I found one was about $3,000 USD. Unless you own a CSS key and have the script file you cannot place the keys on the DVD-R(A) disk.

Simple answer: NO.

Regardless of whether or not it's really of any use (and I think it's not), the DVD-R and DVD+R formats do not allow you to create a disc that has CSS. The area on the disc where the CSS information would go is pre-recorded, to prevent people from being able to make bit-for-bit copies (and thereby not even having to decrypt the data).

If you have any further questions, first check the FAQ:
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

Yes, thanks for your suggestions so far.

I'm not very good at explaining things. but stay with me.
When you put a DVD (bought at the shop) in any player, it recognises it as such
and plays the DVD (which I suspect is the CSS encoding).

However, with a home movie, the best you can hope for is that it may be compatable with your DVD player.

So in other words, if the CSS coding is just for encrytion and not for comaptability, then what makes the player recognise the DVD (as one bought from a shop), thus making it compatable with any player?

The answer is probably in the expensive hardware and software, the production companies use, but I just need to know if there's any cheaper commercial alturnative. - propably not, looking at the answers already given.

- Many thanks everyone.

The store bought DVDS are manufactured with the information on the disk, they are not burned like the ones we make ourselves which uses a laser to get the information on the disk. Some dvd players have a hard time reading burned disks. Whether or not a disk is playable depends on several things:
Media that you use, low grade blanks are hard for most dvdplayers to read.
Burner that you use, some burners, just like blanks, just suck.
Both media and burner can contribute to errors burned on to the disk which cause playability issues.
Some older dvdplayers will not read disks that are burned regardless of blanks or burner used. Some expensive dvd players will not read burned disks and alot of inexpensive ones will.

I'm not a pro, but you don't want or need CSS. What you do want is highly compatible authoring software DVD-Lab is a good place to start imo and using +R's bit set to DVD-ROM (Burner permitting) is the best you can do with recordable media.

The answer is they are DVD-ROMs and NOT -R or +R you're talking about 2 different media types altogether!

DVD-ROM (Pressed) has 100% compatibilty = these are NOT made on PCs!!!
DVD-R (Burned) has about 90% compatabilty
DVD+R (Burned) has about 80% and so on...vcdhelp.com has a list

like Juantwo said, using +r media with a burner that supports bitsetting to dvd-rom will increase your ability to read the dvd in more drives.

I have a very old toshiba dvd player and the only media that I can get to play is the +r burned at dvd-rom. I like this option with my burner so much that I tell everyone that I know that if they are going to buy a dvd burner to make sure you can change the bitsetting/booktype.

Well, the question is really "spinning". The put it flatly:


1. CSS is a protection to prevent copying the copywrited content.

2. The content, i.e DVD is recognized by the file format.

So, CSS has nothing to do with compatibility.