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What Happened To Intervideo's Linux DVD Player?

Posted by Cliff on from the smells-like-vapour dept.

A singular node from the Anonymous Coward Collective asks: "Several months ago when the storm first blew up about the cracked DVD code enabling Linux users to view DVDs on their chosen platform, Intervideo rode a wave of publicity drawing geeks worldwide to their site by announcing their upcoming 'legal' DVD player for Linux to be available in the second quarter 2000. June came and went and I contacted their sales people who informed me that it would be available at the end of July. It wasn't. I contacted their PR people and was told that it would be available at the end of August. No show. In the meantime, thousands of geeks have gone to their site to be entertained by the wonderful awards they have won for their Windows software. No mention of Linux. The press release has disappeared from their home page as well. Did this software really exist, or was it all just a pathetic publicity stunt? Does anyone out there know the answer?" I'd think quite a few uf us would like to know the answer to this one. What happened, Intervideo?

15 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. Are these the same people...? by Prior+Restraint · · Score: 4

    I know that prior to the DeCSS case, part of the MPAA's attempt to spin everything their way was to claim that a Linux DVD player already existed, or was in the works, or something like that. Were they referring to Intervideo, another company, or was it a bald-faced lie?

    1. Re:Are these the same people...? by Azog · · Score: 5

      Sigma Designs has a DVD player for Linux that is available right now. You can get it at:

      http://www.sigmadesigns.com/d ownload_ns2000_linux.htm.

      The FAQ is at http://www.sigmadesigns.com/faq_linux.htm .

      However, this driver only works for the NetStream 2000 card, not their popular Hollywood Plus card (which is very similar to the Creative Labs DXR3). Also, it is pretty much a command-line thing at the moment, but I'm sure somebody could make nice graphical wrappers for it.

      The important bits are closed source, because of the CSS issue, but they include sample code for interfacing with the MPEG2 driver and some other useful things.


      Torrey Hoffman (Azog)

      --
      Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
      "HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
  2. Time to use that Money Machine! by Accipiter · · Score: 5
    Come on, Slashdot Staff! You've got clout! Instead of posting an "Ask Slashdot" article (Which, most of the answers would be speculation anyway...), why not call up Intervideo and ask them directly?

    Or ask for an interview! Get one of the high-ranking officials on the horn, and field some questions! If you call them up, and they say "A representative from Slashdot is on the phone", I doubt they'll blow you off. If they do, that adds fuel to our side of the argument. "They keep delaying the release, they pulled information from their pages, and they refused an interview." That would say a lot right there.

    On the other hand, if they ACCEPT the interview, we'd get some answers as to what's going on.

    I'm sorry, but posting this as an "Ask Slashdot" piece seems like a lazy way out. We'd get no answers to the question that can be held as proof - merely speculation as to what "Might have happened." (Unless an Interview Employee replies, but that's not very interactive/informative.)

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

    --

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
    (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

  3. Legality by Eric+Seppanen · · Score: 5
    I think that despite the recent ruling for the MPAA in New York, it would be inappropriate to call reverse-engineered, open-source DVD code "illegal". The MPAA and DVD-CCA would absolutely love it if everyone started calling this code "illegal" because they are fighting as much of a publicity battle as they are a legal battle.

    Please, consider calling such code "unlicensed" instead. The distinction is that all other DVD player software has a CSS license from DVD-CCA.
    --

    --
    314-15-9265
  4. The press release by spyrral · · Score: 5

    Ok, I just went to the Intervideo site and checked their press releases. The LinDVD anouncement is still there. I guess this makes me look like a bit of a prick. Still, it makes the entire article rather irrelevant. all we have here is late software.

  5. Disappearing press release? NOT! by StenD · · Score: 5
    The press release has disappeared from their home page as well.
    Did you bother to look on the Press Releases link? The press release is here.
  6. It's real, and it's nearly finished. by Twilight1 · · Score: 5

    Yup, we've seen it. We were interested in co-developing the hardware decoding for our laptops... however, they are not interested in bringing in any outside developers.

    The version we saw running on a Dell Inspiron 5000 was nearly fully functional. It was feature complete, and they had just added the ability to use the mouse cursor to control the on-screen DVD extra cool things.

    We should be getting a beta version soon to test with our laptops. In the meantime, the rest of you will just have to wait.

    Aparrently, it will be a software only player. However, they are investigating a plugin type API to allow third parties to write drivers for hardware decoders.

    Anyway... just wanted to say that it is DEFINITELY not vapourware... though I still want an open source player to come to fruit. :-)

  7. It's not the only one... by LinuxTek · · Score: 4
    Cyberlink is asking for IA developers (beats me what that means) for its Linux version of PowerDVD...

    Maybe SOME day we will have a commercial product.

    --
    Signatures are supposed to be funny?
  8. here's what i was told... by bball99 · · Score: 4

    after i emailed a question on Intervideo's support page in the last week or so, i rec'd a reply stating to the effect that "LinDVD has been sent to OEMs for evaluation, and I can't tell you much more than that."

    so at least i got a reply, but that's not helping me with playing DVDs under Linux...

    anyone have a simple, step-by-step procedure with software that works under 2.2.15, 2.2.16, or 2.2.17?

  9. Sigma Designs is doing better... by ravi_n · · Score: 4

    Sigma Designs (makers of the Hollywood+ DVD decoder cards) has released a driver for their NetStream 2000 card for Linux here. These drivers apparently include source code according to their FAQ. Of course, this is not a big deal because the "interesting" parts of a DVD player are implemented in hardware. Someone is also working on a DVD player application built around this driver, though it is not clear how far along that project is.

  10. Hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4

    The problem with DVD player software is:

    a) There is a fairly small market of people who want to watch a DVD sitting at their computer.

    b) Even fewer of these people use Linux

    c) Even fewer of THESE people are unwilling to dual boot.

    d) Even fewer of THESE people are willing to pay for software to replace the software that runs under Windows that came with their comptuer and/or DVD drive.

    e) Set top DVD players are very cheap these days.

    Besides E, this is the same problem most Linux software faces. The sad truth is most Win32 software works perfectly fine for 99% of the people who use it. It's hard to justify wasting the time and money to cater to a *very* small market.

  11. Irony? by thunder-in-pants · · Score: 4
    From the MPAA FAQ:

    Computers that use the Linux operating system. Windows- and Macintosh-based computers can play DVDs, so is it fair to deprive the Linux community?

    The Linux argument is a false issue. It has always been in the interest of the Motion Picture industry that there be as many legitimately licensed DVD players as possible, including those using non-Windows operating systems. However the argument that DeCSS was written for Linux players is simply false. The De-CSS utility was written for Windows-based software, not Linux.

    Also, the development of two, separate, licensed DVD players for Linux systems - which use the CSS system - were recently announced. Sigma Designs (www.sigmadesigns.com) and InterVideo Inc. (www.intervideo.com) both announced the roll-out of LICENSED, LEGAL Linux-based DVD players.

    The irony is there isn't a sigmadesigns.com and InterVideo is still trying to roll out their LICENSED, LEGAL Linux-based DVD player, meanwhile anyone with the mind to can use DeCSS to do it now. One would think the MPAA would have a vested interest in speeding the production of a Linux based DVD player just to quell this argument.

    --

    Listen, Sigmund, we'll discuss it in the morning.

  12. Re:DeCSS by sjames · · Score: 4

    What would happen if we were to name our child using selected parts of the DeCSS source code?

    If enough geek parents do that, eventually the process of marrage will yield a SUPER DeCSS strain that is resistant to all known legal tactics.

  13. THE PRESS RELEASE IS STILL THERE! by abe_kabakoff · · Score: 5

    Check it out: http://intervideo.com/news/ 28/InterVideoLinDVDFinal.htm
    Geez, check these things out for yourselves. (it is only 2 clicks off the front page!)

  14. Re:"It" has BEEN finished for months by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 5
    I know what you're trying to say and I agree with you in principle, but I want to call you out for this line...

    The judge and MPAA can say a dog has 5 legs all they want, but the dog still has only 4, DeCSS is not a violation of any law.

    The MPAA can say the sky is orange and we can all ignore them. But when the old folks in the robes say something, even stupid things, it matters. In America we have a long and complicated process to review legal rulings so that no one judge or even one court can decide something by themselves. But a judges job description basically say, "given these laws and this constitution and these case facts, decide what's legal and what's not." If we don't agree with that ruling, we have options like writing/calling/stalking our congrespeople. And after that, civil disobedience is in the arsenal if you have the guts. But ignoring a ruling and deciding something is legal because you believe it won't fly.

    -B