Playing a non encrypted DVD in Ubuntu is an easy task only if you know the right steps to make.
First you need to install the right codecs and libraries so fire up a terminal and copy/paste this command :
sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse
Second install the Xine Movie Player. A simple yet useful tool to play your dvd. You can install it using
sudo apt-get install xine
The last thing is staying between you and your favorite movie is a SymLink. Start your window navigator and crate a symlink in the /dev directory. You must create a dvd symlink.
sudo lshw -short
-to list the hardware detected by your linux distro.
sudo lshw -short | grep DVD
- identify your DVD
/dev/hda /dev/hdb /dev/hdc
- if you have an IDE DVD-ROM this is the way it’s seen by your system
Create a symlink [/dev/dvd] to /dev/hdb (or a,c)
When you start Xine you just have to click on the DVD link from the interface and the interactive dvd is started.