Ubuntu – Can’t play DVDs with Ubuntu 18.04

18.04dvdvlc

After upgrading to 18.04 my external DVD player no longer plays dvd. I checked that the usual suspects of packages were installed:

libdvdnav4 is already the newest version (6.0.0-1).
libdvdread4 is already the newest version (6.0.0-1).
libdvd-pkg is already the newest version (1.4.2-1-1).
ubuntu-restricted-extras is already the newest version (66).
libdvdcss2 is already the newest version (1.4.2-1~local).

I have run

sudo dpkg-reconfigure libdvd-pkg

but when after I put the disc in and try to load it in VLC nothing happens. The title of the DVD appears for a few seconds at the top of the screen, but that's it. Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks

Best Answer

I suspect you are using the snap version of VLC and you are opening DVDs via either autoplay on insertion or from the file manager using the "Open with VLC" button.

Opening VLC, going to Media > Open disc, and clicking "Play" should work.

Alternatively, replace VLC with the deb version:

sudo snap remove vlc
sudo apt install vlc

The deb version appears to correctly handle external requests to play DVDs, so all of the above should work.

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