Ubuntu – How to fix this VLC error: “VLC is unable to open the MRL ‘dvdsimple:///dev/cdrom'”

cddvdlubuntuvlc

I have this error the moment I try to open a disc, to play it's content:

Playback failure: DVDRead could not open the disc "/dev/cdrom". Your input can't be opened: VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvdsimple:///dev/cdrom'. Check the log for details.

This what I get in the terminal when I execute lshw:

 *-cdrom
         description: CD-R/CD-RW writer
         product: CD-RW CED-8083B
         vendor: LG
         physical id: 0.0.0
         bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0
         logical name: /dev/cdrom
         logical name: /dev/cdrw
         logical name: /dev/sr0
         version: 1.10
         capabilities: removable audio cd-r cd-rw
         configuration: ansiversion=5 status=nodisc

Best Answer

CD drive and DVD drives are not the same, though they can look alike. Drives should have CD/DVD marks on their doors, but these aren't always visible (or can wear off)

The data in a drive is stored in 'pits'. A CD drive contains surface for left/right tracks suitable for audio/music and can store 650-700MB on its medium. (Just enough for the engineer to store his favorite classic music piece)

DVD drives which are usually used for video need far more space and a means was found to store (5+ times) the number of pits in the same space as a CD stores a single pit. DVD Drives thus can store 4.7GB (single layered) or 8.4GB (dual layered).

DVD drives can (with few exceptions) read CD/CDRW/.. disks|discs without issue, allowing CD-music to be played as CDs contain less data in the same space.

CD drives however can not read the extra data/pits that exist on a DVD disk/disc.

(incidentally: DVD disks/discs are shinier when looked at in good light, ie. a better mirror than a CD is; which can be used to tell if disk|disc is a CD or DVD. There is no easy way to tell if a drive is CD or DVD)

[ references to 'surfaces was removed thanks correction by @ravery ]

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