[Linux4christians] Playing DVDs and Video files legally in Linux??

[Rob Matlack]

I am new to this list. I have been using Linux (Mepis) almost exclusively for 
a little over a year. I run Win4Lin for old Windows applications I must have.

I have recently come across a problem: how do Linux users legally view certain 
video clips and DVDs? I went to a Christian site which had what looked like 
great stuff in wmv files. As I understand it, this requires downloading some 
Windows dll files (?) which some say violates copyright laws. Is there a way 
to legally view these files? Also, as I understand it I cannot watch a 
legally purchased DVD on my Linux laptop because this violates not copyright 
laws, but a law that says all DVD decoders must be registered. (Sort of like 
reading a legally purchased book with glassed that aren't licensed by the 
government, as I understand it.)

I love Linux, but it does seem to me that this poses a dilemma. Pastor Parris 
correctly stated: "Infringing copyrights is surely a moral issue among people 
of all (or at least most) faiths."

What are our legal options? I know Linspire has a legal DVD reader, but I 
don't think it can be purchased and used by users of other distros.

Thanks,
Rob Matlack