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iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 9. Mar 2023, 23:40
by klaus_duke
I'm using Virtualbox 6.1.42 r155177 and created a Windows 11 VM (as in
blogs. oracle. com/virtualization/post/install-microsoft-windows-11-on-virtualbox
), then installed iTunes 12.12.7.1 on it via Microsoft Store.
I bought a DRM'ed TV show in the iTunes store and wanted to view it.
This is possible only without GuestAdditions!
As soon GuestAdditions 6.1.42 are installed, the iTunes Movie player only shows a white screen (similar to when you try to screencast/screenshot a video in iTunes).
So iTunes interpretes the GuestAdditions video driver as if screen casting would be active and displays blank screen if playing a DRM'ed video.
I installed/uninstalled/reinstalled the Guest Additions a couple of times to confirm this behaviour.
The core problem seems to be the graphics driver VBoxWddm.inf - as soon as I install this driver manually via device manager, the video player in iTunes gets blank. As soon as the standard driver (Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, basicdisplay.inf) is installed, the video shows up.
This is a pity because I cannot view my bought videos in full screen! (the standard driver without Guest Additions only has 1024x768 resolution)
Is it possible to fix the driver?
Re: iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 10. Mar 2023, 03:02
by scottgus1
Thanks for hunting through and finding a repeatable process to try to diagnose. This may need a
Bugtracker ticket. As for a fix, that may take some time.
Meanwhile, could you watch the show on your host OS?
Re: iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 11. Mar 2023, 14:38
by klaus_duke
Thank you for the answer. I opened
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/21543
Since I'm using Linux as a host (and installing iTunes on Wine is a nightmare), I'm restricted to use a Windows PC from a friend...
Re: iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 14. Mar 2023, 09:21
by arQon
To be clear, this is literally the whole point of DRM. Short of Oracle paying the tithes to get the VBox driver approved (which almost certainly wouldn't happen anyway) I wouldn't expect the situation to change.
It's a little surprising it doesn't just give you a DVD-quality stream instead, which was the standard fallback a few years ago, but I guess they feel everything "should" support DRM by now so there's no reason to hold back any more.
Re: iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 14. Mar 2023, 15:28
by scottgus1
klaus_duke wrote:Since I'm using Linux as a host (and installing iTunes on Wine is a nightmare), I'm restricted to use a Windows PC from a friend...
Another possibility for now: dual-boot Windows on your Linux PC.
Re: iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 14. Mar 2023, 18:42
by klaus_duke
arQon wrote:To be clear, this is literally the whole point of DRM. Short of Oracle paying the tithes to get the VBox driver approved (which almost certainly wouldn't happen anyway) I wouldn't expect the situation to change.
It's a little surprising it doesn't just give you a DVD-quality stream instead, which was the standard fallback a few years ago, but I guess they feel everything "should" support DRM by now so there's no reason to hold back any more.
Important to note: The behaviour with the blank screen in WDDM also happens when viewing a free movie, e.g. a trailer, which (I suppose) should not have DRM.
Also, recording the screen results in a black movie player and not a white one.
Re: iTunes on Windows 11: Graphics driver incompatible with movie player
Posted: 30. Jan 2024, 08:06
by callmejoe
klaus_duke wrote: ↑9. Mar 2023, 23:40
I'm using Virtualbox 6.1.42 r155177 and created a Windows 11 VM (as in
blogs. oracle. com/virtualization/post/install-microsoft-windows-11-on-virtualbox
), then installed iTunes 12.12.7.1 on it via Microsoft Store.
I bought a DRM'ed TV show in the iTunes store and wanted to view it.
This is possible only without GuestAdditions!
As soon GuestAdditions 6.1.42 are installed, the iTunes Movie player only shows a white screen (similar to when you try to screencast/screenshot a video in iTunes).
So iTunes interpretes the GuestAdditions video driver as if screen casting would be active and displays blank screen if playing a DRM'ed video.
I installed/uninstalled/reinstalled the Guest Additions a couple of times to confirm this behaviour.
The core problem seems to be the graphics driver VBoxWddm.inf - as soon as I install this driver manually via device manager, the video player in iTunes gets blank. As soon as the standard driver (Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, basicdisplay.inf) is installed, the video shows up.
This is a pity because I cannot view my bought videos in full screen! (the standard driver without Guest Additions only has 1024x768 resolution)
Is it possible to fix the driver?
man i was so excited i found this thread. was looking for days for a solution to this. i uninstalled my guest additions, confirmed the windows guest was using the MS basic graphics driver, but my HD movie didnt play. gave me that error saying cant play on an external monitor that doesn't support HDCP. which i know my monitors do because if i boot into my Windows partition i can watch the movie in itunes without a problem.
But even if it did work like you said I would be watching in 1024x768 which is pointless.
I do also have wine and itunes installed on my linux host and can confirm it doesnt work there either. oh well.