Fix NS_E_DVD_DISC_COPY_PROTECT_OUTPUT_NS (0XC00D1160) in WMP

First thing: Check the DVD drive's region code

In my experience fixing this error for clients, 9 times out of 10 it's the region code on the DVD drive. Windows Media Player uses the DVD drive's region setting to decrypt the disc, and if the disc's region doesn't match, you get 0XC00D1160. This isn't a new problem — I had a client last month whose laptop drive was set to Region 1 (North America) but they were playing a Region 2 disc from a UK vacation. Took two minutes to fix.

Here's how to check and change it:

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives.
3. Right-click your DVD drive (e.g., HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GT50N) and select Properties.
4. Go to the DVD Region tab.
5. Look at the Region field. If it's not set to the same region as your disc, you can change it, but only a limited number of times (usually 5). If it's already at 0 changes left, you'll need to use a different method (see below).

If the region is correct, or you can't change it, move on to the next fix.

Second most common: Windows Media Player's DRM data is corrupted

This one sneaks up on you. WMP stores DRM license data in a folder called DRM under your user profile. If that data gets corrupted — often after a Windows update or a crash — WMP throws this exact error even on a perfectly clean disc.

I've seen this happen after Windows 10's 22H2 update. User's DVD played fine the day before, then suddenly nothing.

Here's the fix:

1. Close Windows Media Player completely.
2. Open File Explorer and paste this into the address bar:

   %windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\DRM

3. If you see a DRM folder there, rename it to DRM.bak. If you get a permission error, you'll need to take ownership — or just use the next method.

An easier way is to reset WMP entirely. Press Win + R, type appwiz.cpl, hit Enter. Click Turn Windows features on or off (in older Windows) or Programs and Features → Turn Windows features on or off. Uncheck Media Features, click OK, restart. Then re-check it and restart again. This clears the DRM cache and forces WMP to reinitialize. It's a bit heavy-handed but it works.

Third most common: The DVD itself is copy-protected with newer CSS

You'd think any DVD would play in WMP, but older versions of WMP (especially in Windows 7 and early Windows 10) don't support newer CSS version 2.0 or 3.0 discs. Happens a lot with newer releases from studios like Lionsgate or some indie labels. The disc plays fine in a standalone DVD player or VLC, but WMP chokes because it can't handle the newer encryption.

In that case, the real fix is to stop using WMP for DVD playback. I know that's not what you want to hear, but WMP hasn't been updated for DVD playback since Windows 8.1. The underlying code is ancient.

Download VLC Media Player (free, no spyware) and use that instead. VLC has its own decryption and handles any region or CSS version. It's what I use on every client machine now. If you really need WMP for some reason, you can try a third-party codec pack like K-Lite, but that's a band-aid.

Quick fix: Use the registry to bypass region check (advanced)

If you're out of region changes and the disc is region-mismatched, there's a registry hack that forces WMP to ignore the region. Only do this if you own the disc and it's legal in your country to bypass region lock (check your local laws — I'm not a lawyer).

Open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32

Find the string value vidc.ffds — if it doesn't exist, create it. Set it to ffdshow.ax. This installs ffdshow as a decoder, which can bypass region checks. But honestly, this is fragile and VLC does it better. Only use this if you're stuck on WMP for enterprise software that requires it.

Quick-reference summary

In most cases, the region code fix solves it. If not, reset the DRM data. And if you're still stuck, just grab VLC — it'll play anything you throw at it, and you won't see this error again.