Fix NS_E_DVD_MACROVISION (0XC00D1167) on Windows 10/11

Quick answer: two real fixes

Disable digital output in your DVD software's audio settings, or switch to VLC Media Player. That's it.

Why you're seeing this error

0XC00D1167 is the Windows Media Player way of saying “I see Macrovision copy protection on this DVD and can't play it cleanly.” Macrovision is an old analog copy protection scheme that messes with the video signal. Most modern PCs don't have analog video outputs, so the protection check fails. This pops up when you try to play a commercial DVD on Windows 10 or 11 using Windows Media Player, or sometimes with other players that rely on the system's built-in MPEG-2 decoder.

I've seen this most often on laptops with Intel integrated graphics or older NVIDIA GPUs. The trigger is usually a DVD you bought years ago—Disney movies, early 2000s releases, or anything from the Macrovision heyday. The error's been around since Windows 7 and still haunts Windows 11 22H2 builds.

Fix it: disable digital output

This is the fix that works 9 times out of 10. You're basically telling Windows Media Player to skip the digital protection check.

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. Press Alt to show the menu bar, then click Tools > Options.
3. Go to the DVD tab.
4. Under Playback, uncheck Use digital output.
5. Click OK, then try your DVD again.

That forces the player to use analog output internally. The video quality takes a tiny hit—you won't notice on a 1080p screen—but the error goes away.

Fix it: swap to VLC Media Player

If the digital output trick fails or you'd rather not mess with settings, ditch Windows Media Player entirely. VLC Media Player (version 3.0.16 or newer) has its own DVD decoder that ignores Macrovision. No configuration needed.

1. Download and install VLC from videolan.org.
2. Insert your DVD.
3. Open VLC, click Media > Open Disc, select DVD, and click Play.

VLC handles the copy protection bypass natively. It's the fastest path to watching your movie without headaches.

Alternative fixes if those don't help

Sometimes the problem isn't Macrovision itself but a corrupted DVD decoder or driver conflict. Try these in order:

• Update your graphics driver. If you're on an Intel GPU, download the latest driver from Intel's site—Windows Update often misses these. For NVIDIA or AMD, use their official tools.
• Reinstall the DVD decoder. Open PowerShell as admin and run:

  dism /online /add-capability /capabilityname:Media.WindowsMediaPlayer~~~~0.0.1.0

  Then restart.
• Try a different player. PowerDVD or MPC-HC with the K-Lite codec pack often handles Macrovision DVDs better than WMP.

I've also seen cases where the DVD drive itself is the culprit. If the disc is scratched or dirty, clean it with a microfiber cloth from the center outward. If multiple DVDs throw the same error, your drive's firmware might be out of date—check the manufacturer's site. For LG or Asus drives, there's often a firmware update that improves copy protection handling.

Prevention tip

Once you've fixed it, there's nothing you need to do long-term. The error only happens per-session. But if you regularly play old DVDs, set VLC as your default player. Go to Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Default Programs, pick VLC, and choose Select all for the file types. You won't see 0XC00D1167 again.

One more thing: don't bother with registry tweaks or disabling Macrovision globally—they don't work on modern Windows because the protection check is built into the Media Foundation pipeline, not the registry. The fixes above handle the real cause.