device file permissions the debian way

[brownh@hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown)]

I'm trying to set up a new installation of debian so that user can
play DVDs. I have debian sarge 2.6.8-2-686, an IDE dvd drive, gxine
0.4.1-1, libdvdread3-0.9.4-5. I can play .mp3 files OK with gzine.

I created a dvd symlink:

  $ ls -l /dev/dvd
  lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root 3 Sep 11 08:25 /dev/dvd -> hdc

I can play a dvd as root, but not as user. To play as user I am forced
to use a 666 permission for the device file, which is not the debian way: 

  $ ls -l /dev/hdc
  brw-rw-rw-  1 root disk 22, 0 Jul 31 18:54 /dev/hdc  

To do things the debian way, I should give /dev/hdc 660 permission and
add the user to the disk group, but it doesn't work.

  xine engine error

    xine engine failed to start
    No input plugin found
    Maybe the file does not exist, has wrong permissions or URL syntax error

  xine engine message
    Read error from: /dev/dvd

  in the terminal:

    $ gxine
    libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 1.0.1 from http://xine.sf.net
    libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.8 for DVD access
    libdvdread: Could not open /dev/dvd with libdvdcss.
    libdvdread: Can't open /dev/dvd for reading
    libdvdnav: vm: faild to open/read the DVD
    libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 1.0.1 from http://xine.sf.net
    libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.8 for DVD access
    libdvdread: Could not open /dev/dvd with libdvdcss.
    libdvdread: Can't open /dev/dvd for reading
    libdvdnav: vm: faild to open/read the DVD

I had things working on an old machine with sarge (although with a
scsi dvd drive using the /dev/scd0 interface). Permissions for
/dev/scd0 were root/cdrom, and I had user in the cdrom group. Now,
however, on my new installation there is no cdrom group in /etc/group,
and /dev/hdc is in the disk group rather than cdrom group.  

I've been warned not to create new groups, and so wonder what I should 
do. There are no relevant log messages.

-- 
 
       Haines Brown
       KB1GRM