Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC

Subject: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 04:30 AM

OK, I have finally purchased my first DVDs.... I have currently no DVD box, but I do have a DVD player drive in my PC. It detects the files on there, but tells me that I do not have software to play the thing - if I do I have not made appropriate associations.

I have about a million various bits of SW around the place, but am at a loss to guess which one will work - any suggestions? I may already have a freeware or demo version of something on a CD somewhere.

A random disk has 2 folders AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS - first one blank, second one has files as follows

VIDEO_TS.BUP
VIDEO_TS.IFO
VIDEO_TS.VOB
VTS_01_0.BUP
VTS_01_0.IFO
VTS_01_1.VOB
VTS_01_2.VOB
VTS_01_3.VOB

I do have a weakness for pre-1970s cartoons, you see, and at $2 each a DVD, I just could not resist some of these... :-) I also just love some of the music on some of these old cartoons.

Btw, if anyone wants to point to where I can discover some techie info - I would also be grateful.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 07:07 AM

Foolestroupe -

The default DVD player in WinXP is "Windows Media Player." If the version you have doesn't play them, you may be able to download an update.

"Real Player" is on the popup when I put a DVD in, but I haven't tried it to see if it actually will play DVD movies. It probably depends on what version you've got.

If you right click on your DVD drive in Win Explorer, and click Properties, there should be an "Autoplay" tab. If you select "Always ask me" it will let you try out whatever programs you can find that might work without having to go through the filetype assignment routine each time. You can do the assignment later when you decide what you want to use, if you want them to actually autoplay.

Most add-on DVD players/burners come with a program CD, and they seldom tell you up front what's on it. You may, or may not, have something there you could use.

I usually watch movies with a program called NVDVD that came with my machine, since it lets me "snatch" individual frame pictures off the playback if I take a notion to. I seldom do since the pictures are "TV resolution," but it gives me immense satisfaction to know I could if I wanted to. It comes with a lot of "graphics cards" and if your machine came with more than a minimal card, or if you've replaced your card recently, you may have a "monitor disk" with it or something similar on it. Quite a few other (NVIDIA/geForce clones) graphics cards use NVIDIA specification parts, and sometimes bundle it.

If you got a DVD burner, you may have gotten a DVD version of Nero or EZ-CD (Roxio). My DVD-Nero "front panel" offers to "play a DVD" although Roxio doesn't have that option up front. I think there's a Roxio "player" buried somewhere that installed when I loaded the burner program, but I haven't looked for it.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 08:19 AM

Sorry John -

Win98SE PIII 1G 512Mb - onboard video, sound & Lan port. MBd 815EFV. Had to do a Mb flash & load several special drivers to get Win98SE to talk to it. 2nd hand - hand me down 'obsolete' box - superseded by company upgrade policy!

DVD drive is a HL-DT-ST RW/DVD GCC-4320B (LG branded) CD RW - DVD reader only - no useful sw that I known of came with it. I installed the system myself - the HDs were nuked/nulled.

Neither Nero or Roxio installed - god alone knows what demo versions of any of those may be on my PC Mag CDs.....

Windows 'botch up player' is sidelined for most things - I am an old Irfanview guy :-) - will see if I can enable WMP for the DVD - have several versions lying around...

Have several video & sound players (freeware) around - but too many to try - also when I insert the DVD it immediately tries to play something - but there is no association for it. Was trying to make it work manually - but the GNU media layer Classic (second latest version - have just got Feb 2005 version) doesn't know the codecs - offers to get them from the web - but they don't know them either...

Thanks for the help though John.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 09:14 AM

I have installed 2 or 3 DVD combis recently and they have all come with PowerDVD - I quite like it and will post you the CD if all else fails. Son No. 3 used to use Interactual free version. There are any number of free downloads on downloads.com. All-in-one looks best at first glance but check it out for yourself.

You shouldn't need Nero or Roxio unless you want to write CD's or DVD's.

You may struggle with an on-board video btw but with your processor and memory it may be OK. Don't be surprised if the quality isn't what you expect and someone recommends a seperate video card.

Good luck

Dave the Gnome.

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: gnomad
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 09:38 AM

If you have realplayer (like John) it is worth a try, I have used it & found it OK as a DVD player (I am less a fan of the pop-ups it gives me just about every tine I power up).

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: GUEST,Joe Offer
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 10:55 AM

Robin, my guess is that your video card or video drivers aren't suited for playing DVD. But it could be that your computer identifies your drive as a CD player, not DVD. If you can read the file names on a DVD, then that's not your problem and it's more likely a video card or video driver problem.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 03:10 PM

The problem here probably is that there are so many programs that might work, depending on version and installation, that it's probably a matter of picking one that you're pretty sure should work and then concentrating on it. The ones I suggested were just ones you might have to give an idea of where to look. Nero and Roxio were included only because they do, in some versions, offer DVD playback.

Older versions of most "player programs" may not include DVD capability. If you're forced to go to WMP or RealPlayer, I'd suggest downloading the current/latest free version(s) you can find.

Current WMP can be downloaded (free) at Windows Media Player Download. It should detect what OS you're using automatically, and offer a "one-button" download. If it doesn't there's a link to "see all Windows Media Downloads" in the sidebar. (Windows Media Player 10 for WinXP is "Total Size: 11,638 KB," and for Win98SE is a little bigger, so plan on spending a bit of time on a slow connection like mine.) Also note that if you go to the "all downloads" theremay be an offer of the "Windows Super Plus Pack" that is NOT free.

(At the "all WMP" page there's also a "license migrator" that might be of interest to some who have some "paid downloads" they don't want to lose the receipt for when they update things. And a MAC version.)

I avoid going to Real Player, so don't have a link handy; but it's almost impossible to open the $#%! thing without getting a popup offering an update.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 03:43 PM

Very old DVD drivers may have a problem with "modern" DVD disks, since there was a change in the Disk format specification somewhere back at about year 2001 or 2002 that changed the amount of "swing range" the heads needed. Pioneer - my original OEM DVD - warned that using "new spec" disks without their update could damage the drive. (I doubt it, but that's their opinion.) The warning was ambiguous, and may have applied only to burners. Their driver update didn't help with the problems I had with their drive so I trashed the drive and blew $50 US (assuming the rebate comes back) and got one that works.

I did find that Pioneer has a couple of "possibly useful" test utilities, although you have to wade through a lot of crap to find them. At Pioneer Support you should see a line that says:

 : "You can find out which firmware version you currently have by using this utility."

If you click, it should pop up the standard "Do you want to run or save," and if you save it to disk you should have:

183982208DeviceInfo.exe, 236 KB

It's intended to be for Pioneer drives only, but identified ALL of the fixed media and optical drives on my machine (including the internal and external Hard Drives, and CD/DVD drives), and gave some info about what each drive was and what firmware each was using. It will run from a DOS/Command window on my machine, and pops up the OS identification, and a button you click for "Display SCSI/IDE device info:."

For my new DVD burner, I get a typical:

E:    Device Type: DVD/CD-Rom
     Vendor ID: MAD DOG
     Product ID: MD-16XDVD9A2   
     Product Rev: 1.F0
     Vendor Info: 04121600

The Product ID is the model number (usually), and the Product Rev is the "firmware version" (usually). It definitely helps to know this information if you need to look for an update. (In particular, with a "salvaged" drive, someone may have downloaded a new firmware set that doesn't show up on the nameplate.)

Pioneer seems to make a habit of offering the same utility with slightly different names depending on which page you get it from. They probably have a 'NIX version, but I don't have a link to one.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 07:01 PM

Thanks guys - I will be busy for a while.

I have a Seagate Extra Value CD - support for disks.

I also picked up a DVD (the drive works fine as a data disk) that has several free 'DVD players' on it.

I am planning to get a cheapish - not the latest - video card (will see about rtying for DX level 8 native support) when I get a ROUND TUIT.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: s6k
Date: 19 Mar 05 - 09:19 AM

use windows media player 10 or DIVX to play DVDs, divx can be gotten for free from divx.com, and media player 10 is easy to find

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 02:36 AM

I've skipped to the bottom, so I hope this isn't repeating what went before.

Back when I still had my HP Pavilion 9870, it originally came with a CD, a DVD, and the OS was Windows ME. I had a dual platform for a while, with Win2000 as my preferred OS. But I did it dual because there were some things that wouldn't come through if I did a straight upgrade. Or so I thought at the time. One of them was the DVD player. I could only watch movies with the software that was on the ME side of things.

I looked around, and for a while $50 was about the cheapest software I could find to give me the drivers I needed to play movies on the DVD on the Win side. But I hated to buy software that I already had on the computer, just couldn't get to. (The ME side finally did a fatal crash and I decided to not restore it, but to simply install Win2000 over the top of it.)

The program I thought worked best was WinDVD, and I have a CD for WinDVD 5. Through research I realized that for instant gratification I could download any of several programs for $50 to $60, and if I wanted, for $5 more they would send me a "backup" copy of the program. It took some more looking but I found a place that would sell me the WinDVE backup by itself, without the download. With shipping it doubled in price to $10, but this was low enough I considered it worthwhile and got the disk. I wish I had the address, but that link went out the door when the old computer was stolen (I have the feeling I'm going to be saying that for years, there was so much stuff in that computer). I think it was something like EAGLE computers. But when I did a simple search just now, I didn't find them. Periodically they send me an advertising email, and next time I hear from them I'll check to see if they have the software. BTW--there are regions in how DVDs are recorded and played as far as DVD stand-alone players go. I wonder if the various computer programs out there recognize all of the regions?

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 04:05 AM

Another good free player is JetAudio, which will play DVD and various types of audio files. The Basic Player can be downloaded free from JetAudio Download Page (1st download on the page)

Mick

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: GUEST,Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 10:11 AM

I wasn't able to make the free players work back when I was looking for some. I bought the WinDVD program probably a year ago now, after trying several "free downloads." Tricky category, "free." In several instances that meant you could watch five minutes of something then it ended.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 11:08 AM

I think the basic JetAudio is fully functional. The (pay for) pro version includes mp3 encoding and some other sound enhancement features, but the basic player seems fine. I've not tried it for DVD until today, but it seems to have more or less the same features as my DVD player - it zooms, subtitles and changes angles (I haven't checked to see if it has vari-speed). I think other people on Mudcat have used it for audio and may have more experience with it for video too.

Mick

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 11:27 PM

Robin,

I've been digging through files looking for my various bits of paper showing what I owned on the computers that were stolen, and tonight I hit paydirt. A file I'd forgotten to check that is in a file box next to a desk in the kitchen (it's where I pay bills and file some receipts). In with the order information and replacement information I needed from Dell was a slip of paper as receipt from http://www.saveateagle.com/, where I found the WinDVD for a very good price. I've bookmarked the place, and am sending it to you to take a look around. I don't know if this is a graymarket business, but their prices are good, and the fact that they're still around a year later is a good sign! They've sent occasional discount offers via email that are useful.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 02:03 AM

To make this a music thread...

Robin, speaking of cartoon music, if you have the chance, try to find a recording of the "Poet and Peasant" overture by Suppe. I think half the cartoons made in the 1940's and 50's used excerpts from that piece. My junior high school band played it in 1965, and I envisioned dozens of chases, fights, flying kitchenware, etc. while we were playing it.

Also, the jazz selections from the old Betty Boop cartoons are marvelous.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: Grab
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 07:02 AM

If you've got a DVD drive in your PC, it should have come with a CD containing WinDVD or a similar DVD-playing program. If it didn't, go back to whoever you bought it from and ask why you didn't get one. My experience is that every DVD drive comes packaged with DVD player software.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 23 Mar 05 - 08:23 AM

Wow! the login worked - will be back home in a while - thanks guys - I said above the box was a 2nd hand thing gifted with no SW.

As a systenm hacker since 1975, my wider experience is that obsolete HW throways are mostly SW free.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 25 Mar 05 - 07:46 AM

The basic freeware Jetaudio I downloaded didn't want to play DVDs -it needs a 3rd party DVD decoder. It also requires lots of additional codecs from third parties to play many of the formats - which is fine - but of course they don't tell you where to get them all - when I get back home I will search for them.

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Mar 05 - 08:47 PM

My old Win98 box wouldn't play DVDs and the error messages that came up were totally misleading. The odds are that a box of that age will have problems around memory or the graphics card.

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 12:01 AM

I have issues playing dvds on mine as well...saying i need this codec or that codec...including when i play winmedia. they want to charge me to install the fecking thing.

Subject: RE: Tech: Playing DVDs on a PC
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 02 Apr 05 - 07:11 AM

Well, having got WinPlayer - version 9 for Win98 - it still won;t play DVDs. Went thru all the 'MFC*.DLL incompatible' games again too...

Send to, Drag & Drop, File Open, Nada.

Bought big DVD of media players - most said they had Adware - avoided them and the Trial & Shareware stuff.

Tried Xenorate... nada.

Tried VLC - GNU based product - only 0.8 version. Well, it played, but according to the error message stream, many frames were arriving too late and were discarded, probably the reason for the jerky movements and frame freezing. Perhaps my PIII 1Ghz 512 Mb with onboard video & sound is a little slow....

The DVDs - AU$2 each - seem to be real lousy - they did play on my friend's DVD player to the TV, but the colours and contrast were all over the place (still the same on the PC), and one had a 5 sec sound track delay.