Tech: Movie Playing Program

Subject: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Susan of DT
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 12:10 PM

My video playing program seems to have died (the drive still works for music CDs). Any recommendations for cheap/free programs to play video DVDs? I am not interested in producing videos, just watching them. Thanx.

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 01:18 PM

The KM Player is one....

VideoLan (VLC) is sorta 'better', but not quite as easy a GUI to use

I have used both.

SMPLayer is also good, and part of SourceForge... somehow, I just usually use KMPlayer

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 01:26 PM

What is your computer and operating system?

If you have Win7 then you should have Windows Media Center.

Bill D always has some good suggestions if you don't have something else already in your system. I use quite a few of the programs he has recommended over the years.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 01:31 PM

Addendum- Daum PotPlayer is new... written by same author as KMPlayer, which was sold. PotPlayer is considered by many to be much better.
I have it on my other machine, and it IS quite good....but I still often default to KM, simply because I'm used to it.

You can Google "Pot Player" and get a host of reviews...

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 02:39 PM

(I don't yet use Windows 7, so I have no idea how any of their players stack up.... but for 10-15 years I have felt that 3rd party programs, properly vetted, usually had more features, better interfaces and were less subject to security problems than what MS provided.)

(I don't even care for the often touted Media Player Classic which, though not a MS product, just never felt as 'çomfortable' to use. YMMV)

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 03:20 PM

Out of curiosity, Susan...what program were you using that 'died'?

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: Susan of DT
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 04:45 PM

Windows 7

HP MediaSmart died the other day. I tried opening Windows media player, but the video still went to HP MediaSmart and went to neverneverland without even a cursor.

Is this just the default program for filetypes that prevents it from going to Windows media player?

Timeout while I try some other things

I changed the autoplay settings to send video to windows media player. Well, better, but barely better. Took forever to load (5 or 10 minutes) and stuttered jerkily. Then I gave it an ancient DVD of Fantasia, which also took forever to load but then did begin to play and show the orchestra. Then Dick came by and asked to see it. Mediaplayer took forever to load and did not play the first disk. When I gave it fantasia, it eventually loaded and played sound, but no picture.

Maybe I need a new drive.

(Bill - PM me Rita's email. The one I used last night bounced)

Subject: RE: Tech: Movie Playing Program
From: GUEST,Tony
Date: 23 Jan 12 - 09:54 PM

It sounds like the drive. I've gone through several of them, and they all acted sluggish before they died completely. And it's usually just one or the other that dies - the CD or the DVD part. Maybe there are separate lasers for each, and one of them burns out.