Recommend codec or player for DVD on XP

[pzkpfw]

My Daughters DVD player in her laptop has used up its region changes and I can't find an unlock for it.

So I tried to set up my sons old PC for her to watch her DVD on.

But the old XP install on my sons PC only had Windows Media Player on it, which upgraded itself to 11, but wouldn't play a DVD without the right codec installed.

Found one and downloaded and installed it - the DVD now plays, but zero sounds and all black picture (yay!).

Sigh. I hate this crap. Should "just work"TM.

Anyone recommend a source for a good DVD codec pack for XP? Or a player?

(Yes I can google it and have done so (that's how I found the codec I did try); but I prefer a personal recommendation. Unless it's to go to Linux or buy a mac; or get my son a new PC.)

[nathanwhite]

Unless it's to go to Linux

Nothing wrong with linux. I installed a few general media codecs, and now it can read EVERY file I have put on it. :blink:

but thats off topic....

Try VLC player, very versatile and can play most everything (incl DVD's)
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

[2Seat_Terror]

+1 for VLC.

[pzkpfw]

Yep - downloaded and installed VLC, and it played a test DVD fine. The player is set to Region 1 and the tested DVD was region 4 - so it also looks like the drive is RPC-1 or something; in any case - looks like the Daughter can watch her DVD (and she and son won't have to fight over region setting).

Had heard of VLC, but am getting very wary of downloading/installing anything so glad for the advice.

Cheers,

[imdying]

VLC is the shizzle, totally legit. Output quality is a little down on some tools, but if VLC can't play it, then delete it; it has a pretty high success rate on all formats.

[Brian d marge]

+1 for VLC.
+another one for vlc
Stephen

[davereid]

Yeah it confuses the hell out of me as a firm believer that quality and price are linked.

But the free VLC media player is head and shoulders better than the one I paid for.

The free Ubuntu distribution has turned my old laptop into the best PC I have ever owned.

And the latest version of Open Office is err well also free, and it has bloody menus that work, so I don't need to guess where Bill Gates has hidden the controls.

Even my free web browser nukes the one I paid for.

If I were a betting man I would say I can't see how microsoft and other "professionals" stay in business.

Yes I can. A payroll and invoicing system for Auckland looks like costing $500,000,000. http://thestandard.org.nz/aucklanders-to-pay-for-nats-negligence/

Its actually not that hard.

A free invoicing, orders, inventory and payroll system was on the first PC I bought in 1978.

It could still do 100 million clients, so it might manage for Auckland.

Maybe I just need a marketing department, and DOSBOX

[p.dath]

DVD drives are really cheap ... might be easier to get a new one that can be made multi-region.

[Hopeful Bastard]

Yep. Run VLC on my computer. Can highly recommend it!

[nathanwhite]

DVD drives are really cheap ... might be easier to get a new one that can be made multi-region.

Regions on PC DVD players is a software rather then a hardware thing. Which is why only commercial type players have the whole region change thing, the good players (like VLC) don't bother you with that

[pzkpfw]

Regions on PC DVD players is a software rather then a hardware thing. Which is why only commercial type players have the whole region change thing, the good players (like VLC) don't bother you with that

Not quite. (I think).

Something I (think I) learned when looking into all this, is that newer PC-DVD drives have this thing where the drive checks the region before letting software on the PC get direct access to the raw data on the disk.

In these cases, without changing the firmware on the drive, even software like VLC can't play disks of the "wrong" region.

It's about something called RPC-1 versus RPC-2.

(Look for "RPC2" on this page: http://www.videolan.org/support/faq.html


VLC media player
Does VLC support DVDs from all regions?
This mostly depends on your DVD drive. Testing it is usually the quickest way to find out. The problem is that a lot of newer drives are RPC2 drives these days. Some of these drives don't allow raw access to the drive untill the drive firmware has done a regioncheck. VLC uses libdvdcss and it needs raw access to the DVD drive to crack the encryption key. So with those drives it is impossible to circumvent the region protection. (This goes for all software. You will need to flash your drives firmware, but sometimes there is no alternate firmware available for your drive). On other RPC2 drives that do allow raw access, it might take VLC a long time to crack the key. So just pop the disc in your drive and try it out, while you get a coffee. RPC1 drives should 'always' work regardless of the regioncode.
)

[slofox]

+ whatever number we are up to for VLC. Never looked back since I installed it.

[imdying]

If I were a betting man I would say I can't see how microsoft and other "professionals" stay in business.Because when you start doing complicated things, Open Office whimpers in a corner under the strain.

A free invoicing, orders, inventory and payroll system from 1978 won't handle anywhere close to 100 million clients, a PC from 1978 couldn't even store the information required, much less process it.

[Ronin]

Regions on PC DVD players is a software rather then a hardware thing. Which is why only commercial type players have the whole region change thing, the good players (like VLC) don't bother you with that

Ahhh no. The region on your DVD drive is a firmware thing. If you use A paid for software it changes the counter everytime you switch regions. You have 5 changes with it being locked on the last one you choose.

However, VLC gets around that.

[nathanwhite]

Must be i'm just used to good (and free) software...

[Suntoucher]

It's a software thing, if you reformat you have a fresh new five.

The K-Lite Codec Pack will also do it if you want to use Windows Media Player, has it's own little program(Windows Media Classic) but it also loads all the codecs to WMP.

[Grasshopperus]

Yeah it confuses the hell out of me as a firm believer that quality and price are linked.

Yep. In the software world world there are people that do work for the satisfaction of knowing that it's helping others. The great thing is that all it costs these people is time.

As a free software developer myself you know what really makes us happy? A simple email of thanks from the users. If you want to spend something, then spend 5 minutes writing them a nice email. They also have a 'contribute' page here http://www.videolan.org/contribute.html where you can send them a fiver or contribute your own time to make their product better.

[The Singing Chef]

+1 for VLC

I like to use a bit of both, at the same time. If i move the windows to take up half of my screen each i can then watch two pornos at the same time.
Not much point in it but it's fun trying to get them in sync with each other..

[oldguy]

My Daughters DVD player in her laptop has used up its region changes and I can't find an unlock for it.

So I tried to set up my sons old PC for her to watch her DVD on.

But the old XP install on my sons PC only had Windows Media Player on it, which upgraded itself to 11, but wouldn't play a DVD without the right codec installed.

Found one and downloaded and installed it - the DVD now plays, but zero sounds and all black picture (yay!).

Sigh. I hate this crap. Should "just work"TM.

Anyone recommend a source for a good DVD codec pack for XP? Or a player?

(Yes I can google it and have done so (that's how I found the codec I did try); but I prefer a personal recommendation. Unless it's to go to Linux or buy a mac; or get my son a new PC.)

For your daughters Laptop install a software program called, DVD region free, she be away laughing again.