Recommend codec or player for DVD on XP

**pzkpfw** · 20th October 2011, 14:03

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** · 20th October 2011, 14:18

Originally Posted by pzkpfw

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.

but thats off topic....

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

**2Seat_Terror** · 20th October 2011, 16:27

+1 for VLC.

**pzkpfw** · 20th October 2011, 16:34

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** · 21st October 2011, 11:56

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** · 21st October 2011, 11:56

Originally Posted by 2Seat_Terror

+1 for VLC.

+another one for vlc
Stephen

**davereid** · 21st October 2011, 18:11

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/aucklander...ts-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** · 21st October 2011, 18:36

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

**Hopeful Bastard** · 21st October 2011, 19:13

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

**nathanwhite** · 21st October 2011, 19:55

Originally Posted by p.dath

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** · 22nd October 2011, 11:28

Originally Posted by nathanwhite

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** · 22nd October 2011, 12:03

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

**imdying** · 24th October 2011, 12:40

Originally Posted by davereid

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** · 24th October 2011, 12:46

Originally Posted by nathanwhite

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.