DVD decoder questions, multiple decoders?

[ellips]

Any help on DVD decoders in Win XP SP2 is greatly
appreciated. I've searched for a faq but have only
found the basic DVD faq which doesn't address my
questions. I'm only concerned about playing DVDs
not encoding/writing.

I understand that Win XP cannot decode encrypted
(commercial) DVDs by itself. For that you need
a third party decoder (windvd, powerdvd, etc).
What about non-encrypted DVDs?
I have a stand alone SONY DVD writer that I record
NTSC TV shows on. Will Win XP media player 9 play
these by itself?

If I install one/or more of the commercial decoders
how can I tell Windows Media Player which one to use?

Are all the decoders registered under device manager->
Sound,video and game controllers->Video Codecs?

Will a different decoder be used if I play commercial
vs. non-encrypted DVDs. What if I copy the files to
the hard drive. Will that change the decoder used?

I have a 2.4GHz Dell, ATI 9700 that came with an
OEM version of PowerDVD. Looks like de-interlacing
is not working with no options to change it. Very
bad combing in fast moving frames, almost unwatchable.
DMA is turned on for my Samsung DVD-ROM drive.

I've installed a free player, VideoLan Client which
works on my non-commercial DVDs but I do like the
features of PowerDVD. Maybe I just have an old
(V4) crappy OEM version of it.

Any pointers to codec faqs?

Thanks.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

You can use PowerDVD (www.gocyberlink.com) or WinDVD
(www.intervideo.com).... it does not matter whether the DVD is encrypted or
not, you still need the decoding software in order to play a DVD.

Both sites have trial versions available so try them out and see what you
like before you buy.

It is not the encrption that needs the decoding, it's the MPEG2 format in
which the files are encoded.

 

[ellips]

Thanks. I thought there were free MPEG2 decoders that had
nothing to do with DVD encryption.

If I install more than one (winDVD, PowerDVD) which one will
Windows Media Player use?

Thanks

 

[da_test]

Thanks. I thought there were free MPEG2 decoders that had
nothing to do with DVD encryption.

If I install more than one (winDVD, PowerDVD) which one will
Windows Media Player use?

Thanks

The decoders are directshow filters. The one that is played
is the one that has the highest "merit", merit being
a kind of priority, set during the time the codec is registered.

Why do you need to install two? That complicates matters.

It can be done, however. In the past I have
used a simple batch file to register / unregister the
filters.
Dave

 

[ellips]

On 31 Mar 2005 12:05:57 -0800, (e-mail address removed) wrote:
The decoders are directshow filters. The one that is played
is the one that has the highest "merit", merit being
a kind of priority, set during the time the codec is registered.

Why do you need to install two? That complicates matters.

It can be done, however. In the past I have
used a simple batch file to register / unregister the
filters.
Dave

I installed WinDVD and that seems to work much better than
PowerDVD 4. The only reason for multiple decoders was to
compare quality. Sounds like a registry entry to set the
priority?

After installing WinDVD, I don't see any new codec under
control panel -> sound,audio devices -> video codecs
Why is this?
Other codecs I've installed show up there, like DivX.

Is there a FAQ on this?

I had very bad combing with PowerDVD, like the de-interlacing
wasn't working. Which codec is considered to have the highest
quality?

I have also installed Video Lan Client and that works very well
but the interface is not as nice. They seem to be using there
own codecs independent of what I have installed.

Thanks.

 

[da_test]

I installed WinDVD and that seems to work much better than
PowerDVD 4. The only reason for multiple decoders was to
compare quality. Sounds like a registry entry to set the
priority?

You can create a simple BAT file to unregister/register the filters.
you'll need two, one to set the registry for powerdvd and another
to set it for windvd. This is a hack. The best solution is to have
only one installed.

After installing WinDVD, I don't see any new codec under
control panel -> sound,audio devices -> video codecs
Why is this?
Other codecs I've installed show up there, like DivX.

These are Dshow codecs. They don't show up there.
Use Gspot or graphedt to view info about them.

Is there a FAQ on this?

I had very bad combing with PowerDVD, like the de-interlacing
wasn't working. Which codec is considered to have the highest
quality?

Combing doesn't sound right there might be a setting in windvd to
adjust. How to deal with interlaced frames.

I have also installed Video Lan Client and that works very well
but the interface is not as nice. They seem to be using there
own codecs independent of what I have installed.

Thanks.

Dave

 

[Ted Kerin]

These are Dshow codecs. They don't show up there.
Use Gspot or graphedt to view info about them.

Even better, download the newest "beta" version of Gspot, which allows you
to change the "merits" of the codecs. If a poor MPEG decoder has taken-over
the job (maybe for no better reason than that it was installed most
recently), Gspot beta will let you assign a higher "merit" value to a
different MPEG decoder and splitter.