simple(I think) dvd-drive question...

[-- TW]

I have a dvd I made -- plays fine in my dvd player (hooked to my tv).

When I try to play it on my computer's dvd-drive, it doesn't even
recognize that there's a disc in there.

Please advise.

Thanks!

-- TW

 

[Christopher Range]

I have a dvd I made -- plays fine in my dvd player (hooked to my tv).

When I try to play it on my computer's dvd-drive, it doesn't even
recognize that there's a disc in there.

Please advise.

Thanks!

-- TW

Have you tried other DVD's that you didn't make?

Christopher

 

[-- TW]

That's a good question -- I just tried that -- and... no, the other dvd
(that I didn't make, but that also plays fine on my tv dvd player) does
NOT play on my computer's dvd drive.

Now what?

Has the drive been disabled somehow?

I ahve had some recent crashes -- I'm running on the windows ME o.s.
which I know has problems.

Any advice out there?

-- TW

 

[John Holmes]

-- TW "contributed" in alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt:

I'm running on the windows ME o.s.

There's your problem.

 

[mcheu]

That's a good question -- I just tried that -- and... no, the other dvd
(that I didn't make, but that also plays fine on my tv dvd player) does
NOT play on my computer's dvd drive.

Now what?

Has the drive been disabled somehow?

I ahve had some recent crashes -- I'm running on the windows ME o.s.
which I know has problems.

Any advice out there?

-- TW

Have you installed a DVD player program? A program specifically
designed to play DVD video discs? If you bought the drive in retail
box form, it should have been bundled with such a program. Without
that program, or a DVD video codec installed, it won't play DVD video
discs. You should be able to read the disc as a DVD data disc, but
that's it. Windows Media player and the built-in Windows DVD player
program aren't capable of playing DVD discs without a DVD codec
present. This applies to ALL versions of Windows currently available
(except perhaps Vista, which I'm not sure about).

 

[Fitz]

Had you ever tried playing a DVD on the computer before? Windows does
not come with the codecs necessasy
to play DVD's. Some OE versions of 3rd party software also doesn't
include them (Nero6). The proper codecs
can be obtained here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/plugins.aspx , or
you could buy
a 3rd party player such as PowerDVD.

Fitz

 

[-- TW]

Thanks.

So you're sying that when I bought my computer and they told me it can
'play' dvd's, they only meant it can 'play' DATA dvd's, NOT video
dvd's(?!?). Do I have to BUY something extra now (codecs)?? -- Or are
those downloads free? Also, those downloads seemd to only be for XP
--- I (unfortunately?) have wondows ME.

What now?

-- TW

 

[saturnlee]

it may be either one or both.
1) Maybe DVD reader is too picky or the reader is not design to read
some types of disc(e.g DVD +R)
2) the disc quality is not very good.

 

[Stephen]

That's a good question -- I just tried that -- and... no, the other dvd
(that I didn't make, but that also plays fine on my tv dvd player) does
NOT play on my computer's dvd drive.

Now what?

Has the drive been disabled somehow?

I ahve had some recent crashes -- I'm running on the windows ME o.s.
which I know has problems.

Any advice out there?

-- TW

Do you have a software dvd player installed? Without one, you can't
play any dvd movies on your pc.


Stephen
--

 

[mcheu]

Thanks.

So you're sying that when I bought my computer and they told me it can
'play' dvd's, they only meant it can 'play' DATA dvd's, NOT video
dvd's(?!?). Do I have to BUY something extra now (codecs)?? -- Or are
those downloads free? Also, those downloads seemd to only be for XP
--- I (unfortunately?) have wondows ME.

What now?

-- TW

They're not free. Due to licensing issues, an author would have to be
extraordinarily generous to offer a freeware DVD codec, as he'd have
to pay out a royalty for each copy he distributed based on the DVD
specification -- at least if he wanted to keep it legal. I can't see
someone paying out of pocket for the privilege of giving away his hard
work.

However, it's possible that you already have the software, just not
installed. With a few exceptions, many DVD drives (even some OEM
units) come bundled with either PowerDVD or WinDVD. Installing one of
those will also install a DVD-Video codec to the system. Look in the
stack of CDs that came with your computer and see if a DVD player
program is in among them. If you don't have it, and want to keep
everything above board, you'll have to buy a copy of one of the
players or CODECs. The older versions can be bought through bargain
bin distributors for $10 or less, but the latest versions of PowerDVD
and WinDVD run about $50-80.

 

[Michael Hawes]

They're not free. Due to licensing issues, an author would have to be
extraordinarily generous to offer a freeware DVD codec, as he'd have
to pay out a royalty for each copy he distributed based on the DVD
specification -- at least if he wanted to keep it legal. I can't see
someone paying out of pocket for the privilege of giving away his hard
work.

However, it's possible that you already have the software, just not
installed. With a few exceptions, many DVD drives (even some OEM
units) come bundled with either PowerDVD or WinDVD. Installing one of
those will also install a DVD-Video codec to the system. Look in the
stack of CDs that came with your computer and see if a DVD player
program is in among them. If you don't have it, and want to keep
everything above board, you'll have to buy a copy of one of the
players or CODECs. The older versions can be bought through bargain
bin distributors for $10 or less, but the latest versions of PowerDVD
and WinDVD run about $50-80.

Check the CDs that came with your video card, they often come with DVD
player software.
Mike.