Watching DVDs on Windows 7

[Terbinator]

Touché - Although I don't think Fraz will like you adding salt to his already sore wound.

[Funkstar]

Codec packs are evil.

MediaPlayerClassic Home Cinema is all you should need. Far better playback than WMP as well.

[duc]

Codec packs are evil.

MediaPlayerClassic Home Cinema is all you should need. Far better playback than WMP as well.

MPC is miles better than WMP in XP & Vista. In Windows 7,however, Windows Media Player is far more accomplished and a better DVD media player than MPC. On my system W7 WMP produces better colour and contrast than MPC.

[Fraz]

Well, I've calmed down a bit now, so I might try again. Deep breath.....

[Fraz]

So, updated drivers doesn't fix it.

Regarding VLC.... I'm going to try this now. I've used it in the past (several years ago) and was seriously underwhelmed. *BUT* My ponit is, this kinda stuff should just work, using the software available within the operating system.

[Fraz]

So, VLC plays it fine, although I'd still like to solve the problem. It looks like this is a DRM issue with windows media player/centre. Yet another success for DRM preventing a legitimate user from play a DVD I paid money for. Well done DRM guys, well done.

[filbert]

what hardware have you got, and what version of win7?

[kalniel]

So, VLC plays it fine, although I'd still like to solve the problem. It looks like this is a DRM issue with windows media player/centre. Yet another success for DRM preventing a legitimate user from play a DVD I paid money for. Well done DRM guys, well done.

I've never had a problem with any DRM and playing movies with windows 7, why do you think it's a DRM problem? What's the film you're trying to watch?

[TAKTAK]

Ditto, i've never had any problems what-so-ever, on any of the installs i've done.

With vastly varying hardware in all of them

[Fraz]

I've never had a problem with any DRM and playing movies with windows 7, why do you think it's a DRM problem? What's the film you're trying to watch?

Son of Rambo.

Gah, my blood pressure is rising again.

It works on VLC, but shame I can't hear what's going on over the sound of my DVD drive spinning at 1,000,000 RPM It's just pathetic, it really is. I just want to watch a DVD on my computer for Christ's sake. Is there a way of turning this down other than paying for Nero Drivespeed? I seriously object to having to download or pay for software to do things that are just obvious features of an OS.

Any WMP or WM centre just say there is a driver or DRM issue. Although interestingly if I fire up VLC and play the DVD a bit, shut VLC down and then fire up WMP or Windows Media Centre it vaguely plays, but is all messed up:

[Fraz]

@ TAKTAK and Kalniel: Do you have HDCP compatible screens and graphics cards? My monitor supports HDCP, and the driver shows it's "working". I think maybe if you don't have an HDCP monitor the DRM issue is ignored?

God knows. I'll be doing a reinstall of this system in the next month or so anyway, so maybe this problem will just go away.

[Flibb]

any use

http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/comm...ssues-fix.html

[Fraz]

any use

http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/comm...ssues-fix.html

That looked very promising indeed, as I have recently made changes in the bios of my computer. However, the DRM folder was empty (I deleted it anyway) and it didn't fix the problem

Well.... I'm totally going to give up. I'll just hope it gets fixed when I do a reinstall in the next few weeks or so (I'm doing one anyway, as I want to move the SSD drive in this machine to a new one).

Thanks for everyone's help nonetheless

[watercooled]

What graphics card/IGP are you using? I have a PC with a SIS IGP which would display certain codecs really badly, i.e. B+W with a purple band down one side and a second image on top of the first. Also someone mentioned checking the region code on your drive, +1 for that idea - go to Computer, right-click drive, properties, hardware, properties, DVD region and make sure it's set to region 2 for the UK.

[Fraz]

What graphics card/IGP are you using? I have a PC with a SIS IGP which would display certain codecs really badly, i.e. B+W with a purple band down one side and a second image on top of the first. Also someone mentioned checking the region code on your drive, +1 for that idea - go to Computer, right-click drive, properties, hardware, properties, DVD region and make sure it's set to region 2 for the UK.

See My System <----

DVD region is set correctly.

[watercooled]

Do you have any unencrypted DVDs to test with, like home videos or something?