Hey,
I’m no expert on PC and Windows XP….
Just now I tried to launch Windows Media Player and play some DVDs.
I keep getting an error message saying that Windows Media Player is currently unable to play DVDs….
Beyond that there’s no other information.
I’ve looked through the Menus and Options and found nothing rellavent.

Does anyone know what’s going on?

The DVD drive that I have works perfectly and before re-installing XP I used to play DVDs without a problem.

-ED-

Ha, the problem is Windows itself!!!
Better stay by your Macs if you don't want to get angry!!!

Okay, the problem with your DVDs seems to be that you will need the right decoder for your DVD type. Look at the suffix of your DVD files and search the web for those decoders. You will find some freeware and the one or another will be working good for you...

If this wiil help you then, please, tell me so!
If this won't help you then, please, tell me not!

------------------
Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

I have to look at what?
Suffix? What's that man?

Okay, you gotta tell me more.

ALl I know is how to press play on that thing.

-ED-

You don't know what a 'suffix' is? Hm, don't you know such things under Mac OS? Uh, yes, I forgot that Mac OS is a system with minimal functions...*lol*

Okay, without joking. The suffix of a file is the merged definition of the file type in file names. The traditional classification of file names is the 8.3 format which means eight characters followed by a dot and the three character suffix.
A suffix like .wav means that this is a file of the type WAVE. A suffix like .jpg means that this is a JPEG file. And so on...

In modern computer systems you can find longer suffices like .wave or .jpeg (and much more is possible but not really reasonable).

Okay, open your CD directory and search for the listed file names. You may find suffices like .bov or so...and exactly for this file type you must find a decoder program in the internet. There are many different once because of the many different DVD file types. Modern systems and their never ending stories...

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 05-01-2005).]

Thanks Suffix, I mean Sheriff!
How can I view the DVD directory? Obviously I’ll have to change some prefs in XP because every time I click on the DVD icon I end up automatically launching windows Media player…

Mac can open the directory list but it only shows folders and not files. Although I’ll look again just to double check.

You ask why I don’t use my DVD player and a fricking TV or the mighty powerful Mac?

Well, that will be too easy. LOL

Actually I just don’t want to leave my office. It is a matter of principle! I payed for the damn laptop, it might as well do as I desire.

You bad, bad boy...


Yes, that's the automatism of Windows (btw: Did I say that I hate it? ). Try to click on the icon with the right button then you should see a menu which includes the posibility to OPEN the CD/DVD root directory. There you can surf through like you can do it with your HDD directory.


Hmm, very sad...


Good luck!!!

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

I think "Sheriff"....just got a new nick name.

------------------
...shboom

So? Which nick name did I get, hmm? Comm'on...let the cats out of the bag!!!



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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Whatta mess!

Okay,
I have discovered a strange consistency.
Both my Mac and PC can only see the files in the “VIDEO” folder of the DVDs.
The suffix of those files is “VOB” and “BUP’…
Even my screen reader calls out “File type VOB” or the other when I click on them.
So this means that we now know the beast type.

What do I do now?
Do you know any sites where I can download the right stuff to help me fix this problem?
Could you at least tell me specifically which stuff I should look for?
Key words?

-ED-






[This message has been edited by 3351 (edited 05-01-2005).]

[This message has been edited by 3351 (edited 05-01-2005).]

What you want...*SS*


Okay, I used the keys 'dvd'+'decoder'+'vob'...
I found the following two converters:
Flash DVD Ripper (1.5MB) ->
http://www.tomdownload.com/multimedia_design/video/dvd_vcd_avi_mpeg.htm
WMV AVI MPEG MPG Converter 1.16 (9.7MB) ->
http://www.tomdownload.com/multimedia_design/video/avi_wmv_mpeg_converter.htm

You don't need to purchase anyone of it. They proclaim a bundle of both converters for 49 $US or each for 29.95 $US but you download each of them for free. Make the bundle for your own!

I found another tool here:
MPEG Mediator 1.5 (0.5MB) ->
http://www.soft-ware.net/multimedia/video/ripper/p03888.asp

The Mediator makes it posible to abstract the wave data of a film into a separate wave file. It also converts different file types (incl. vob). You'll have to decide what you like...

With these programs you should be able to convert all what you want. I've downloaded them but I didn't install them yet. I don't watch tv or video because I hear/make music...

------------------
Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 05-01-2005).]

Hey Ed,

Here's a couple of articles from Microsoft that might help or shed some light:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;823770

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306318/EN-US/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306331/EN-US/

This one is good...XP comes with a utility that checks to see if you've got a DVD decoder installed and if it needs an upgrade.

-mike

Thanks guys you're awsome!

-ED-

3351:
This is really off topic but...
You have a screen reader? Does that mean you have a visual handicap? If so, we're two on this forum (at least). What screen reader are you using?

------------------

Robert.

Hi Robert,
Yes, I am visually impared. I have very little usable eyesight left.
I tend to use a combination of screen readers and screen magnification programs. WIthout them I can't use computers at all.

When I use my PC I use ZoomText 8.0 and sometimes Connect Outloud 2.0.

Mac is a different story. Apple are yet to come out with a decent screen reader. So I just use the screen magnification program called Universal Access.

What do you use?

-ED-


[This message has been edited by 3351 (edited 05-02-2005).]

Nice to see (no pun intended) that there are other people here with visual handicaps.
I used magnification programs before, but I found out that I didn't really need them, as I rarely used them. I now run only Jaws for Windows 5.0 and that works fine. I'm also learning to be a programmer, so I must use the computer a lot . I have never used a Mac.
I saw in your profile that you're interested in video games. I'm too, so what games are your favourites and what type of games can you get something out of? (This is really going off topic, but hey, what's "The bar" for anyway .)

------------------

Robert.

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 05-02-2005).]

Hey Robert,
I am a big fan of games like Grand Theft Auto (including the original overhead view one, Grand Theft Auto 3, VIce City, San Andreas) and True Crime (Streets of L.A.)
ON ocasion I play stuff like Smackdown, Dragon Ball Z and BLoody wars.
Pretty violent stuff and my wife thinks that I'm an idiot for playing games of this sort but I love playing them anyway!!!

I mean something like San Andreas is perfect. Especially with all the cheat codes and the possibilities. Just driving around in different cars and bikes is a blast. Reminds me of the days when I used to drive...
I wasn't as bad of a driver though.

Basically its the freedom of mooving around the city and doing whatever I want. Like running around with a flame thrower or a Chainsaw...
Now you must think that I'm nuts!!! LOL

-ED-

Sheriff, it is too big.
I'm zoomed in at x5 times so letters are pretty big as they are. ANy bigger and I have to zoom out and it becomes confusing to navigate on the page.
Thanks for the thought, but I'd rather have you type with normal size characters.



-ED-

3351 Ed,

In the Windows Media Player toolbar, under TOOLS and then OPTIONS, there is the FILE TYPE tab...

Did you look to make sure that you have a check in the box (not czech-in-thebox)
of the DVD file-type?

Ed

Hey 3351,
I have the original GTA, and I agree: it's really fun to run around with a flamethrower or rocket launcher and blast everything in sight. A cool thing with GTA was also that you could zoom the picture (I think it was with a cheat).
I nowerdays mostly play retro stuff, mostly from the older Sega consoles (Megadrive (Genesis in US) and Master System). I also have some racing games and a few golf games for my PC and Xbox. And don't forget Duke Nukem 3D! That's a really cool game .

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Robert.

ED to Ed,
I haven't tried that one.
I will today though.

Robert, Do you mean the original GTA with the overhead view and not the GTA3?

-ED-

Okay, if you're more similar with your magnification tools then I accept that it's not necessary. An uncle of mine had also have problems with their eyes. So, we needed to write our letters to him in BIG LETTERS. He enjoyed every mail we'd send him until he died (more than 10 years ago now). Maybe if we had known internet over ten years ago then we haven't had this problem...

Racing games are also very fine but the more I race the worse I get...

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

3351:
I mean the original one with the overhead view.

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Robert.