Working with DVDs in Software

Creator QR Code ISO/IEC18004 in Software Working with DVDs

FIGURE 9-1

If there s going to be a problem playing DVDs, you will likely find it here Take a look at Figure 9-1 Although there is a choice to play a DVD movie in Windows Media Center, notice that option isn t available for playing HD (high-definition) DVD movies You may find the same problem with Blu-ray Disc movies, DVD audio discs, or Super Video CDs If there s no option to play it, you don t have the required hardware

Playing a DVD is indeed quite simple, as long as your DVD player is supported by Windows Vista To find out if you can play DVDs, complete the steps in the Change AutoPlay Settings section, and then insert the DVD you want to play in the DVD player

One of two things will happen:

If the DVD plays, you can navigate the DVD in Media Center using the same navigation buttons you use for other Media Center tasks Although you can move the mouse to the lowerright area of the screen to access these buttons, most likely, you ll use your mouse If the DVD does not play, work through the next section, Troubleshooting Under the Tasks option is the Media Only choice You can enable Media Only when watching DVDs In this mode, the Minimize and Close buttons are hidden, so you only view the media

There are several reasons why a DVD won t play Most of the time, it s because your DVD player doesn t support the type of DVD you ve inserted As shown in Figure 9-1, some PCs can play DVD movies, but not HD DVDs Try inserting a non-HD DVD first to see if that s the problem If the DVD still won t play, there could be other issues Although not a common problem, your DVD drive could be disabled To see if the DVD drive is disabled and enable it: 1 Click Start, and click Computer 2 Right-click the DVD drive, and select Properties 3 From the Hardware tab, select the DVD drive, and click Properties 4 From the General tab, click Change Settings, and click Continue 5 Click the Driver tab 6 If Enable is shown, as in Figure 9-2, you ll need to click it to enable the drive If it says Disable, do nothing 7 Click OK twice, and then restart your PC if prompted If this is not the issue, check the AutoPlay settings again, and verify that no third-party DVD application is selected, as this can interfere with Windows Vista You should also try disabling or uninstalling the offending program You do not need a DVD decoder to play DVDs in Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate edition It is included with the operating system Another issue may be your computer resolution You can try changing the resolution to a lower setting You can access these settings by right-clicking an empty area of the desktop and selecting Personalize Select Display Settings Make changes as needed

CHAPTER 9:

FIGURE 9-2

Finally, if you still can t play DVDs, try opening Media Center, inserting a DVD, selecting TV + Movies, and selecting Play DVD You may receive an error message with a helpful hint to solving the problem

You ll want to configure settings for optimal playback There are a lot of settings that you can change by selecting Tasks and then selecting Settings Settings specifically for DVDs include selecting the DVD language, enabling closed captioning, and setting options for your remote control You can configure these settings as desired to personalize Media Center

To make changes to the DVD language settings, in Media Center, click Tasks, and click Settings Select DVD, and select DVD Language