What's a good, free, program to play DVDs

[TimeChaser]

on the computer? I don't seem to have one... :shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

1. Try this...

http://xinehq.de/

[democracyindanger]

2. Operating system?

Windows Media Player plays DVDs, but if you're still running W98 you probably can't use the latest players.

[TimeChaser]

3. Supposedly

But mine's being a pain in the ass

[democracyindanger]

11. You could try

removing WMP and reinstalling (control panel>add/remove programs). Fix what's there instead of installing something new just to serve one purpose. Just my two cents.

[Floogeldy]

4. First, you need a DVD player.

[TimeChaser]

5. I've got one

I used to be able to watch DVDs on my computer, but a few years ago, I had to clear the whole thing. Now I don't have a program that will play DVDs

[Floogeldy]

10. I have an easy and practical solution for you.

You will go crazy trying to find software to match up with your computer.

Buy a DVD player and hook it up to your TV. You can probably get one for $60 or less.

:)

[TimeChaser]

16. I have one of those too

But my roommate is sleeping in the room with the TV X.X

[democracyindanger]

6. Excellent point.

I hope the OP has a DVD drive.

[entanglement]

7. Short answer:Illegal in the US

Legal option in Europe: mplayer
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/design7/news.html

Plays *EVERYTHING*, but is illegal in the US

Added:It's illegal because of deCSS

[TimeChaser]

8. Why is it illegal in the US?

[Chovexani]

14. Eeee I love your new sig!

Really, that's all I've got. :hug:

But ya, I use VLC for watching DVDs and it's awesome. Great for screencapping too.

[TimeChaser]

18. Hey! I was just thinking about you,

since the DVD I'm trying my best to watch happens to be Utena :hi:

Anyways, I installed VLC and it plays it, but it's sort of 'skipping' a little :shrug:

[entanglement]

15. Among other things, it implements deCSS, a 'crack' to the

CSS encryption system used on DVDs

[Floogeldy]

12. deCSS?

What about toFFL? You need to read the IOOAA to get your DDDee in line with your EEypw.

[BigMcLargehuge]

9. VLC Video LAN player

[entanglement]

13. Again, illegal in the US

Because it violates a ton of laws (all anti-consumer and pro-media/ big-biz, but that's another story)
Please see reply to poster above

[XemaSab]

17. I have no idea

I just stopped by the thread to say :hi:

Have any plans for tomorrow?

[TimeChaser]

19. Well,

aside from classes, no. My boyfriend spent the past weekend with me since he couldn't come up tomorrow. He treated me to Chinese food :hi:

Edit: Tomorrow does happen to be my dad's birthday. I'll have to call him in the morning :)

[XemaSab]

20. Good times....

Good times. :hi:

[RoyGBiv]

21. Clearing things up ...

Some confusion seems to exist here. Small points, but important ones nonetheless.

You already have a program that will play DVDs. What you need is a DVD decoder. Microshaft was nice enough not to include one with with the standard versions of their OS. (I don't know of Media Center edition has one or not, but it damn well should being named that. I digress.) Anyway, you're not going to find a decoder that is both free and legal in the strictest sense of the terms. However, if you by chance have an ATI video card and still have the driver disc it came with, you can use the one ATI provides by downloading it from their site. I realize that's probably a long-shot, but I thought I'd mention it. NVidia may have something like this as well, but I don't know. You didn't say, so I'll ask if you installed this DVD drive recently, and if so, did it come with any software? Or, do you have a disc somewhere associated with the DVD drive that might have software on it? If not, never mind, but if you do, most non-OEM versions of drives ship with a version of PowerDVD, which includes both the player and the decoder.

That's pretty much the limit of your "free," legal options. If you want to stay pristine and (editorializing here) buy into the idea that the ordered universe requires you to pay media companies twice for the same thing, i.e. both for a DVD and for the software that actually lets you view it, you can find links to decoders on the MS site. I'd find a link for you, but I refuse to go there. Google "dvd decoder," and you should find it. Just make sure it's a microsoft-run site and not some outfit that promises you the moon and delivers trojans, basically anything that says it has a free decoder for Windoze...just sign here.

All that said, the MPlayer program mentioned in this thread, in and of itself, isn't illegal. Distribution of the codecs necessary to make it work is or can be, depending on which ones we are talking about and where you are. Decoding a DVD without a license to do so, (more editorializing here) which is an incredibly stupid requirement, is illegal in the US and many other countries.

[TimeChaser]

22. Thanks for the info

I mentioned in one of the posts that my computer had issues a few years ago and needed to be wiped clean, so any software the computer came with (I used to have PowerDVD) that plays DVDs is gone.

The whole decoding a DVD without a license is total BS, IMO. Since when do I need a license to watch what I already have in my own home (er.. dorm).