VLC Media Player - problems

[Lustgarten]

Hi all

I have had VLC recommended on this site, because I wanted a free media player that would cope with my DVDs, whatever their region coding etc.

However, I must say that I don't find it as easy to use as say Power DVD which I used on my old PC. It doesn't seem to bring up menus to select from etc and is generally a bit weird to use.

However, today I find that it won't play my "Region all" episodes of "The Saint" from Umbrella Entertainment (Australia). They definitely have no region coding but for some reason VLC doesn't like them (they do play in HP media player, but I don't generally use that because it will only entertain R2 DVDs).

Any ideas as to whether I am going wrong somewhere, please?

I have checked for updates etc and it is completely up-to-date.

I would like to get used to using VLC as it bypasses region coding problems, but all it is doing is infuriating me at the moment!

Thanks all,

Lustgarten.

[Wolfgang]

Have you tried initiating playback in "basic" mode? Put in your disk, then start VLC, go into MEDIA, then OPEN DISK, check "No DVD Menus" and click on PLAY. Occasionally VLC has problems with menu systems, so if you are having problems it is worth trying to bypass them.

[Lustgarten]

Thanks Wolfgang - yes, tried that and still nothing!

I have just tried another region free Umbrella DVD (Jason King) - same issues - doesn't want to read it at all. Hmmmmph.

[Wolfgang]

Sometimes installations can go awry and system files can go corrupt; do you know anyone with VLC installed that can try out your disks? I have PC and laptop with identical operating systems and browsers, yet for some reason on my laptop Flash player won't play in Firefox even though it will in Internet Explorer. I have never figured out why this is when they have identical setups; basically what you need to do is find out if your problem is localised to your PC or to VLC in general in regards to these particular disks.

[mariocki]

If it's any consolation my Umbrella Saints, Department S and MIAS discs wont play in VLC either whereas everything plays fine. I've always put it down to the way their discs are authored rather than a problem with VLC itself.

[Lustgarten]

Well that's useful - thanks for your help everyone!

Lustgarten

[didi-5]

I have never used VLC to play back DVDs but will try it after reading this thread - would be good to find something that takes care of the 'region change' problem.

[Steve Crook]

I have never used VLC to play back DVDs but will try it after reading this thread - would be good to find something that takes care of the 'region change' problem.

Quite a few people here use it. I've used it on DVDs from all regions & lots of different countries, including Australia. But I've never tried one from Umbrella. Maybe they do something strange with their DVDs.

Lustgarten, you could always try asking the VLC help desk

Steve

[theuofc]

....But I've never tried one from Umbrella. Maybe they do something strange with their DVDs....
Steve

I've mentioned this in another thread re: DVDs and VLC, but it's relevant here also. I'm wondering if some companies really do 'do something strange with their DVDs." I say this because some commercial DVDs will play in VLC while others like Network and DD Home Entertainment will not.

Yet, every homemade dvd-r/dvd+ disc that I throw at VLC has played, no matter the region. So maybe it is commercial discs.

A complicating factor is that I've switched from a PC to a MAC which may have its own 'strangeness' in restricting the play of other-region DVDs. My old PC played every disc via VLC.

Good luck,

Barbara

[Gerald Lovell]

Recently, the homemade DVD-R discs I've played on VLC coverts them to "widescreen" for some reason, making the films unwatchable and any screencaps have to be resized in the edit function first.

[Arthur Linden-Jones]

Few other players you might like to try *ALL FREEWARE*

KMPlayer from KMPlayer - Download

After the designer of KMPlayer sold the rights, a newer improved version called Daum PotPlayer was designed and released ....

Daum PotPlayer from PotPlayer 1.5.28205 Beta - VideoHelp.com Downloads.

Also worth a try ...

Windows Media Player - Home Cinema from Media Player Classic - Home Cinema - Video Player
(Note this one has nothing to do with the Microsoft WMP that comes with Windows)

When it comes to Region free running, can't beat AnyDVD. Great for ripping DVDs on the fly, too. Not free, but worth it.

[theuofc]

Recently, the homemade DVD-R discs I've played on VLC coverts them to "widescreen" for some reason, making the films unwatchable and any screencaps have to be resized in the edit function first.

Hi, Gerald,

I have that problem too with VLC for both homemade discs and commercial DVDs, all converted to widescreen! Like you, I have to go in and change the aspect ratio every time.

Barbara

[theuofc]

Few other players you might like to try *ALL FREEWARE*

KMPlayer from KMPlayer - Download

After the designer of KMPlayer sold the rights, a newer improved version called Daum PotPlayer was designed and released ....

Daum PotPlayer from PotPlayer 1.5.28205 Beta - VideoHelp.com Downloads.

Also worth a try ...

Windows Media Player - Home Cinema from Media Player Classic - Home Cinema - Video Player
(Note this one has nothing to do with the Microsoft WMP that comes with Windows)

When it comes to Region free running, can't beat AnyDVD. Great for ripping DVDs on the fly, too. Not free, but worth it.

Thanks for these, Perhaps one of them will help me get around not being able to play every commercial DVD via VLC.

Question: Is it easy to do screengrabs with AnyDVD? I like the ease of VLC.

Barbara

[Arthur Linden-Jones]

Question: Is it easy to do screengrabs with AnyDVD? I like the ease of VLC.

Barbara

Sorry, should've been a bit more specific. AnyDVD is not a player, but its main purposes are to "kill"/nullify the region code on a DVD (to enable any region DVD to be played on the computer), and to enable any DVD to be ripped to the HDD as "0" (i.e. neutral) region coded files (*.vob, *.ifo,*.bup) for (re)burning as a DVD or for conversion to a computer files (mkv, avi, mp4, mpg, etc).

Also, one of the advantages of AnyDVD is that it allows on-the-fly decryption, so that converters can read straight from the DVD (i.e. when some programs are used to rip the DVD to a HDD, there is a conversion process. Then when the ripped files are converted to computer files, there is further degradation in the quality as the result of another conversion (bit like taking a photocopy of a photocopy). Ripping using AnyDVD is not a conversion, it allows conversion programs to read straight from the DVD.