DvD Codecs for Windows Media Player

[Jake]

After a visit from the Smartboard training guy during yesterdays INSET, the staff have now got running DvDs in windows media player (rather than seperate dvd software) on their mind. Thanks Mr Smartboard man

Anyone know of any decent free codecs for WMP for dvd?

[_Bob_]

http://www.xpcodecpack.com/

[CyberNerd]

We use VLC as it has all the necessary codec for pretty much everything.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html


Other Windows codec packs are here:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...k_All_in_1.htm

[Jake]

Thanks for the replies, will give those a go and see which runs in windows media player the best

[terry]

Hello All,


You could try Dscaler This installs the correct codecs to play DVD's In WMP.

Only Works with WMP10 tho.

We use it everywhere here. And best of all it's FREE!!

[SpuffMonkey]

Download Media Player Classic

[_Bat_]

We use VLC as it has all the necessary codec for pretty much everything.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html

Good recommendation. I had a teacher come to me with a problem playing a DVD on her laptop the other day using power DVD (I think it was). The video was fine, but audio was jumpy. At first I thought it was the speakers but changing them made no difference. So I installed VLC and it now works like a charm...

Who would have guessed the free software works better then the stuff you have to pay for?

I love VLC so much.

[Geoff]

Beware with VLC, it uses libdecss, it's actually illegal to use it.

[_Bat_]

Beware with VLC, it uses libdecss, it's actually illegal to use it.

You are kidding me? I had no idea. Thats something they don't brag about, haha.

[CyberNerd]

3.3.

Is libdvdcss legal?


The use and distribution of the libdvdcss library is controversial in a few countries such as the United States because of a law called the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). If you are unsure about the legality of using and distributing this library in your country, please consult your lawyer.
Note

Beware: VLC media player binaries are distributed with the libdvdcss library included.

TBH I think our NM should be more worried about the unlicensed copies of office/windows we have in school, plus the staff mp3 collection sitting on our servers for 'educational use'

[Geoff]

libdecss is a DRM civcumvention technology therefore illegal under the European Union Copyright Directive. This has been incorperated into UK law as the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 2003 (Ammended). Under the law it's a criminal offence to create, distribute, use or tell someone else how to create, use or obtain such a device or technology. Punishable by a maximum of a 10 year prison sentence and an unlimited fine per offence.

[CyberNerd]

doesn't seem to apply in france by all accounts.
Sounds a step to far IMO - I can only watch my own DVD's if I buy software to watch them and a new operating system.

[Geoff]

See you in court CyberNerd.

[_Bat_]

See you in court CyberNerd.

Been giving this a lot of thought today and I don't believe that any problems would arise by installing it...

If the government do decide to directly answer the question as to whether it is really legal or not (there is still a lot of debate and confusion) then they will take videolan to court (if it is illegal) as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of people in England/America that use it. They haven't even done this though, so I doubt they will penalise the users.

I think it's one of these things that isn't worth worrying about (such as temporarily using adaware to remove spyware off a school PC, BartPE and the tools that come with it, a BootCD etc.)

[mac_shinobi]

There is another codec package or something from sourceforge but will have to di it out later on.