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/Codec_Pack_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.

[Geoff]

they will take videolan to court

 

Just like the RIAA/MPAA are doing in America then?

[DMcCoy]

Not forgetting that you should be paying for your mpeg decoder too! Read the fine print for vlc, they expect you to organise the licensing of the decoder with the mpegla - Thats why windows doesn't decode dvds and why dvd decoders cost money. Fill a school full or machine with dvd decoders without licensing it and you could be in trouble!

[_Bat_]

Just like the RIAA/MPAA are doing in America then?

 

I didn't know they were doing that. I couldn't find anything about it anyway.

 

Not forgetting that you should be paying for your mpeg decoder too! Read the fine print for vlc, they expect you to organise the licensing of the decoder with the mpegla - Thats why windows doesn't decode dvds and why dvd decoders cost money. Fill a school full or machine with dvd decoders without licensing it and you could be in trouble!

 

Yeah... I did read that... not that anyone ever does this with VLC (unless they have money to burn). I guess it's still potential for trouble though.

 

The reason this legality issue bugs me so much is because I hate windows media player with a passion (and I have been told the latest version is excessively full of DRM) and the software that comes bundled with the laptops for DVDs is a load of rubbish and takes up way too much space/memory for what it actually is and is supposed to do.

 

I think I said in a previous post that VLC played a DVD with much better sound quality then its proprietary equivilant.

[Geoff]

I didn't know they were doing that. I couldn't find anything about it anyway

 

I was being sarcastic. I guess your unaware of the RIAA/MPAA's current legal tactics whereby they sue end users.

[_Bat_]

I was being sarcastic. I guess your unaware of the RIAA/MPAA's current legal tactics whereby they sue end users.

 

Are these the people who are suing users for file sharing then?

 

Haven't they also sued the creators of the file sharing programs (if known)?

 

I don't really know that much about law, even with relation to computers. There seems to be so much confusion about what is actually legal and what is not due to the way things are worded... take the M$ license for XP for instance :S.

[mac_shinobi]

I'm not sure if this uses the libvdeccs or whatever it was that video lan uses that is illegal but this was what I was reffering to earlire on :

 

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow

 

Let me know what you think and also if it works

[mac_shinobi]

There is the k-lite codec pack which comes in the mega pack and the lite pack which you can see on this page :

 

http://www.codecguide.com/features_kl.htm

 

Seems to be a good bet, there is also the ace mega codec pack

 

http://www.divx-digest.com/software/acemega_codec.html

 

But I think one of the first two from the k-lite codec pack should do the trick nicely

[mac_shinobi]

Just realised that the codecguide site has a good FAQ that you may wanna check out :

 

http://www.codecguide.com/faq.htm

 

Looks like the k-lite codec pack is a good option and that the ffdshow wont work with playback of dvd's.

[DMcCoy]

The problem is DVDs are mpeg-2, still a patented technology - just because you can download a codec doesn't mean you can legally install it. I'm not too bothered really as I can't see how we can legally play commercial dvds anyway (without throwing money at a licensing agency) and home made dvds aren't too big a deal here atm.

[acb_]

Download Media Player Classic

 

Seconded