powerDVD12 no.1 movie & media player ?

[yorksrob]

I'm currently attempting to run a DVD on my laptop, given that Virgin Media are failing to do their job and provide a broadband service.

Now, I received a DVD for Xmas, and per chance my laptop happens to contain a DVD drive as well as the above "app" which purports to be a "no.1 movie and DVD player".

Now, I regard Microsoft generally as being a bunch of useless pillocks and don't expect much on their computers to work straight away, so even though this thing says it's supposed to play DVD's, I wasn't holding out much hope. Nevertheless I persevered.

In half an hour of playing around with it, occasionally getting whizzy noises from the drive, and after twenty minutes, I've managed to get it to play around three seconds of the opening credits before its crashed and not doing anything. Since then, nothing.

Has anyone else had experience of the above mentioned software ?

 

[Lrd]

Try a program called VLC, it plays anything

 

[yorksrob]

Try a program called VLC, it plays anything

Thanks. I my get that when my broadbands back.

 

[Crossover]

Advice as per above really. That said, i don’t know how old the laptop is but drives aren’t known to last forever so it could that causing the problem. If it doesn’t work with something like VLC then there are probably other issues at play

 

[najaB]

Now, I regard Microsoft generally as being a bunch of useless pillocks and don't expect much on their computers to work straight away...

I like an anti-Microsoft rant as much as the next guy, but they didn't make either the computer (likely Dell, Asus, Toshiba, etc) or PowerDVD (it's produced by Cyberlink).

 

[yorksrob]

I like an anti-Microsoft rant as much as the next guy, but they didn't make either the computer (likely Dell, Asus, Toshiba, etc) or PowerDVD (it's produced by Cyberlink).

They provided the operating system and I would expect them to ensure that the programmes associated with it work.

 

[yorksrob]

Advice as per above really. That said, i don’t know how old the laptop is but drives aren’t known to last forever so it could that causing the problem. If it doesn’t work with something like VLC then there are probably other issues at play

The computers only a couple of years old, and I've rarely used the disk drive TBH

 

[yorkie]

They provided the operating system and I would expect them to ensure that the programmes associated with it work.

I think you'll find Microsoft would want DVDs to work automatically without requiring any additional software but legislation prevents them doing so.

It is therefore not right to blame Microsoft.

Just get VLC player. It's free! It's identifiable by the traffic cone logo.

 

[yorksrob]

I think you'll find Microsoft would want DVDs to work automatically without requiring any additional software but legislation prevents them doing so.

It is therefore not right to blame Microsoft.

Just get VLC player. It's free! It's identifiable by the traffic cone logo.

If that's the case, why didn't they just install a VLc player in the first place ? My suspicion is that they want me to pay to upgrade something.

 

[yorkie]

You've not said who 'they' is (who did you buy the computer from? What brand is the computer?) but you'd need to ask them (not Microsoft!)

 

[t_star2001uk]

If that's the case, why didn't they just install a VLc player in the first place ? My suspicion is that they want me to pay to upgrade something.[/QUOT

VLC is a third party program which is offered free by its creator. There are no upgrade fees to pay for its download or use.

 

[najaB]

They provided the operating system and I would expect them to ensure that the programmes associated with it work.

There's a name for that - Apple. It's why everything costs going on twice as much as the Windows/PC equivalent.

 

[telstarbox]

I think you'll find Microsoft would want DVDs to work automatically without requiring any additional software but legislation prevents them doing so.

It is therefore not right to blame Microsoft.

Is that a result of this case? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.

+1 for VLC which is very reliable.

 

[trainmania100]

I use my play station to watch dvds because I don't have a dvd player.
Ideally I'd like a dvd player to watch dvds and playstation to play games however my scart socket is occupied.

Power dvd and VLC are both good options.

 

[ainsworth74]

Just get VLC. It's not a resource hog and does what it says on the tin and is far more reliable than things like Power DVD and their ilk.

https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

 

[GatwickDepress]

Another one for VLC. Its an excellent piece of software, very reliable, and works right away.

Now as for blu-ray support on computers, don't get me started...

 

[Darandio]

If that's the case, why didn't they just install a VLc player in the first place ? My suspicion is that they want me to pay to upgrade something.

There are many, many media players, some are preferred over others. By this logic, I'm guessing you expect them all to be installed? But even then, I imagine you would complain that too much stuff was installed on your system.

Anyway, another vote for VLC.

 

[johntea]

My new laptop doesn't even have an optical drive!

Amazing how much I used to spend on DVDs but now I just generally stream (I do appreciate however at least owning the physical copy it can't just vanish one day!)

Quite depressing when I then think 'ah I'll clear up some space and flog some of my DVDs!' to have them valued at figures such as 20p. Charity shop it is!

 

[yorksrob]

There are many, many media players, some are preferred over others. By this logic, I'm guessing you expect them all to be installed? But even then, I imagine you would complain that too much stuff was installed on your system.

Anyway, another vote for VLC.

No, just the ones that can actually play DVD's. Everyone on this thread seems to have identified one, so why Microsoft can't I don't know.

 

[Clip]

No, just the ones that can actually play DVD's. Everyone on this thread seems to have identified one, so why Microsoft can't I don't know.

You can't seem to grasp that it is not Microsofts fAult.

Powerdvd will have been provided as a bundle by the people who made your laptop not microsoft

 

[najaB]

No, just the ones that can actually play DVD's. Everyone on this thread seems to have identified one, so why Microsoft can't I don't know.

If you read the link provided you would know why. To save you the reading, Microsoft was successfully sued by the US DOJ and EU for bundling application software in with the OS and are no longer allowed to do so.

As I said, I enjoy an anti-Microsoft rant as much as anyone else but in this case they aren't at fault.

 

[yorksrob]

I hate computers anyway.

 

[yorkie]

No, just the ones that can actually play DVD's. Everyone on this thread seems to have identified one, so why Microsoft can't I don't know.

Microsoft are not allowed to include the software as part of the Windows operating system, so you can't blame Microsoft.

As for why your supplier did not bundle VLC with your computer, I would suggest asking them. I suspect it is because it was financially advantageous for them to include PowerDVD instead; perhaps Cyberlink pay them to include it, in the hope that some customers later pay for an ugprade of some sort.

I hate computers anyway.

Then sell it

 

[Geezertronic]

That is also why Microsoft cannot just ship Internet Explorer or Edge and why they have to advise us that there are other browsers around. It's almost like when the BBC mention a specific brand, they have to say something like "other brands are available"