FOAK: weird Windows DVD playback problem

I'll post this on a few AV forums too, but I think the assembled
knowledge here is worth asking.

I've just about finished building my new HTPC, and configuring
Vista/Media Center, and I'm generally jolly pleased with it. All the
TV, music, etc stuff is just dandy. But, as it's going to be
replacing my DVD player too, I thought I'd better test a DVD on it.
When I did, I got the 'The region for your DVD does not match the DVD
drive message'. A quick google showed that I needed to go into DVD
drive hardware properties and set the region, which I did. After
doing this, I expected everything to work, but I got the weirdest
image distortion/pixelation thing that I can't describe, so here's a
screen shot:

http://www.champ.org.uk/images/wmpbad.jpg

It does this for all bought DVDs played in Windows Media Player or
Media Center.

When I play the DVD under VLC, it looks just fine
(http://www.champ.org.uk/images/vlcgood.jpg).

Interestingly, DVDs I've recorded myself (with no region set) also
play fine under WMP.

This is such an odd problem that I don't even know how to google it!
Anyone got any ideas?

 

You've got the "Crap movie filter" turned on.

 

heh.

 

Decoder issue? A quick google suggests the Cyberlink offering has been
known to sort similar problems.


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Some sort of rights management in WMP that gets upset with region'd
DVDs in a region-free drive? Or when the DVD's region doesn't match the
one set in WMP? There used to be some utils around that would trick WMP
into thinking all DVDs were region free which might solve it.

--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

I won't comment on your choice of viewing material, but I would suggest
having another MRi scan to check for brain damage.

As for the player, you're enjoying the pleasures of multiple video codec
and anti-piracy prevention. If you want to play DVDs on WMP then you
have to buy the relevant decoder.


--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

But the drive is set to Region 2

 

How can it be the drive when it plays fine under VLC?

It all sort of comes out of the box with Vista Home Premium...

....as confirmed by your link.

 

Another scan? I've not had a first one yet!

Anyway, the DVD came free with a player about 5 years ago.

 

as others have suggested, it's probably Vista getting confused about
regions/DRM/codecs. Do you really want to use Media Centre? Is it a
lot better than XP/MC, which blows goats generally, and specifically
for DVD playing?

I thought you were a GB-PVR fan - doesn't that have a DVD plugin?

 

libdvdcss <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libdvdcss>

 

Uh huh. Just made sure I had *absolutely* the right video drivers,
but it's made no difference.

I want to give it a decent bash. On the evidence of a couple of days
use, it really works pretty well.

Oh sure, but I needed an OS anyway, so and as Media Center is 'baked
in' <hurl> to Vista Home Premium, I thought I'd give it a whirl.
While GBPVR does TV very well, I think it's a bit sucky for music and
pictures, which I have to say Media Center does brilliantly.

 

ah. Ta.

No, I've definitely not installed any DVD specific software.

 

<fx: thinks> are you connecting the PC to the display unit using HDMI?

If so, it's almost certainly a DRM ****-up.

he's a BMW rider - easily pleased.

well, I can only assume that Media Centre in Vista is in fact much
better than MCE. The only "good" thing about MCE is that everything is
integrated into one interface, but each individual application is
nowhere near best-of-breed.

 

er, yes.

Well shit. Where to do I look now?

My initial reactions to Windows Media Center (as it's now called under
Vista) are:
- the UI is a really nice thing to use (especially with the IMon 'PAD'
remote I got with my Silverstone case, that allows all sorts of neat
things like 'right click'_
- the TV guide is as good as anything I've seen, and includes features
such as 'show me all the movies' or 'show me just this one channel'
- the music library browser is *really* nice - the album art browsing
mechanism works very well on a big screen, and you can slice and dice
your library a dozen ways, add stuff to a queue, manage the queue,
etc, all with the remote.

As I said - it's early days, but my initial reaction is very positive.

 

Well, I was just about to do this, but I thought I'd try something
posted on TheGreenButton.com, which was to uninstall the driver and
let Windows get one from Windows Update. And guess what - that sorted
the problem perfectly.

Gawd alone knows why the latest driver from the chipset manufacturers
website should cause such an issue which Windows Update doesn't.

Anyway - my new box is very nearly complete, and I must admit to
feeling really jolly smug about it. The last remaining task is to
sort out some digital sound output - the mobo had a digital output
header on it, but the case has nothing for it to connect to. I assume
I need something like this
http://www.glowtechnology.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=72 yes?

 

this seems the more sensible option to me.

 

It does, or at least appears to.

I'm not really one for buying lots of DVDs anyway, and if I do I buy
region 2.

I've got a Sony AV amp, which accepts digital sound input on both
co-ax and optical.

The motherboard I have (which I got because of the decent spec of its
onboard video and sound) uses the AMD 780G chipset. According to the
docs, this supports the Realtex ALC662 codec, which, according to this
webpag
(http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=37&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=144),
hits all your buzzwords. Would you say that it's going to do the job
OK?

 

See other post. While a separate sound card would mean that I could
get something that does *exactly* what's required, it mitigates
against cost and heat (and therefore noise). The inestimable Brownz
of this parish recommended a mobo that should be able to do the job,
it would seem.

 

Righty-ho, I shall give it a whirl