Since I'm spending less and less time at home and more and more time chained to my laptop, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a really good software DVD media player. I've noticed that my DVDs look fine on my 13.3" laptop screen at 1280 x 800 but the picture gets a bit fuzzy on my 19" 8ms Samsung LCD at 1280 x 1024.

InterVideo WinDVD 5 for VAIO. I'm using the InterVideo WinDVD 5 for VAIO which shipped with my VAIO. It's ok but I'm sure there are better out there.

Windows Media Player 10. I've also used Windows Media Player 10 which is good but it's not really DVD friendly - you can't fast-forward or rewind in an easy way. Picture quality is ok on the laptop screen but it's "fuzzy" (as in not sharp) on my 19" LCD.

RealPlayer 10.I also tried using RealPlayer (the free one) it's ok as well, but not brilliant. And I've used DivX Player which is good for watching individual video files but I can't figure out how to watch an entire DVD with it, rather than the individual .vob files.

Nero Showtime (got it with Nero Ultra 7). I also tried this, it was actually the worst of the lot! Controls were poor and the picture quality was too dark in general.

So does anyone have a software DVD media player that they swear by? I don't know if the fuzziness I'm getting is because I've got my settings wrong or because I'm using a crap player.

Any advice would be appreciated! [img]smile.gif[/img]

I quite like Cyberlink PowerDVD, it has frame capture!

Good Question, I usually use Cyberlink Power DVD that came with my burner but I'd like to find a better one too.

I hope this isn't a silly question, but are you using the digital input for your large lcd?

I'd swear by MPlayer myself, I've never seen media software with as many options and configurations. There's a windows version on the downloads page.

[ 01-16-2006, 06:41 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

Power DVD.

Div X every time... or even Windows Media Player Classic never fails for me [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Power DVD as well.

[ 01-16-2006, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

VLC all the way.

Also works on any media file you can stuff onto your hard disk. In addition, for a media center solution the client is streaming capable.

OK, I decided to give PowerDVD a go. But when I installed it, it made itself the default player for all video files (I didn't want that). I tried to edit that in the configuration screen but I couldn't find an option to do it. Where do you change the default play options?

Theatertek is the best Software DVD player on the market. I use it on my Home Theater System, it integrates seamlessly with ffdshow and enables you (assuming you've got enough processing horsepower) to do on the fly processing of the DVD stream (unsharp mask and progressive denoise would be the two you'd be wantin).

If you think a DVD looks bad on a 19" screen, you should see it on a 120" one... but with Theatertek/ffdshow they become quite watchable, not HD quality but pleasingly sharp and clean.

<font color=skyblue>Let's see...

I have version 5, if that matters.

1. Go to the player.
2. Right-hand side, there is a button on the player called "select source". Click, (or CTRL+O).
3. Select "Open Media Files"
4. Menu called "Edit Playlist" comes up.
5. Bottom left, tab says "File Types" next to one called "Browser".

There they are.


Another idea, in Add/Remove Programs from Windows XP, Home ed. you can select WMP to be the default player or Current Player to be so...but I do not think that was what you were asking for. </font>

Larry, doesn't that just determine which media files are displayed when you're browsing for media types?

I suppose what I'm looking for is to make WMP the default media player for all media files except for DVDs (which are .vob files if I recall correctly?).

<font color=skyblue>The only way I know of to make WMP the default player is what I mentioned above in the last part...in Add/Remove Programs from Windows XP, Home ed. you can select WMP to be the default player. Then in WMP settings, remove the option for it to play DVDs? I am stuck on knowing whether or not that will help...because somehow my stuff just works on its own.

Actually, I have elves come in and set everything up while I am asleep. I have no real idea how the do it. </font>

DVD burning? Try kerosene.

Yeah like Larry said I'd just go in WMP and check everything except DVD. My version of power DVD only play DVD.

I hate it when programs set themselves as default at installation. They all do that too. You can't install anything without it messing up your computer.

I installed the powerdvd software on this rig, and it didn't default, there is a check box that you can either check, or uncheck, to make it be the default player. If not, you can go into the Windows Media Player, and set it to default, as outlined above. The other method is to turn off autorun, and insert dvd, and start the player you want from the desktop. A little more work, but makes sure you are getting what you want.

<font color=skyblue>This is an update to the conversation that happened over a year ago. I did not want to start a new thread on it because this one contains good info.

As mentioned, I have version 5 that came with the DVD-ROM I bought. I have since begun to watch more DVDs on the computer now that I have a new LCD screen and I am thinking of upgrading my Cyberlink to a newer, whole version. However, I cannot seem to find this in stores anywhere and cannot figure out why. I mean, the software is great and all, but it can only be bought from online sellers. That seems wrong to me.

As mentioned above from Memnoch, Nero was the worst of all he tried for playing movies. Have they become better since he said that? What about Roxio or Pinnacle? Are they just editing and production softwares?

One more thing. Whenever I place a DVD in the ROM and do not have the Cyberlink already open, the DVD tries to get me to register with some other type of player and tries to install some kind of junk on my PC. I usually try to remember to have PowerDVD running before placing a DVD in the drive. What is that program that is trying to get me to say yes to? Is it just some kind of anti-piracy thing?</font>

I feel strangely compelled to report you for necromancy. :D

I love using this [img]smile.gif[/img]

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6...adnecroyp6.png

Largely Larry, I'd say yes. Some come with their own player, but I'm very suspect of anything after Sony's little gig.

A lot of media DVDs - or even CDs - autoplay an installer instead of simply playing the DVD. The software they install isn't necessarily a DVD player either.

One annoying culprit is George Lucas' Star Wars DVDs. They all install a proprietary player with the shittiest controls ever.