Would Windows 9x or XP still play DVDs if PDVD isn't installed?

[ukb008]

Hi.

I would like to know this basic thing. Windows 98 definitely natively doesn't play DVDs. I don't know whether Windows XP does, with its own WMPlayer. Installing PowerDVD or any other software DVD Player, rectifies the situation.

What's the codec that plays DVDs? Where can I downloaded it? Will installation of that codec give other software players that natively do not play DVDs the ability to play them?

A little Googling tells me that there are various mpeg2 codecs: Stinky's, Xenorate's etc. In suppose it's like the various mpeg4 codecs out there, like DivX, XviD.

Which one's standard, or is there one which is standard?

Regards.

[Joe Fenton]

Macs have come with DVD playing standard since DVD's first appeared in them (iMac DV+ or newer). Windows didn't have DVD playing standard until Windows Media Player 10. That means most Windows installs needs to get WMP10 over the net from MS. I think Windows XP SP2 comes with WMP10.

Most PCs from folks like Dell or Gateway or HP come with a third party player like PowerDVD or WinDVD. DVD drives sometimes come with PowerDVD (my LG DVD combo drive did), and video cards sometimes come with a DVD player (nVidia's come with NVDVD player).

Other than that, it's get something like VLC or mplayer.

[ukb008]

I was wondering:

Installation of what (codec or something else) will give other software players that natively do not play DVDs (e.g. WMPlayer 9 under Win 9x) the ability to play them?

Regards.

[rigel]

WMPlayer will play DVD-s if you have installed a DVD player software that contains DirectShow MPEG-2 decoder filters, ie. Power DVD, WinDVD etc.
There are of course free MPEG-2 decoder filters available, but their legal status is somewhat ..... ummmm..... questionable...
As for standards - there is no official "number one free choice", but a lot of people use gabest's decoder and are happy with it.
It is built into MPC, but i'm 99% sure there is a standalone version available from somewhere.
Other players that don't natively support DVD may play DVD-s then....... but may also not play them, because DVD is not only a video stream - it contains menus, subtitles, different audio streams, etc. and support for this must be built into a player. Most, but not all major players have this support.

[ukb008]

Here's a free MPEG2 decoder called MpegDecoder012.msi (http://ovh.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/gplmpgdec/MpegDecoder012.msi).

This GPL MPEG-1/2 Decoder is a free DirectShow MPEG decoder filter. It can be used to play MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams in any media player based on DirectShow. In addition, it can be used as DVD decoder for unencrypted discs.

If one just wants to install the decoder on one's system, it is to be download, doubleclicked in Windows explorer to run setup. This is a Microsoft Installer package, therefore Micorosoft Insataller must be present on the system.

Unfortunately I could not locate the celebrated Mpeg2 decoder filter by Gabest which is used in the excellent Media Player Classic.

Regards.

[MarcN]

Unfortunately I could not locate the celebrated Mpeg2 decoder filter by Gabest which is used in the excellent Media Player Classic.
Look here -> http://www.inmatrix.com/zplayer/formats/mpeg2.shtml

Marc

[ukb008]

I have downloaded the codecs from Inamatrix's page you indicated.

Regards.