Cannot play VOD in Philips DVDR-3455H

[neil.selden]

Hi,
I am having an awful time viewing a Divx VOD video I purchased online and have burned to DVD-R. I don't know if I have a codec version issue, or perhaps it has to do with the settings?


Issue: Cannot playback VOD Divx file on Philips DVDR-3455H. The video does not play at all (pre conversion with Dr Divx) or does play (post conversion with Dr Divx), but is so horribly pixelated, you cannot see the video.

Problem:
1) Unable to playback Divx VOD file I purchased online. The Philips does playback a Divx file I downloaded from Stage6.
2) I then tried to "fix" the Divx VOD by processing it with Dr Divx. I set it to convert to Divx Home Theatre, with "Balanced" quality. The Philips can now play the file, but the image is horrible - the pixelation is so bad you cannot see the images at all. I tested this same converted file on my PC using the Divx player, with the same pixelation problem.
3) As a test, I used the Divx file from Stage6 (which the Philips played with no problem at all) and converted the file using the same settings as in step #2 - this file still plays just fine in the Philips
4) The files from step #2 and #3 were burned to the same physical DVD-R, using the Divx Player Burning software.

Background:
1) Using Dr Divx 2.0
2) Divx codec version is 6.5 (i had also tried the it with version 6.4)
3) Divx codec version of VOD movie I cannot view on my Philips DVDR3455 - version 5 (as reported by G-Spot)

Thanks - any help or insight you can provide is most appreciated!


-Neil

[setarip_old]

Hi!Unable to playback Divx VOD file I purchased online.Does it play properly on your PC?

[neil.selden]

Hi,
Yes, the ORIGINAL file plays just fine on my PC using the Divx Player. But the file I converted using Dr Divx does NOT play on my PC either - the picture is also badly pixelated.

I did have to "activate" my DVD player using some special video that Divx puts out - that video played no problem at all. And that activation vidoe is also a Divx file...

Also - other non-DRM protected Divx files play fine on the Philips.

Thanks,
Neil

[setarip_old]

Unless something's changed, I'm guessing that the DivX VODs you've obtained contain a license limiting playback to the machine you originally used for the download.

If your Philips is similar to my 642/37 regarding its handling of DivX VODs, I'd suggest you re-read the documentation, which will show/tell you how to use the player-specific registration number to download such files for playback on your Philips...

[neil.selden]

Hi,
Thanks for your answer...

But I did follow the Philips instructions, as well as those on the Divx website: both indicated to burn and play the activation disc/video, at which point I am supposed to be able to play this DRM protected Divx movie.

The activation video is supposed to load some sort of authenitcation token (I guess) onto the player so it is "registered" to play the content...

Any insight?

Thanks,
Neil

[setarip_old]

Did you first do the following?: (per the vod.divx.com site)Once you locate your device's activation code, you must then create a DivX VOD account. Creating this account will let you download and play DivX VOD videos on your computer. To create an account, go to the Tools... User Account menu in the player. Click the Create Account button on the Login window and fill in the required fields. Important -- when you create a new account a verification email will be sent to the email address you supply; you must respond to this email beofre you new account will be activated for VOD content or device activation.

[setarip_old]

And then:To enable your DivX Certified DVD player to play VOD videos, go to the Tools... Device Manager menu in the player. Click the Register Device button on the Device Manager window, and select the brand of your device. Then, simply enter your device's activation code in the required field. Completing this step in the registration process is key to playing DivX videos on your device as it will help us verify that your DivX Certified DVD player is secure and capable of playing DivX movies. You may also optionally name your device to help you keep track of multiple devices.

The player will then automatically download a unique activation file for your device. Insert a blank CD-R into your computer's CD burner and select Burn to Disk -- the player will burn an activation disk for you (you may also save the activation video and burn it to a disk yourself later). It is important to note that you will need to create a separate video for each device you would like to activate. So if you have 3 DivX Certified DVD players, you will need to create 3 different CDs -- one for each device.

3. Insert the activation disc into your DivX Certified DVD player and hit play
Next, pop the activation disk you created into your player device. The activation video should play indicating that your DVD player is ready to begin playing our partners' video-on-demand movies. If our activation video plays without any problems, you're good to go. If you encounter any problems, please visit our FAQ section.

[neil.selden]

Hi,
Thanks again. But yes - I followed all those directions. Account was created, I registered the Philips online with Divx, and then downloaded and burnt the activation video - which played fine, by the way.

The issue is the player is not able to play the darn VOD movie, which it is supposed to play...

Thx,
neil