NationStates Jolt Archive

Hi. It's Rotovia's fiance here, and as you may know, pretty girls tend to know very little about technology. (I really should though, considering technology is one of my submajors at university, haha.) Anyway, we rented some DVDs and they won't play on the computer. The computer doesn't even know they're there. When you go into My Computer then to the CD drive, it's empty. If you go through media player, and try to click "play CD or VCD", nothing happens either.

Help a pretty girl out.


Okay, well is there anyway I can get my DVD player to work with a very old TV? I don't have a chord, however... We watch TV with a coathanger attached to the plug-hole-thingy.

Play CD or VCD shouldn't work, because you're trying to play a DVD, not a CD. In fact, you even describe it as a CD drive.

Is it just a CD drive, because then it can't read DVDs. Only a DVD drive can do that (a DVD drive can read both).

If it doesn't say DVD somewhere on the tray or in the control software, you're not working with a DVD drive, and it's never going to work.

Okay:


You won't make any points by saying geeks.
You need a DVD drive to play DVDs.

yep. you need a DVD drive. DVD Rom will also work.

Okay:


You won't make any points by saying geeks.
You need a DVD drive to play DVDs.


1. "Geek" isn't an offensive term. I was being funny. You know "funny", right? It's somewhere after "friend" in the dictionary. You know "friend", right?
Seriously, if you're offended by me using the word, perhaps you should look at the forum I'm posting in. Perhaps you should have read that I actually am involved in technology at university. Perhaps you should've done a little research into who I actually am. If you'd read any of my previous posts (under the name of knowyourright) I am obviously not unintelligent. I am not "cool". For fcuk's sake, I refer to myself as a "geek". God.

2. Okay, I've figured that out, but I was wondering if there was anyway around it, like downloading a codec or something, but from other responses I assume there probably isn't.

Somebody has a temper.

If it doesn't show in the drive, then there's probably not much to be done on the software front. Do other DVDs play in it? Is the disk clean and unscratched, that kind of thing? But you can try Media Player Classic (scroll down a bit, it's there) (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=82303) if you like, that tends to work. But not if Windows doesn't realise there's a disk. If the disk's fine it could be the drive's on the way out, not a DVD drive, needs a firmware update (see the manufacturer's website), or just hates that particular disk.

1. "Geek" isn't an offensive term. I was being funny. You know "funny", right? It's somewhere after "friend" in the dictionary. You know "friend", right?
Seriously, if you're offended by me using the word, perhaps you should look at the forum I'm posting in. Perhaps you should have read that I actually am involved in technology at university. Perhaps you should've done a little research into who I actually am. If you'd read any of my previous posts (under the name of knowyourright) I am obviously not unintelligent. I am not "cool". For fcuk's sake, I refer to myself as a "geek". God.

2. Okay, I've figured that out, but I was wondering if there was anyway around it, like downloading a codec or something, but from other responses I assume there probably isn't.

Ah, sorry. It's a Monday, and I tend to be abrasive sometimes. I thought you were using it in the valley girl/ditz kind of way. And no, I never read any of those posts. Sorry, man. (Apologizes profusely)

Hi Rotovias lady

A codec will not help a CD player play a DVD.

What you should do is go buy a dvd player. They are really inexpensive. Do you have any pawn shops around your area? Maybe a discount electronics store? A Pennysaver with ads for used DVD players?

Also I don't think he was offended by being called a geek, just erronously saying that it wouldnt win you any points. I'm not so sure the apparent anger in your response was necessary. I myself am proud to be considered a geek. It's a step up from what I consider myself. Besides... who's the richest man alive?

If it doesn't show in the drive, then there's probably not much to be done on the software front. Do other DVDs play in it? Is the disk clean and unscratched, that kind of thing? But you can try Media Player Classic (scroll down a bit, it's there) (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=82303) if you like, that tends to work. But not if Windows doesn't realise there's a disk. If the disk's fine it could be the drive's on the way out, not a DVD drive, needs a firmware update (see the manufacturer's website), or just hates that particular disk.

Sigh... Nope, no other DVDs work in it either. Damn. I thought there might be a way around it, but obviously there isn't.

I'm pretty sure that if your tv has video/audio jack holes you can use a dvd player. If it doesn't..then no.

Somebody has a temper.
Somebody can't play their DVDs!

Hi Rotovias lady

A codec will not help a CD player play a DVD.

What you should do is go buy a dvd player. They are really inexpensive. Do you have any pawn shops around your area? Maybe a discount electronics store? A Pennysaver with ads for used DVD players?

Also I don't think he was offended by being called a geek, just errounously saying that it wouldnt win you any points. I'm not so sure the apparent anger in your response was necessary. I myself am proud to be considered a geek. It's a step up from what I consider myself. Besides... who's the richest man alive?
We have a DVD player. If you can figure out how to make it work with an old TV and a coathanger, please inform me.

Bill Gates is kinda hot. So is Rotovia. Shh...he's a bit of a geek too. :fluffle:

Hi Rotovias lady

A codec will not help a CD player play a DVD.

What you should do is go buy a dvd player. They are really inexpensive. Do you have any pawn shops around your area? Maybe a discount electronics store? A Pennysaver with ads for used DVD players?

Also I don't think he was offended by being called a geek, just errounously saying that it wouldnt win you any points. I'm not so sure the apparent anger in your response was necessary. I myself am proud to be considered a geek. It's a step up from what I consider myself. Besides... who's the richest man alive?

Yeah. I apologize for my abrasiveness. People should check my sig before replying to my posts, though. It shows I'm not that bad.

We have a DVD player. If you can figure out how to make it work with an old TV and a coathanger, please inform me.

What kind of input points does the tv have?

I always thought he was gay, but oh well.

Just wanted to say hello.

Somebody can't play their DVDs!

If you have a computer you must have a dvd-rom or dvd-rw drive, otherwise it won't read the disk.

If you have a very old TV, you may need a coaxial cable, which is what comes throught the wall from your cable box.

If you don't have a dvd drive or cables, you are SOL.

Somebody can't play their DVDs!


We have a DVD player. If you can figure out how to make it work with an old TV and a coathanger, please inform me.

Bill Gates is kinda hot. So is Rotovia. Shh...he's a bit of a geek too. :fluffle:

is your dvd player using RCA connectors? the white red and yellow plugs while your TV uses the Co-Axial cable?

check to see if you have a VHS tape player that has the same input sockets as well as the cable type.

another thing to do is go to radio shack and pick up an adapter.

Somebody can't play their DVDs!


We have a DVD player. If you can figure out how to make it work with an old TV and a coathanger, please inform me.

Bill Gates is kinda hot. So is Rotovia. Shh...he's a bit of a geek too. :fluffle:

often a player will have a "tv out" which you can use for older tv's

not audio/video ports but it should look just like the connection that you most likely have yoru coathanger shoved into

it will have a single hole and threading on the outside (http://www.reslife.uww.edu/uwwtv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=25)

Yeah. I apologize for my abrasiveness. People should check my sig before replying to my posts, though. It shows I'm not that bad.

I didnt think you were overly abbrasive. I figured you were offering advice. I was merely saying that I believe most people here on NS are liekly happy to be called geeks and that Rotovias lady, as beautiful and understanding as she is, was being a bit too harsh.

I didnt think you were overly abbrasive. I figured you were offering advice. I was merely saying that I believe most people here on NS are liekly happy to be called geeks and that Rotovias lady, as beautiful and understanding as she is, was being a bit too harsh.

I just think geek is an offensive term, and prefer to be called a nerd.

You really have a choice here, then. You can either buy a DVD drive (try to find a place willing to install it for you free) that should cost about $60. This will really only work if it's a desktop PC.

Or you could buy an adapter capable of shifting red yellow white cable transmissions to coaxial. Then you could run the DVD player to the adapter, and run coaxial (that being your average TV cable) to the TV. Adapters cost about $20-$30.

Personally, if you can afford it, I'd recommend the DVD drive.

1. "Geek" isn't an offensive term. I was being funny. You know "funny", right? It's somewhere after "friend" in the dictionary. You know "friend", right?
Seriously, if you're offended by me using the word, perhaps you should look at the forum I'm posting in. Perhaps you should have read that I actually am involved in technology at university. Perhaps you should've done a little research into who I actually am. If you'd read any of my previous posts (under the name of knowyourright) I am obviously not unintelligent. I am not "cool". For fcuk's sake, I refer to myself as a "geek". God.

2. Okay, I've figured that out, but I was wondering if there was anyway around it, like downloading a codec or something, but from other responses I assume there probably isn't.

Nope first you need a drive to physically read it, Then you get Codec's/players