MPEG-2 activation related?

[konabrad]

I'm having the same issue as everyone; unable to activate MPEG-2 in Roxio.

Recently however, neither of my internal DVD players will play video, either with Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or Roxio. These DVD's include commercial movies as well as my previously burned Roxio vidoes. Although everything worked fine before, I believe the problem began when I started the uninstall & reinstall routine with EMC9 in an attempt to ativate MPEG-2. I suspect the MPEG-2 decorder (which must have been installed on my system) somehow got corrupted or removed. Nothing I do seems to allow either DVD devices to play even if Roxio is uninstalled. I'm not trying to point the problem at the Roxio issues, but don't know what else may have caused this. Anyone with similar issues?

Brad

[konabrad]

Thanks jeanrosenfeld

 

Problem solved by checking which codes were installed. Seems there were several, but non compatible with Windows Media Player. Downloaded a new MPEG-2 codex from Coral / InterVideo ($15) which solved the problem for Windows Media Player as well as for Real Player. During research of the problem, I found a statement by Microsoft that said that Windows XP DOES NOT include a codex for playing DVD's. I don't know how I was doing it before but the MPEG-2 codex must have come as part of another application and got removed along the way.

 

On to the next challange, whatever it may be!

 

Brad

[jeanrosenfeld]

For Windows Media Player, you could check whether it is a codec issue by using either or both of the following utilities:

 

MS Video decoder checkup: tells you whether there are suitable mpeg codecs installed for WMP and if so allows you to set the default one.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

 

GSpot: lists all the codecs on your system and tells you whether you have the codecs for any particular file on your system, or, to check for the video DVD, in GSpot File menu, point it to a .VOB file that will be on the DVD in your DVD drive..

 

http://www.headbands.com/gspot/

 

 

 

RealPlayer has its own codecs, I think, so if DVDs don't play in that, it suggests a deeper problem.

 

Are your DVD drives recognised by Windows? (do they show in My computer or Windows Explorer)?

[jeanrosenfeld]

Glad you got it sorted. Yes, WMP comes without DVD codecs. I think this has to do with the fact that these need to be licensed, but MS gives you WMP for free (hence the need for you to buy them from third party.

I use the Cyberlink PowerDVD 7 codecs that come with PowerDVD player (or can be got with just the SE version of the player)