Well my friend just formated his PC and the following problem came up: when he is trying to playback a DVD, he hears only the sound but sees no picture, nothing at all. This is happening with every DVD he uses, with every program (PowerDVD, WinDVD, Media Player) and cannot be fixed! Well we tried everything: install ASPI drivers, update firmware, install video drivers, re-format and re-install windows, and changing DVD's position (from master to slave etc). The crazy thing is not that the sound is OK but that the drive can read any CD or DVD without any problem. It just can't play movies! The drive is a Pioneer 120 and it was working fine before the format! Anyone with the same problem please help, because I am getting crazy! PS: I moved the drive at my PC and it works OK, my drive at his PC doesn't work, so give me suggestions about drivers, programs etc, no hardware.
When your friend reformatted, he lost the DVD decoder (MPEG-2 decoder) that came with the drive. DVD decoders can be purchased from Microsoft, and some are available free. Specifically, what you need is an MPEG-2 codec. This piece of software might have come with his computer on CD as well. I was unable to test it, but this one looks promising: http://www.elecard.com/download/#mpeg2decoder Nimo Codec Pack also might have the required decoder: http://www.divx-digest.com/software/nimo_pack.html As a last resort, you might have to pull a free decoder off of a peer-to-peer network. Be careful about viruses if you go this route._X_X_X_X_X_[small]Comp 1: Dell Inspiron P4 2.4Ghz / 512 MB RAM with 24x CD-RW and Firewire In, SVideo Out running XP Pro Comp 2: Dell Dimension P3 550Mhz / 384MB RAM with old 2x CD-RW running XP Home.[/small]
I don't understand how this can have happend. I have formated my PC and other PCs (I worked at a computer shop) with no problem. PowerDVD isn't supposed to have a MPEG-2 decoder? I think it has. Also I made his PC and I what I did is to install WinXP and all software, the same I did again trying to fix his problem. I don't understand why he lost the DVD decoder. Can you explain?
The DVD decoder would have been installed alongside the software for the DVD drive, not with the OS. Try this: download a sample MPEG-2 video from any website and try to play it on your friend's computer. If it plays, something weird has happened. If it doesn't, then you are certainly missing an MPEG-2 decoder. I don't know why this might have worked with your PC but not your friend's. I can only assume that the codec was caught in a backup and reinstalled (what do you think?) I like Microsoft's explaination the best: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/windowsxp/dvdplay.aspx The licensing of MPEG-2 is pretty strict, so it is unlikely that every DVD distributed with PowerDVD (the software is a free download after all) would have an MPEG-2 codec. I have myself reformatted and ran into this same problem. Sometimes, your only option is to buy a decoder pack, although like I said the codec might be on a Cd and certainly exists on the popular p2p networks.
Well it was a good suggestion, but just now I remembered that I forgot to mention that some SVCDs my friend has are playing allright with PowerDVD. I searched out and found that if I rip the files with DVD Decrypter they don't play also, so I think it's a video card problem. He has a card which says that has a Kyro chipset. Do you know what is this? I will try to get some other drivers.
I checked out Microsoft and I think that this Decoder is for use with the Windows Media Player. PowerDVD has a decoder included, I asked them by email and they told me to re-install the software. Guess what: it didn't work. Back to the drivers then...
Yikes! Weirder problem than I thought! Perhaps the video card is trying to do hardware MPEG-2 decoding??
Well I will try it again at Wednesday. You see if I stayed a little more at my friend's house I should sleep there also! I believe that something like what you said is the problem, I will find out!
