DVD Decoders and Drivers

Almost all newer computer models come with a DVD drive capable of reading or writing to DVDs. These can be formatted for data storage, audio files (similar to CDs) and video (which includes full length movies). The newer versions of Windows include an application called Windows Media Player that can playback DVDs; that is, if the correct DVD drivers are installed.

What Do DVD Decoders and DVD Drivers Do?

DVD decoder drivers are an integral part of the DVD playback system because the amount of space needed to store a movie in raw video form is more than is available on standard DVDs. When video files are stored, they are compressed using MPEG formatting. These files must be decompressed by the DVD decoder driver before playback is possible.

Getting the Correct DVD Drivers

DVD drives come from a variety of different manufacturers. The formats they use to read or write DVD data are standard across the platform, but each one is slightly different from all the rest. This means that you need the correct DVD drivers for the DVD drive you are operating.

Most DVD drivers are pre-installed on the computer system at the time of manufacture to match the DVD drive being installed with the system. In most cases, everything is compatible and all the parts work together. There are rare occasions that can lead to problems, however, that must be identified and fixed to make the components work.

Any time you put a DVD or other media into the drive, a prompt should come up asking for the action you wish to take. Sometimes, you may tell the system to play a video and instead of doing so, it gives you a message that you do not have a compatible DVD decoder driver installed. This may mean that the driver for your system has been damaged in some way. If you have recently installed a new DVD drive, you may not have the correct driver installed to operate it.

You can easily check this by opening Windows Media Player (or a compatible DVD application) and selecting the Options button on the Tools menu. There should be a DVD tab visible. If not, you do not have a compatible DVD decoder driver installed. You should be able to install the correct driver with the disk that came with the drive or by downloading it from the company website for the manufacturer.

Sometimes, the display settings on the computer may not be compatible with the DVD player or driver. If reducing the resolution on the display or setting the video acceleration to zero allows the DVD video to play, you may need a newer version of the DVD driver to operate at optimal settings.

Another potential trouble spot for DVD’s is that they are normally programmed to play only in certain regions. The variation in the encoding can prevent them from working with your system. You may be able to change the DVD region on your system through the control panel, but be warned, there is often a limit to the number of times this setting can be changed. The computer will often display a countdown when this is the case.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 5:53 am and is filed under DVD/CD Drivers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.