If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS newsfeed so you don't miss out on all the information, news, tips and tricks.
Thanks for visiting!

The Movie Playback Problem

Some versions of Windows Vista don’t come with an MPEG-2 decoder / addin for watching  movies, other MPEG-2 video sources and recorded TV. Vista Home Basic, Vista Business and Vista Enterprise customers are going to be a little upset when they try to play a DVD movie, watch certain TV channels or have a must see video clip and all they get is a message from Windows Media Player saying it can’t play the clip. Only Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate have support out the box!

However, there are a number of options available ranging from FREE to mega bucks. Let’s look at some of the common options.

MPEG-2 Playback Options

VLC Media Player
Free - yes, that’s correct, it costs £0. With versions available for many different platforms and operating systems. Simply install on the problem system and you’ll be able to use VLC Media Player to watch your movies and video clips. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a DirectShow MPEG-2 Filter, so you can only watch MPEG-2 content using the player. 
 

"Microsoft Approved" DVD Decoders Plugins
A couple of plugins from Roxio and Cyberlink come with the blessing of Microsoft. Around about £10, these are an inexpensive option from a couple of the biggest companies in the 3rd party multimedia application marketplace.
 

NVIDIA PureVideo Decoder
Three different varieties ensure there is an option that suits both your wallet and your need.
 

3rd Party DVD Playback Software
Think PowerDVD and WinDVD, which most users of previous versions of Windows will be familiar with. 
 

Microsoft DVD Playback Pack
Recently announced, this option only looks to be available to Volume License customers. A word of warning straight from the mouth of Microsoft:

DVD Playback Pack for Windows Vista is designed to be used by IT professionals and should only be distributed as part of an operating system image.

Doesn’t sound like many people outside of corporate-land will be using this option!
 

Upgrade Windows
Order a Windows Vista Anytime Upgrade pack from Microsoft to allow you to  upgrade to one of the supported versions. Only worth pursuing if you require some of the other features and functions that are only available in a "higher" (more expensive) version  of Windows Vista.

Warning
You will need to run an upgrade set-up, which could result in the corruption or complete trashing of your current Windows Vista installation. Ensure you know what this involves and what options you need to select before performing this upgrade. And don’t forget to backup anything you can’t afford to lose before kicking off the upgrade.

Conclusions

For most people, we recommend going with VLC Media Player and consider donating some time or money to help support the project. Remember you need to watch the movie (clip) in the VLC Media Player application.

If you would like features that are only available in a higher version of Windows Vista then consider the Windows Vista Anytime Upgrade option.

Technorati Tags: Cyberlink, DVD, DVD decoder, DVD Playback Pack, Microsoft, MPEG-2, NVIDIA, PowerDVD, Roxio, Vista, VLC Media Player, Windows, Windows Vista Anytime Upgrade, WinDVD