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[rjm]

My main system is XP and MC plays dvds I have stored on my hard drive just fine.

My laptop is Vista and I have been unable to get dvds on my hard drive to play in MC since May 2007 when I first got the system. I am on vacation with my laptop and spent the last few hours trying to get it to work again without success.

The behavior I see when playing an ifo is for the display to go black and MC to say it is waiting.

Things I have tried include:
- confirmed dvds play ok with WinDVD and Nero Showtime (I get a region error with Windows Media Player)
- tried latest version of MC14 (behaves the same as MC13)
- updated CCCP to latest version
- configured ffdshow mpeg2 codec to use libavcodec (also tried libmpeg2)
- configured ffdshow to decode dvds
- in MC settings for ifo
   - tried many combinations of playback methods, source filters, and other filters
   - tried all Renderers

I have searched the forum and read the wiki and am out of ideas.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Daydream]

There are couple of things I can't make out properly from your details. Why is Windows Media Player giving you a region error? Thinking of 2 things:
- because you didn't rip the discs properly - in that case you need a player that can deal with DRM and region coding which are still present; such a player doesn't come with every version of Vista, only the ones that have Vista Media Center (that's how I remember the issue; Home, Business might not have it). Hence MC has nothing to use to decrypt/decode the thing.
- because Windows Media Player is stupid beyond belief and you did rip the discs right and then it's just a matter of having the proper setup for ifo file playback in MC, and the right filters (spliter, decoders) installed.

[JimH]

I'm tempted to say uninstall Nero, but it's probably a filter problem, so be sure to try the Microsoft filter for video.

Right click on the screen while playing and copy the filter graph.  Paste it here.  Someone may see something fishy.

Where did you go on vacation?  Any pictures?

[rjm]

because you didn't rip the discs properly - in that case you need a player that can deal with DRM and region coding which are still present;

Thanks for the suggestion. I ripped my dvd with dvd decrypter so I'm pretty sure the drm is removed.

I'm tempted to say uninstall Nero, but it's probably a filter problem, so be sure to try the Microsoft filter for video.

Right click on the screen while playing and copy the filter graph.  Paste it here.  Someone may see something fishy.

Thanks, I tried the Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder resulting in no change in behavior. Here is my filter graph:

Filter Graph Info:

    Filter 'Default DirectSound Device'
        CLSID: {79376820-07D0-11CF-A24D-0020AFD79767}
        Host: quartz.dll
        Input Pin 'Audio Input pin (rendered)'
            Connected to pin 'Out' of filter 'ffdshow Audio Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Audio  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_PCM, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx

    Filter 'Enhanced Video Renderer'
        CLSID: {FA10746C-9B63-4B6C-BC49-FC300EA5F256}
        Host: C:\Windows\system32\evr.dll
        Input Pin 'EVR Input0'
            Connected to pin 'Video Output 1' of filter 'Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_NV12, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo2
        Input Pin 'EVR Input1'
            Connected to pin 'XForm Out' of filter 'Line 21 Decoder 2'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_AI44, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo
        Input Pin 'EVR Input2'
            Connected to pin '~Subpicture Output' of filter 'Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_AI44, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo2

    Filter 'Line 21 Decoder 2'
        CLSID: {E4206432-01A1-4BEE-B3E1-3702C8EDC574}
        Host: quartz.dll
        Input Pin 'XForm In'
            Connected to pin '~Line21 Output' of filter 'Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_AUXLine21Data  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_Line21_GOPPacket, Format type FORMAT_None
        Output Pin 'XForm Out'
            Connected to pin 'EVR Input1' of filter 'Enhanced Video Renderer'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_AI44, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo

    Filter 'ffdshow Audio Decoder'
        CLSID: {0F40E1E5-4F79-4988-B1A9-CC98794E6B55}
        Host: C:\Program Files\Combined Community Codec Pack\Filters\FFDShow\ffdshow.ax
        Output Pin 'Out'
            Connected to pin 'Audio Input pin (rendered)' of filter 'Default DirectSound Device'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Audio  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_PCM, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx
        Input Pin 'In'
            Connected to pin 'AC3' of filter 'DVD Navigator'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_DVD_ENCRYPTED_PACK  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_DOLBY_AC3, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx

    Filter 'Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder'
        CLSID: {212690FB-83E5-4526-8FD7-74478B7939CD}
        Host: C:\Windows\System32\msmpeg2vdec.dll
        Input Pin 'Video Input'
            Connected to pin 'Video' of filter 'DVD Navigator'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_DVD_ENCRYPTED_PACK  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_MPEG2_VIDEO, Format type FORMAT_MPEG2_VIDEO
        Input Pin 'Subpicture Input'
            Connected to pin 'SubPicture' of filter 'DVD Navigator'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_DVD_ENCRYPTED_PACK  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_DVD_SUBPICTURE, Format type FORMAT_MPEG2_VIDEO
        Output Pin 'Video Output 1'
            Connected to pin 'EVR Input0' of filter 'Enhanced Video Renderer'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_NV12, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo2
        Output Pin '~Line21 Output'
            Connected to pin 'XForm In' of filter 'Line 21 Decoder 2'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_AUXLine21Data  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_Line21_GOPPacket, Format type FORMAT_None
        Output Pin '~Subpicture Output'
            Connected to pin 'EVR Input2' of filter 'Enhanced Video Renderer'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_AI44, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo2

    Filter 'DVD Navigator'
        CLSID: {9B8C4620-2C1A-11D0-8493-00A02438AD48}
        Host: qdvd.dll
        Output Pin 'Video'
            Connected to pin 'Video Input' of filter 'Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_DVD_ENCRYPTED_PACK  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_MPEG2_VIDEO, Format type FORMAT_MPEG2_VIDEO
        Output Pin 'AC3'
            Connected to pin 'In' of filter 'ffdshow Audio Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_DVD_ENCRYPTED_PACK  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_DOLBY_AC3, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx
        Output Pin 'SubPicture'
            Connected to pin 'Subpicture Input' of filter 'Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_DVD_ENCRYPTED_PACK  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_DVD_SUBPICTURE, Format type FORMAT_MPEG2_VIDEO

Hoping someone can spot a problem, or perhaps someone with Vista could share their ifo playback settings with me.

We are vacationing at a beautiful beach in Comox B.C.. Temperature hit 34 C today. Hottest day of the year so far.

[JimH]

You are a lucky devil!

I don't totally understand the need for the Line 21 Decoder filter.

[rjm]

I don't totally understand the need for the Line 21 Decoder filter.

Neither do I. Happy to remove it if someone would kindly explain how to do so.

Still hoping that someone with Vista can share their ifo playback settings...

[Yaobing]

Your graph look completely normal.

Line 21 Decoder filter is automatically loaded and can not be disabled.  It normally is needed for closed captions.

[Yaobing]

Have you tried using VMR9 instead of EVR?  Normally EVR is the best, but maybe there is some problem with it.

[rjm]

Have you tried using VMR9 instead of EVR?  Normally EVR is the best, but maybe there is some problem with it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I believe I have tried all of the renderers including VMR9.

I copied a vob file out from under the VIDEO_TS structure, renamed the extension to mpg, and verified that MC plays the file ok. This I think eliminates any possible problems with accessing the drive or the video codec. Which suggest the problem is related to playing the ifo.

Just to repeat the behavior: When I play the ifo I see MC access the drive, it switches to display view, the display goes black, and the MC reports that it is waiting.

Any other suggestions?

[rjm]

One more important clue...

I tried playing a dvd from a dvd-r and MC played it fine.

So the problem seems specific to dvd's stored on a hard drive.

P.S. I noticed that MC14 no longer has an option to jump to the dvd menu. Was this intentional? I think we need this feature for dvd support.

[Magic_Randy]

A few of us had a problem with notebooks and Vista and found a workaround. The problem we had was if the movie was on an external USB hard drive. The same problem may be there if the movie is not the main drive (e.g. an internal drive but not C:).

This solution may not relate to your problem, but I'll pass it on just in case.

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=52882.msg360425#msg360425

[rjm]

A few of us had a problem with notebooks and Vista and found a workaround. The problem we had was if the movie was on an external USB hard drive. The same problem may be there if the movie is not the main drive (e.g. an internal drive but not C:).

Thanks. This appears to be my problem. A few comments:

I googled pretty hard but found only one other reference to the problem here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4839734_backedup-dvd-external-disk-vista.html
I could find no mention of the problem on Microsoft's site. Apparently very few people store dvd's on external drives.

I cannot use the work around because my strategy is to have an extact mirror of my desktop (MC library + external drives) on my laptop. I cannot change folder locations without messing this up.

3rd party dvd players like WinDVD and Nero play from an external drive without any problems. So this appears to be a Microsoft dvd player problem.

Assuming JRiver does not use Microsoft software for dvd playback, then perhaps JRiver can fix the problem since other players work ok.

[Yaobing]

Assuming JRiver does not use Microsoft software for dvd playback, then perhaps JRiver can fix the problem since other players work ok.

We use Microsoft filters for DVD.

[rjm]

We use Microsoft filters for DVD.

I was afraid of that. Oh well, at least we understand what is going on. Thanks for your help.

[Magic_Randy]

Thanks. This appears to be my problem. A few comments:

I googled pretty hard but found only one other reference to the problem here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4839734_backedup-dvd-external-disk-vista.html
I could find no mention of the problem on Microsoft's site. Apparently very few people store dvd's on external drives.

I cannot use the work around because my strategy is to have an extact mirror of my desktop (MC library + external drives) on my laptop. I cannot change folder locations without messing this up.

3rd party dvd players like WinDVD and Nero play from an external drive without any problems. So this appears to be a Microsoft dvd player problem.

Assuming JRiver does not use Microsoft software for dvd playback, then perhaps JRiver can fix the problem since other players work ok.

Out of curiosity, are your DVDs on a local drive on the notebook? e.g. a drive other than c: but not on a USB drive?

 

[rjm]

Out of curiosity, are your DVDs on a local drive on the notebook? e.g. a drive other than c: but not on a USB drive?

I did a few more tests to complete the picture.

DVD playback from hard drive with MC on Vista:
  local drive (c:) - ok
  local drive (d:) - ok
  NAS (external ethernet connected drive) - ok
  USB external drive - not ok

So the problem seems to be limited to USB drives.

[JimH]

I wonder if it's just taking 30 minutes to load the movie from the USB drive.  Try letting it sit for an hour or two to see if it eventually plays.

[Alex B]

XP has no problems with playing DVD video from VIDEO_TS folders on USB2 hard drives. Playback starts from a fast USB2 drive immediately, similarly like from any hard drive.

As I am an XP user, I wonder what exactly causes the difference. Is the DVD navigator filter different on Vista or is there some registry setting that could be tweaked so that Vista would handle the drives similarly like XP?


I also wonder if the good old SUBST command could cure the problem. At least on XP the virtual drives that are created by SUBST are not detected as "removable"

I use it on all PCs.

My MC media library has been imported from the virtual X: , Y: and Z: driver letters for years.

When the media files are on local drives I have a bat file in my startup folder. It creates the three drive letters automatically on system startup, for instance:

- filename: XYZ.bat
- contents:

Code: [Select]

c:
cd \
dir
subst X: E:\Mus
Subst Y: F:\Vid
subst Z: F:\Z
pause
- the directory listing in the beginning is for making sure that the system drive is ready (it may be unnecessary)
- the pause command is optional. It just keeps the command prompt window open so that I can check that the SUBST commands worked normally.

By using this system I can always mount any three base folders as virtual drive letters and use them without making any changes to the MC library.

Alternatively I could share the physical directories and map the network shares with drive letters (it works also on a single PC), but the "SUBST" system uses less CPU and providers somewhat better file transfer and access speeds (I have tested this on XP).


When I use my laptop with a 1TB USB2 drive that contains copies of most of my media files I use this bat file:

- filename: T_XYZ.bat
- contents:

Code: [Select]

t:
cd \
dir
subst X: T:\Mus
Subst Y: T:\Vid
subst Z: T:\Z
pause- I have changed the USB drive's letter on all PCs to T: so that the same bat file works on any of my PCs.
- I have it in the root of the drive so that I can easily double-click it after connecting the drive.


If/when I want to remove the drive letters I run another bat file:

- filename: XYZ_OFF.bat
- contents:

Code: [Select]

subst X: /D
subst Y: /D
subst Z: /D
pause

[rjm]

If anyone is so motivated, I would love to know if dvd playback from a USB drive works on Windows 7.

[Magic_Randy]

I did a few more tests to complete the picture.

DVD playback from hard drive with MC on Vista:
  local drive (c:) - ok
  local drive (d:) - ok
  NAS (external ethernet connected drive) - ok
  USB external drive - not ok

So the problem seems to be limited to USB drives.

Thanks for verifying that.

Using the workaround I mentioned, mklink creates a virtual folder on C:. Everything is still stored on the other drive (M: in my case) but there is a zero byte folder on C:.

It is a zero byte virtual folder on C: that I use to import to MC.

MC then has no trouble playing the movies.

I'm still not sure why others are not having this problem. I would think a lot of people use Vista and have movies on a USB drive.

[Alex B]

As I said, I don't have Vista installed at the moment (I may try Windows 7 RC soon), but could someone test also the SUBST command?

My explanation above might look a bit complex, but the procedure is actually very simple.

For instance:

- The real file folder is U:\DVD Movies\
- Open a CMD window and type: SUBST X: "U:\DVD Movies"   (if the path contains space characters, enclose it in quotation marks)

This will create a new drive letter X: . The subdirectories under "DVD Movies" will be listed directly on the root of the X: drive.

If you want to show also the "DVD Movies" base directory you need to creat a new root directory and move "DVD Movies" under it. For instance:
- The real path: U:\Media\DVD Movies\
- SUBST X: U:\Media

[Magic_Randy]

As I said, I don't have Vista installed at the moment (I may try Windows 7 RC soon), but could someone test also the SUBST command?

My explanation above might look a bit complex, but the procedure is actually very simple.

For instance:

- The real file folder is U:\DVD Movies\
- Open a CMD window and type: SUBST X: "U:\DVD Movies"   (if the path contains space characters, enclose it in quotation marks)

This will create a new drive letter X: . The subdirectories under "DVD Movies" will be listed directly on the root of the X: drive.

If you want to show also the "DVD Movies" base directory you need to creat a new root directory and move "DVD Movies" under it. For instance:
- The real path: U:\Media\DVD Movies\
- SUBST X: U:\Media

I can't test it with Windows 7, but I did test it with Vista.

It works just fine. It appears that SUBST and MKLink have the same effect.

How do I delete the X: from SUBST?

[Magic_Randy]

I found how to delete the virtual drive set up with SUBST.

[Alex B]

How do I delete the X: from SUBST?

Just in case anyone else is wondering the same thing, here is the command line: subst x: /d

It is also in my earlier reply:

If/when I want to remove the drive letters I run another bat file:

- filename: XYZ_OFF.bat
- contents:

Code: [Select]

subst X: /D
subst Y: /D
subst Z: /D
pause

[rjm]

Does anyone know if DVDs stored on USB drives will play on Windows 7?

Thinking of upgrading my laptop and this would be a good reason for me to do so.