PowerDVD 8.0 issues

[EAO]

Ok... was curious about Blu-Ray so I finally jumped in with the LG GGW H20L. Figured I'd get the burning capabilities if I ever felt like it. I already have a DVD Drive installed and it's confirmed working fine because I played a DVD on it before adding the new LG.

The GGW H20L is bundled with PowerDVD 8.0 .. and that's where things get interesting. After installation I turned off all updates. No registration... and also did not install the burning OEM software yet. Just the OEM player. I added the Toshiba UDF 2.5 drivers (I'm on XP) and started watching. Nice crisp picture but no big deal vs other quality source material.

Later... I decided to resume watching a DVD using GOM player (also long installed) in my other perfectly working DVD drive.But now it says 'The player was incompatible with the region marking of the disc'. This is total bullshit . I am playind a region 1 commercial movie DVD and I know it works because I had been playing it just before installing the PowerDVD 8.0 and - to clarify - the H20L was installed. Only the software was not and the DVD played fine in GOM.

So I tried playing it in Windows Media Player 10. Exact same message

This is a very fresh install (several weeks old) of XP so no old codec issues and as I've said all was working perfectly before PowerDVD 8.0.

I saw that PowerDVD 'took over' all the associations...even after I unchecked all. I ended up re-associating what I wanted to GOM, and Media Monkey, etc. The icons look right in explorer but the message when I try to play a commercial DVD in GOM or 'whatever program' is still the same. 'The player was incompatible with the region marking of the disc'

I am positively certain it's PowerDVD 8.0 based on process of elimination and order of hardware/software installation. (Also...when I 'system restore' to remove PowerDVD 8.0....then GOM and Media Player work fine with this commercial nmovie DVD.)

Why? Anyone know of a less intrusive blu-ray player option?

[Baldrick]

Maybe try a region free software like dvd43 or anydvd and keep using powerdvd.

The only other player I know support bluray is WinDVD.

[EAO]

Thanks Baldrick. Been aware of the region free option and I knew it does work. But I was tring to avoid installing anything unnessesary. Not that the region free program is bad...just the point of it all. If I went that route I'd probably opt for AnyDVDHD...somewhat out of spite.

PowerDVD 8.0 should leave my other media programs alone. Their programmers and marketing folks have a lousy mindset if they believe they will keep users with programs that impose the company choices on the end users. They can enjoy this while they have an 'almost' monopoly but as soon as something that let's me choose comes along I'm jumping ahip and deliberatley not buying anything from Cyberlink in the future.

So... does anyone know if WinDVD is less intrusive? Would it be a worthwhile alternative...or are there others?

[fatbloke88]

If you have nero 8 and you add the bluray plugin it will also play your disks,might be cheaper than win dvd Arcsoft also makes a player that can play blu ray/hddvd http://www.arcsoft.com/products/totalmediatheatre/
I would also highly recommend AnyDvdHD as when you find a disk powerdvd cant navigate you can rip the main movie and play it.

[EAO]

Thanks. As much as I'm not a fan of Nero -I've decided to go that route. Hopefully I can turn off (or not install) all that I don't want and it won't take over my associations regardless of what I request.... and that alone will make it more worthwhile than Cyberlink.

Still considering AnyDVDHD.

I see they have a trial. Anyone know what settings I would use to just capture the main movie?