DVD player won't play certain DVD's

[WenLiek]

I have been trying for days now to watch DVD's on my PC. I have gone through 3 external USB DVD players. The first one didn't show up (not even in Device Management). Second one appeared but when I put anything in there, it wouldn't load. Last one, loads and plays some of them, but not all. I'm not sure what else to do. All the discs play in my PS4, one of them is brand new and just leaves VLC on a black screen(Pic 1). Some play, but screen tear(Not sure if those are the right words. Pics 2 and 3) and the audio cuts a few times a second. The rest play just fine, even ones that are super scratched up.

Pic 1:

[Attachment 65375 - Click to enlarge]

Pic 2:

[Attachment 65376 - Click to enlarge]

Pic 3:

[Attachment 65377 - Click to enlarge]

[usually_quiet]

Is the external DVD drive that doesn't appear Device Manager connected to your computer by just one USB cable? What about the DVD drive that doesn't load? Maybe a single USB port doesn't supply enough power.

[WenLiek]

Is the external DVD drive that doesn't appear Device Manager connected to your computer by just one USB cable? What about the DVD drive that doesn't load? Maybe a single USB port doesn't supply enough power.

The one that doesn't show up only has one cable and the one that doesn't load has two and I've tried plugging both in and only one or the other but it doesn't work like that either.

[october262]

I have been trying for days now to watch DVD's on my PC. I have gone through 3 external USB DVD players. The first one didn't show up (not even in Device Management). Second one appeared but when I put anything in there, it wouldn't load. Last one, loads and plays some of them, but not all. I'm not sure what else to do. All the discs play in my PS4, one of them is brand new and just leaves VLC on a black screen(Pic 1). Some play, but screen tear(Not sure if those are the right words. Pics 2 and 3) and the audio cuts a few times a second. The rest play just fine, even ones that are super scratched up.

Pic 1:

[Attachment 65375 - Click to enlarge]

Pic 2:

[Attachment 65376 - Click to enlarge]

Pic 3:

[Attachment 65377 - Click to enlarge]

have you tried reinstalling VLC ??

[usually_quiet]

Is the external DVD drive that doesn't appear Device Manager connected to your computer by just one USB cable? What about the DVD drive that doesn't load? Maybe a single USB port doesn't supply enough power.

The one that doesn't show up only has one cable and the one that doesn't load has two and I've tried plugging both in and only one or the other but it doesn't work like that either.

USB 2.0 connections supply less power than USB 3.0 connections, especially if the connected computer is a laptop. An extra USB 2.0 connection is sometimes provided on a drive cable just to supply additional power. Maybe I can find out what kind of USB connections your drives need if you supply the makes and models for your DVD drives.

VLC plays all but one of my DVDs just fine. The one that VLC didn't play caused VLC to remain black as you describe. That DVD was an Australian import (Region 4) and my DVD drive is Region 1. My other DVDs are no region DVDs that I created, recorded TV shows on DVD from my DVD recorder and Region 1 DVDs that I bought.

[WenLiek]

I have been trying for days now to watch DVD's on my PC. I have gone through 3 external USB DVD players. The first one didn't show up (not even in Device Management). Second one appeared but when I put anything in there, it wouldn't load. Last one, loads and plays some of them, but not all. I'm not sure what else to do. All the discs play in my PS4, one of them is brand new and just leaves VLC on a black screen(Pic 1). Some play, but screen tear(Not sure if those are the right words. Pics 2 and 3) and the audio cuts a few times a second. The rest play just fine, even ones that are super scratched up.

Pic 1:

[Attachment 65375 - Click to enlarge]

Pic 2:

[Attachment 65376 - Click to enlarge]

Pic 3:

[Attachment 65377 - Click to enlarge]

have you tried reinstalling VLC ??

Same thing even after installing.

[WenLiek]

Is the external DVD drive that doesn't appear Device Manager connected to your computer by just one USB cable? What about the DVD drive that doesn't load? Maybe a single USB port doesn't supply enough power.

The one that doesn't show up only has one cable and the one that doesn't load has two and I've tried plugging both in and only one or the other but it doesn't work like that either.

USB 2.0 connections supply less power than USB 3.0 connections, especially if the connected computer is a laptop. An extra USB 2.0 connection is sometimes provided on a drive cable just to supply additional power. Maybe I can find out what kind of USB connections your drives need if you supply the makes and models for your DVD drives.

VLC plays all but one of my DVDs just fine. The one that VLC didn't play caused VLC to remain black as you describe. That DVD was an Australian import (Region 4) and my DVD drive is Region 1. My other DVDs are no region DVDs that I created, recorded TV shows on DVD from my DVD recorder and Region 1 DVDs that I bought.

I'm on a PC. The second one I tried is indeed USB 2.0, but I have both of the cables plugged in.

The DVD that shows a black screen like that works on my PS4 but not on my player, so I'm not sure if it is because of region lock.

[usually_quiet]

I'm on a PC. The second one I tried is indeed USB 2.0, but I have both of the cables plugged in.

The symptoms described for the two drives usually mean there isn't enough power to run the drive.

The only other thing I can think of that might prevent an external DVD drive from being recognized is that Windows didn't locate and install a driver for its USB controller. Other than insufficient power, I don't know what would prevent a drive from loading any DVDs.

The DVD that shows a black screen like that works on my PS4 but not on my player, so I'm not sure if it is because of region lock.

VLC can decrypt most DVDs but perhaps its decryption library doesn't cover the encryption used for that DVD. Leawo Blu-ray Player is another free player you could try.

[WenLiek]

I'm on a PC. The second one I tried is indeed USB 2.0, but I have both of the cables plugged in.

The symptoms described for the two drives usually mean there isn't enough power to run the drive.

The only other thing I can think of that might prevent an external DVD drive from being recognized is that Windows didn't locate and install a driver for its USB controller. Other than insufficient power, I don't know what would prevent a drive from loading any DVDs.

The DVD that shows a black screen like that works on my PS4 but not on my player, so I'm not sure if it is because of region lock.

VLC can decrypt most DVDs but perhaps its decryption library doesn't cover the encryption used for that DVD. Leawo Blu-ray Player is another free player you could try.

Leawo worked, thank you!