DVD Playback on Windows

One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.

In a Windows 8 blog, Microsoft said:

Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

However, this is not a new issue and for now Microsoft seem to be giving away their Media Center Pack for free (usually charged around $10).

For those of you still on older versions of Windows, you may never have had DVD support which means you will struggle to play not only inserted media but also such formats as

.vob files aka Video Objects.

All this means that you’re probably going to need additional software, which opens a world of choices:

• Upgrade or purchase the DVD decoder software recommended by Microsoft
• Purchase or download and try for 30 days nVidia PureVideo Decoder or whatever is recommended by your hardware manufacturer.
• Purchase DVD XPack for around $13.
• Purchase or download and try for 30 days CinePlayer.

There is a third option is to get it for free.

As recommended by Microsoft themselves through their online “Windows File Association” database, you’ll see under it the “software or information available” section:

• VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is simply the swiss army knife of media playback software. Capable of playing back a huge assortment of audio and video formats, VLC is a hugely versatile player and best of all, it’s completely free.

So save yourself a few quid and use VLC.