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I can play all DVDs fine, except for all Get Smart DVDs. They have
audio and the screen is blank. They are region 4 like all the DVDs
that I have. They play OK on a DVD player. They are brand new and
bought in NZ from Real Groovy.
There is video at the beginning showing cautions etc, then when the
show starts the video is blank.
When I click on Exit, the video shows OK for a fraction of a second.

I gather there is an Overlay option for my video controller but I'm
damned if I can find an Overlay option anywhere.

I'm using Win98SE Did I mention that ALL other DVDs play OK and
everything else works just fine and that XP is too slow on this
machine so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.

In message
<859572b5-6901-43b0-88f3->, Matty F
wrote:

> ... XP is too slow on this machine so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.

You don’t have to buy Linux.

Or VLC, for that matter.

On 21/08/2010 10:33 p.m., Matty F threw some characters down the intarwebs:
> I can play all DVDs fine, except for all Get Smart DVDs. They have
> audio and the screen is blank. They are region 4 like all the DVDs
> that I have. They play OK on a DVD player. They are brand new and
> bought in NZ from Real Groovy.
> There is video at the beginning showing cautions etc, then when the
> show starts the video is blank.
> When I click on Exit, the video shows OK for a fraction of a second.
>
> I gather there is an Overlay option for my video controller but I'm
> damned if I can find an Overlay option anywhere.
>
> I'm using Win98SE Did I mention that ALL other DVDs play OK and
> everything else works just fine and that XP is too slow on this
> machine so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.

How bout a new version of WinDVD then, since that one is at least 6
years old?

Sounds like the main movie is encoded in a newer format than the rest of
the DVD (probably not strictly standards compliant) and your old
hardware running old software doesn't know how to handle it.

On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:46:39 +1200, Squiggle wrote:

> On 21/08/2010 10:33 p.m., Matty F threw some characters down the
> intarwebs:
>> I can play all DVDs fine, except for all Get Smart DVDs. They have
>> audio and the screen is blank. They are region 4 like all the DVDs that
>> I have. They play OK on a DVD player. They are brand new and bought in
>> NZ from Real Groovy.
>> There is video at the beginning showing cautions etc, then when the
>> show starts the video is blank.
>> When I click on Exit, the video shows OK for a fraction of a second.
>>
>> I gather there is an Overlay option for my video controller but I'm
>> damned if I can find an Overlay option anywhere.
>>
>> I'm using Win98SE Did I mention that ALL other DVDs play OK and
>> everything else works just fine and that XP is too slow on this machine
>> so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.
>
> How bout a new version of WinDVD then, since that one is at least 6
> years old?
>
> Sounds like the main movie is encoded in a newer format than the rest of
> the DVD (probably not strictly standards compliant) and your old
> hardware running old software doesn't know how to handle it.

Take it back to the shop and ask for your money back - it is clearly
defective and not compliant with the DVD spec.


--
"Filtering the Internet is like trying to boil the ocean"

On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:09:06 +0000 (UTC), Sweetpea
<> wrote:

>On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:46:39 +1200, Squiggle wrote:
>
>> On 21/08/2010 10:33 p.m., Matty F threw some characters down the
>> intarwebs:
>>> I can play all DVDs fine, except for all Get Smart DVDs. They have
>>> audio and the screen is blank. They are region 4 like all the DVDs that
>>> I have. They play OK on a DVD player. They are brand new and bought in
>>> NZ from Real Groovy.
>>> There is video at the beginning showing cautions etc, then when the
>>> show starts the video is blank.
>>> When I click on Exit, the video shows OK for a fraction of a second.
>>>
>>> I gather there is an Overlay option for my video controller but I'm
>>> damned if I can find an Overlay option anywhere.
>>>
>>> I'm using Win98SE Did I mention that ALL other DVDs play OK and
>>> everything else works just fine and that XP is too slow on this machine
>>> so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.
>>
>> How bout a new version of WinDVD then, since that one is at least 6
>> years old?
>>
>> Sounds like the main movie is encoded in a newer format than the rest of
>> the DVD (probably not strictly standards compliant) and your old
>> hardware running old software doesn't know how to handle it.
>
>Take it back to the shop and ask for your money back - it is clearly
>defective and not compliant with the DVD spec.


He can't as it plays on a normal DVD player.


There are lots of different software that he can use to test the DVD..

On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:26:12 +1200, William Brown wrote:

> There are lots of different software that he can use to test the DVD..

[PLONK] Woger!


--
"Filtering the Internet is like trying to boil the ocean"

On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:34:29 +0000 (UTC), Sweetpea
<> wrote:

>On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:26:12 +1200, William Brown wrote:
>
>> There are lots of different software that he can use to test the DVD..
>
>[PLONK] Woger!



Tell me some thing why are you such a Idiot.?

On Aug 22, 10:46 am, Squiggle <Squig...@in.the.sand> wrote:
> On 21/08/2010 10:33 p.m., Matty F threw some characters down the
> > I'm using Win98SE Did I mention that ALL other DVDs play OK and
> > everything else works just fine and that XP is too slow on this
> > machine so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.
>
> How bout a new version of WinDVD then, since that one is at least 6
> years old?
>
> Sounds like the main movie is encoded in a newer format than the rest of
> the DVD (probably not strictly standards compliant) and your old
> hardware running old software doesn't know how to handle it.

Well, WinDVD 5 was on this machine and it's always worked.
I had a quick look and no site I have seen is able to tell me:
1. Will a newer version of WinDVD work on Win 98SE
2. What is the cost.

It's almost like petrol station attendant telling me "I'm sorry sir,
we've changed the formula for petrol so you'll have to buy a new car"
Why the hell would they change the format for DVDs?

In message
<1e5b6289-6b4a-487d-86b4->, Matty F
wrote:

> 1. Will a newer version of WinDVD work on Win 98SE

If you have to ask, the answer is “almost certainly no”.

> It's almost like petrol station attendant telling me "I'm sorry sir,
> we've changed the formula for petrol so you'll have to buy a new car"
> Why the hell would they change the format for DVDs?

They haven’t.

--
Lawrence “DVDAuthor” D’Oliveiro

On 22/08/2010 7:56 p.m., Matty F wrote:
> On Aug 22, 10:46 am, Squiggle<Squig...@in.the.sand> wrote:
>> On 21/08/2010 10:33 p.m., Matty F threw some characters down the
>>> I'm using Win98SE Did I mention that ALL other DVDs play OK and
>>> everything else works just fine and that XP is too slow on this
>>> machine so I'm not buying XP. Or linux.
>>
>> How bout a new version of WinDVD then, since that one is at least 6
>> years old?
>>
>> Sounds like the main movie is encoded in a newer format than the rest of
>> the DVD (probably not strictly standards compliant) and your old
>> hardware running old software doesn't know how to handle it.
>
> Well, WinDVD 5 was on this machine and it's always worked.
> I had a quick look and no site I have seen is able to tell me:
> 1. Will a newer version of WinDVD work on Win 98SE
> 2. What is the cost.
>
> It's almost like petrol station attendant telling me "I'm sorry sir,
> we've changed the formula for petrol so you'll have to buy a new car"
> Why the hell would they change the format for DVDs?

You may have just found a fault in the DRM method as implemented in your
system.
Try using the Consumer Guarantees Act to get it fixed.
It should work, as long as you have kept the receipts.