The VideoLAN Forums

Hi, I;ve just been referred to and installed this player and it seems great. I've just got a couple of questions.

- Windows Media Player can't play DVDs out of the box (at least on XP), it requires another piece of DVD software for the codec. Does VLC include its own codec (so I don't need three media players)? I guess I'll find this out next time i reformat my system.

- Just popped a DVD in and it skipped past the copyright notices. Is this usual? I had a cursory look for an option regarding this but I'm still a little intimidated by the menus.

Anyway, this looks like an amazing piece of kit, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it even if nobody anwers me


EDIT: OK, after a bit of menu-delving I've found the option to start a DVD directly at the main menu, which is a nice touch.

However, I've found a couple more questions:

- is there any way to play a movie frame by frame, in either direction?
- on this DVD (Firefly region 2) the menu for each episode... well, on any other DVD player, the menu plays a transition in, pauses with the options showing, then when an option is picked plays a transition out. In VLC is pauses after the options disappear.

Considering how more things are skipped in each revision of VLC I've been wondering when there will be a menu left or perhaps get there at all!

But setting this aside, there is no way to play a movie frame by frame, in either direction. That's any format not just DVDs.

You will need to elaborate on the last question as I'm not sure I understand it. But series disks have been somewhat problematic as there doesn't seem to be a standard layout. Navigation for the disk is supposed to handle this but in the past there have been a few exceptions to the rules specially regarding added menus for languages after the disks original mastering. This effects regions much more than US in Region 1. Blame this on the EEC directive that states (more or less) that if you want to distribute in our country part of the production must be done in our country. So the disks are edited, languages or subs are added and the disks are manufactured in the country for distribution.

Ah well, maybe I should request frame advance in the feature request post. It's something that my first DVD-->TV player was able to do, and yet I've yet to find a PC dvd player that can do the same thing well.

As for the other part, well, I'll try to explain it.

The top menu on this DVD plays a bit of an intro, and then has a looping section with some music and video playing - this loops fine (except for one point when VLC crashed at the end of a loop, but hey).

You then navigate from the top menu to an epsiode menu (there are 4 epsiodes to a disc). IIRC on most players this menu is a short section of video that pauses in the middle with the menu buttons visible. So there's a bit of intro, it pauses, you choose an option and it plays the rest of the video (screen fades out to whatever you picked). However, in VLC, the menu pauses too late, and all the menu options have already faded out. You can still move the selection about, you just can't see the text. It's a bit odd, I've not come across this on, eh, 3 different hardware players and 2 different software players, only VLC.

MPC (Media Player Classic) has DVD support and Frame by Frame option.

Really? Cheers, I'll look into that.

From what you described this does sound like a navigation problem. Have you tried right clicking on the screen and selecting the title directly?

BTW MPC is probably a good suggestion for you!

WMP's nice, it's all one file (nothing to install; i like that in a program) and it does indeed allow frame advance... but not retreat there's an odd bit in the help file about that.

As for my other DVDs, I guess I can live without the menu - as you say, direct chapter selection is fine by me.

Thanks for all the replies, guys, take care

I've noticed this same behaviour on my Firefly (R2 UK) boxset... The menus are on a still frame after the short video transition... The menu options are still there, and the menu indicators (ya know, the symbol to show you which option you have selected) is still there, and the options work - they just don't appear on screen.


Not seen another DVD which exhibits this behaviour in VLC to date, so I'm guessing it was mastered 'oddly'. No big deal, I'm too nerdy to bother waiting for menus anyway, I know exactly where on the screen to click to watch the ep (but pfft, I just mash enter until the episodes play! )


Very odd behaviour though, considering that VLC is the only software DVD player to not render the menus properly. WinDVD, PowerDVD, even WMP on my laptop, they all do it fine, as do the standalone DVD players I've tried the boxset on. Ho hum.

just to let u folks know... u can play "frame by frame" by reducing the speed of the video... u know how u can make it play faster... well theres an option to make it play slower... hope that helps, unless i'm talking about somethign else here?

- Asim