VJ-FAQ

January 13, 2009 ·

Michael Reichmann

Set-Top DVD Player Problems

Q:My set-top player refuses to play the disk, even though it plays commercial movies without trouble. What’s the problem? (My PC-based DVD player on the other handwillplay theVideo Journal.) 

A:Because the disk will play on a PC-based DVD player this rules out the the individual disk being defective. Here’s what the problem likely is.

Firstly, if you are in a PAL or SECAM country, make sure your DVD player is set for NTSC discsƒ³ most newer DVD players have that option.

Secondly, the movie industry has instituted a system of "regional coding" of DVDs. This means that every player checks the disk to see whether it is encoded for Region 1 (North America), Region 2 (Japan), Region 3 (Western Europe) etc, etc. All DVD players check the disk on start-up and if the regional coding doesn’t match the one in the machine, the disk won’t play. This is an anti-piracy scheme. For this reason you can’t buy a DVD disk in London and play it on a machine in New York, and similarly you can’t buy a player in Hong Kong and use it with disks purchased in Paris.

TheVideo Journalis set to play inALLregions. We designed it this way so that it will play onallplayers, inall regionsof the world. And it usually does. But, we have discovered that some small number of DVD players have not been designed correctly, and when they encounter a disk with all Regional Codes set, they are unable to play it.

If this is the case with your DVD player you have three choices;

  1. Find another DVD player that will play the disk.

  2. If your player is new, exchange it for one that is designed properly.
  3. Return yourVideo Journaldisk to us for a full refund.

We are attempting to compile a list of players that have this problem, (see below). If you encounter this problem please tell us what country you are in and what brand and model number of player you are using. You can write to ushere.

PC DVD Player Problems

Q:My PC-based DVD player on the other hand won’t play theVideo Journal.

A:  Here are some things to examine.

  1. Unless there are obvious cracks or scratches on the information (shiny) side of the DVD, it is very unlikely to be faultyƒ³ it is possible, but we haven’t had a faulty one yet in many hundreds of disk.

  2. The Basics! – Make sure there are no hairs or debris on the playing side.
  3. If playing on a computer, make sure the appropriate drivers are installed so that the DVD mounts on your desktop. Remember this is a DVD Video (not a DVD-R or a CD-ROM). Look for answershere.
  4. 90% of problems we have encountered (thankfully few) involve playing the DVD on a computer’s DVD drive with player software. The other 10% are with older set-top players. Try the DVD on a set-top player instead of a computer or on a newer (2000 and later) set-top playerƒ³ maybe at your local TV/Hi-Fi store or a friendly neighbor?
  5. Some software players encounter problems with our Regional Encoding. Unlike the DVDs that you own or rent which are set to play in North America (Region 1) or Europe & Japan (Region 2), theLuminous Landscape Video JournalDVD is set to play in*all*regions (1-8). Occasionally, we find that software based players where the regional encoding is set by the user, do not like the fact thatAllregions are selected to play. You can try to re-set the Region in your player softwareƒ³ but *beware*, since most software players allow you to do this a very limited number of times! The only real work-around is to try a different player.
  6. The other possible problem is that the DVD also contains non-DVD files that your player may ‘see’ and dislike. . If you open the disk on your computer desktop you will find a Directory or Folder with the DVD@ccess installers for PC & Mac. It is conceivable that these files are foreign to your software player and it gives you an "Unknown File" message. If your player gives you the option of Open/VideoTS you should try try that, selecting the VideoTS Directory on the DVD. The only other work-around is that out lined above.

    In our experience, the PC DVD player with the least problems and most features is WinDVD.

    http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/WinDVD_Download.jsp

    Download a demo of v.8 or look at other playershere

    The demo version of WinDVD is functional for 14 days. So at least you’ll see if the DVD plays on your computer or not.

Pleasegive usthe DVD Player and drive information and we will attempt to solve these problems for you.

Known Problem Drives, and Fixes if Available

Samsung SD-608 DVD…http://www.cracks.ru/dvd/samsung.php 

Other Disk Problems

It’s always possible that your disk was damaged in transit. Even though the disk envelope is well designed, postal service handling can be rough on something as delicate as a DVD. Please check the shiny side of the disk for obvious cracks or scratches. If your disk was visibly damaged in transit we’ll be pleased to replace it. You can write to ushere.

Multi-Angle FAQ

If you are having problems with the Multi-Angle feature, introduced inIssue #3, pleasecheck here.

Avatar photo

Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.

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