Watching DVDs on XP

[Koree]

So I, like many people, have the problem of owning dvds from different parts of the world and getting screwed over because of the regions thingy. And unfortunately it is rather difficult without risking my MBP's dvd drive's functionality to make it region free. But i hear its easy to run dvds with different regions on XP.

But... when i tried this.. I'm not exactly sure where to begin

What the heck is a DVD encoder and where do i get one? (preferably free)

and what program do i need to watch DVDs on windows?

and how do i make it region free?

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[cwedl]

http://www.videolan.org -Free and plays mulit region DVD's and plus it skips to the main menu so you can watch the dvd film straight away.

 

[Koree]

that was actually my first attempt, no dice though... Just tries to open the file for a few seconds then shuts down the process...

 

[Koree]

could it be cuz i need the dvd encoder that VLC doesn't work?

 

[LeviG]

download community codec pack
install it and windows media player should play just about anything

add in real alternative to get real media playback without their bloatware.

You also get media player classic with both of these which is a lightweight video playback program - pretty good for more obscure format support when wmp doesnt like the codec.

you may need latest div-x codecs too for newer div-x videos

 

[Koree]

thanks! i'll give it a shot.