Member Avatar for Thinka

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of software that can play RENTAL DVDs because the ones I have (RealPlayer and VLC Media Player) aren't doing it. They playe non-rental (bought) DVDs fine though.

And whilst I'm at it, my WMP doesn't play any DVDs full stop, I believe it's a codec issue, can I get one for free cos the ones I've seen on the MSFT website aren't?

Cheers

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Dani AI

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Nice follow-up from and good prompt from — a proper codec/decoder install often fixes DVD playback problems. Below is a short, practical checklist and the reasons rental discs can behave differently so the solution is repeatable later.

Commercial/rental DVDs often use encrypted streams, licensed MPEG-2 decoders and region or copy-protection tricks. If the PC lacks the correct decoder or a compatible navigation/filter stack, menus or encrypted titles can fail while simpler discs play. Also optical-drive region settings and drive firmware can cause a disc to be unreadable on one PC but fine in a standalone player.

Try this quick troubleshooting sequence:

  1. Clean the disc and try it in a standalone DVD player to confirm the disc itself is OK.
  2. Try the disc in another PC or another drive. If it works elsewhere, it’s a software/driver issue on the original machine.
  3. Check the drive region: Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager -> DVD/CD-ROM drives -> double-click your drive -> DVD Region tab. Changing region is limited, so proceed with care.
  4. Update chipset and optical-drive drivers, and avoid risky firmware flashes unless you know the vendor and model.
  5. Install a reputable DVD decoder or a playback app that bundles licensed DVD/MPEG-2 support (instead of unvetted downloads). If you prefer not to add codecs system-wide, choose a player that includes its own decoders.
  6. If a disc still fails, it may use extra copy-protection; bypassing such protection can be legally risky—use only lawful options.

Final note: newer Windows editions sometimes do not include built-in DVD playback; in those cases use a dedicated playback app that explicitly supports commercial DVDs.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

my dvd player came with a cd with the software on it .cyberlink power dvd

Member Avatar for Thinka

Hey thanks, I used to have PowerDVD but it messed me about so I uninstalled it. Anyways someone recommended the K-Lite Codec to me, and I installed it, and it's solved BOTH my problems.

Cheers!

Member Avatar for caperjack

i was going to suggest that too,just wasn't sure it would solve you problem ,now i know/lol.

Member Avatar for Thinka

Indeed, we live and learn don't we? :-)

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