How To Watch Dvd On Windows 8.1

When you install Windows 8 on your organization, y'all gain access to a number of new features. Some are clear upgrades over previous versions of Windows—the new organisation-wide search, for instance—while others are more controversial "side-grades," rather than clear improvements. There'southward one thing that's a clear-cut downgrade, though: DVD playback.

While earlier versions of Windows included a free, built-in DVD player, Windows viii and Windows viii.ane have no such functionality. Information technology tin can nevertheless read data DVDs, but if you desire to play that copy of Rocky IV y'all got for $ii on clearance at Target, y'all're out of luck.

Fortunately, you lot've got enough of options for restoring DVD-playback functionality to Windows 8, for free. Here's what we recommend:

Option i: Merely try it!

Before y'all do anything else, check to make sure that you really tin can't play a DVD in your reckoner. If you lot bought a boxed Windows viii laptop or desktop computer with a DVD drive, the manufacturer will almost certainly have pre-loaded it with DVD playback software. Pop a DVD in and see if it plays!

Selection two: Download VLC

VLC plays DVDs, and information technology plays them for free.

If you lot're upgrading to Windows 8 or built your own PC from scratch, you'll actually take to download software to scout DVDs. Fortunately, there'south a free, fast way to get DVD playback in VLC, a powerful media player from VideoLAN.

When you desire to sentinel a DVD, open VLC and—with the DVD in your bulldoze—click Menu, and so Open Disc.

VLC's a handy programme to have on any new system, anyway, as it's capable of opening most any audio or visual file format, including quite a few that Windows Media Player can't handle. If you lot want to play Blu-ray discs, there'south a codec pack of questionable legality (and hit-and-miss functionality) available. Alternatively, you could download a premium program such as CyberLink'due south $55 PowerDVD 12, which plays both DVDs and Blu-ray discs without a hitch.

Microsoft didn't do away with DVD playback in Windows entirely—they just moved it to the for-pay Windows Media Center pack, which costs $10.

WMC is only available for Windows 8 Pro.

If yous have the basic version of Windows 8, you can't download Windows Media Middle without also paying $100 to upgrade to Windows viii Pro. If you lot're just looking for DVD playback and could care less about Windows 8 Pro'due south other special offerings, nosotros'd recommend just going with the VLC option above.

Be warned: While Windows Media Center handles DVDs like a pro, ittin't play Blu-ray discs whatsoever.

Actually downloading the Windows Media Center Pack is a somewhat convoluted process involving the Search charm, obscure settings options, and paying for product keys. Microsoft's Add features to Windows 8.i page can walk y'all through the entire process of ownership both the Windows viii Pro and Windows Media Heart Pack upgrades. When yous're washed, your computer volition restart and install Windows Media Heart, including DVD playback.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/456095/how-to-play-dvds-and-blu-ray-discs-in-windows-8.html

Posted by: martinlabould.blogspot.com