Technical to me anyway, but not a computer

[surrealchereal]

I feel like I have been living in a cave http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif
A friend sent me a DVD a home movie was on it. I put it in my computer (no I don't have a dvd player) and it didn't play.
I put it in the DVD player I have, (I have used it 2 times in the last year for DVd's)
No Movie.. wah!
It tells me the dvd is there (on screen) how long it is, shows it is playing by the couunt down on the dvd player, but there is only a blue screen. I don't know where to start.. Uh I've only watched the TV 3 or 4 times in the last year (that's when I got it)
Am I overlooking somethink obvious here?
Guess I should watch the TV more so I would know how to use it,, http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif

oh yeah what am i running.. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif
A big black TV
A pioneer DVD XR-A9700DV (ata girl)
an s cable goes from one to the other http://www.sysopt.com/forum/redface.gif
Oh and I have it hooked up to a mini dish. (satalite)



[This message has been edited by surrealchereal (edited 08-22-2001).]

[Atomic Rooster]

Make sure that you have the TV on the right channel, either 3 or 4. You may have to select something like Video 1, Video 2, etc. in the TV's menu.

[NDD]

Did I understand you properly - your friend sent you a DVD he burned by himself ? In this case, most todays DVD (both computer drives and "usual" DVD players) won't read DVD-R discs, because of lack of common standard for DVD-R media.

Best Regards ...

[surrealchereal]

Ah Ha! Your right it doesn't say it's a DVD..
Back to the computer to try again,,
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif thanks! hmmm reminded me I haven't seen the Bladerunner DVD I have yet.. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[surrealchereal]

RATS!!
My computer can't read the disk, but why? Hmm
It has told me how much data is on it, and at one point almost opened it, quicktime opened it to like the first pan, then froze.
Is there any other software I could try? sigh, I've been excitedly waiting to see this for over 2 months.. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif it came from overseas..

[Cody]

surreal: you DO realize that you need a DVD-ROM on your computer to read it, right?

[smokin1]

It may be a VCD..and you could try opening the .dat file with windows media player.

[surrealchereal]

I think it's a .mov file, and it opened it enough for me to see a still pic on it, that's why I'm confused. I wonder if the disk is or got damaged some way.. Quick time tries to open it.

[surrealchereal]

I am pretty sure, it's just too scratched, it was in a clear vinyl sleeve, and I think it just go too beat up. I wish I had some car wax. sigh. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif

[vass0922]

Are you able to email/phone the person who sent it to you to find out what format they recorded it in??

[dyer_maker]

Maybe try some other software to open it up. Try Windows Media Player like Smokin1 said. Otherwise try to contact that person and ask them what you should watch it with.

dyer_maker

[Surrea1]

If you're seeing a still picture on it then it may just be a bad cd. You're getting video but it's not streaming... too bad. What movie was it anyway?

[griobhta]

funny thing with movies on cd's and vcd in particular.

I don't know if it was some type of coding but I lived with some malayasians and borrowed quite a few vcd's from them. Some of them i couldn't open. Windows didn't even aknowledge their existence in the drive I installed a vcd player from one of them and could play them all. Go figure

You could try copying the file to your hard disk with explorer and if that works play it from there.

Griobhta