[kenp2600]

MediaPortal Version: 1.0.0.0
MediaPortal Skin: MPStreamed
Windows Version: Vista Home Premium (fully updated)
CPU Type: Intel Core2 Duo E8400
HDD: Hitachi 7200RPM Internal SATA 1TB
Memory: 4 Gig DDR2 800
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9400 HDMI Micro ATX
Video Card: GIGABYTE GV-N95TD3-512H GeForce 9500 GT 512MB
Video Card Driver: The one that came with the card

Is there a particular set of codecs that are known to play ripped DVDs in VIDEO_TS folders? If that is my ONLY desire for this machine (I'd like to deal with that issue first before worrying about anything else), what should I install. A more long-winded explanation is below.

Currently my number 1 priority for my HTPC is to play my ripped SD DVDs. They've been ripped using DVDFab Platinum and I ripped them as full size full disks with menus, etc. to VIDEO_TS folders. I'm using the Moving Pictures plugin to organize them.

Some of them play fine, others will end up with a black screen immediately, still others will play the menu, but not the previews, or the previews but not the menu, or the menu but not the main movie, etc.

Since any $25 dvd player from WalMart will play any DVD you pop in it, and since my rips are mainly exact copies of the DVD with no extra compression or anything (I guess protection has been removed, but that is all), I would have though they would all play the same from within Media Portal but so far that has not been my experience.

I suspect I've got a codec problem of some kind. I used FilMerit to check the codecs but it did not report any errors. This is a new PC with a fresh install of Vista Home Premium, a new install of the released version of MediaPortal, and not much else. I did install a few other things as outlined in this Install Guide post: MediaPortal Install Guide
such as Haali Media Splitter, ffdshow, MPCVideoDecoder, and RadLightFilterManager.

I'd really like to get this working since I've already ripped a couple hundred DVDs in this format. Thank you to everyone for their help so far.

[rekenaar]

For me, setting DVD navigator and DVD decoder to PowerDVD, plays everything I have.
You can just install the trial as the decoders won't expire.

[kenp2600]

Originally Posted by rekenaar

For me, setting DVD navigator and DVD decoder to PowerDVD, plays everything I have.
You can just install the trial as the decoders won't expire.

That would be great if that's all it would take.

rekenaar, what version of PowerDVD should I get? I think I read somewhere that an older version is better than the newer version for some reason (I've read so many forum posts on HTPC stuff lately that I can't recall the details).

[tourettes]

Currently PowerDVD8 navigator is not supported by MediaPortal (this might change in future). So, the recomended version is PDVD7.

[Paranoid Delusion]

For the UK, its cheaper to buy a boxed retail dvd\cd drive, and get powerdvd SE free (check manufacturers info), ok no bluray, but the main mpeg codec is there for dxva.

Thinking, maybe some Blu-Ray players have similar, with the Blu-Ray version of PowerDVD included, so if your in the market for such a thing might be worth looking at, as PowerDVD Ultra is not cheap.

[kenp2600]

Here is an update. PowerDVD is a huge improvement. Every movie I tested played with no black screens. The biggest problem I have now is that most (if not all) movies have a video "stutter" every few seconds. I'm going to search the forums and see if I can track that issue down.

I dont' remember specifics but when I chose the navigator and decoders there were sometimes multiple choices for PowerDVD, maybe I chose incorrectly. I'll probably try switching those around when I get home tonight.

Thanks again for the PowerDVD suggestion.