Quote: I have PowerDVD 12 Ultra (latest version installed) and yet I have difficulties playing Star Wars movies. All is well for about 40 minutes. Then it all goes to hell. Sometimes I end up with artifacts all over the picture or else the movie just stops playing altogether.

I did a search on the topic but haven't noticed any mention of the problem with version 12 Ultra. Am I alone with this problem?

What other programs do you have running on your computer when you are playing the videos -- perhaps antivirus? Disconnect from the internet, shut off your anti-virus and try again. Some anti-viruses will try to scan everythign going on with your computer and eventually can't keep up.

Is this will ALL the StarWars DVD? Do you have a different DVD to try?

Please post the dxdiag evaluation of your computer read this:

http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/7958.page

PartB .
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BoilerPlate: To posters who ask for help -- it is nice to thank the volunteers who try to answer your questions !
Anything I post unless stated with a reference is my personal opinion.

I ran a couple of tests and it looks like it's a file giving the software problems. It's on disk 4. The Blu-Ray has no problems playing on the regular blu-ray player connected to the tv.

Quote: I ran a couple of tests and it looks like it's a file giving the software problems. It's on disk 4. The Blu-Ray has no problems playing on the regular blu-ray player connected to the tv.

Well that is interesting. So you are saying that it is a problem with the DVD (disc 4) and not a PD problem?

I asked several questions but you did not answer any of them.

I guess we can mark this one solved. .
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BoilerPlate: To posters who ask for help -- it is nice to thank the volunteers who try to answer your questions !
Anything I post unless stated with a reference is my personal opinion.

I find interesting that you are ready to dismiss so quickly my request for help. I only recently purchased the box set and have not had the time to view all the movies yet. As far as removing the blame from PowerDVD 12, you seem rather quick to shift the blame. I did say that a file seems to be causing difficulties. However, that same file/disc does not cause any problem on my living room's set top blu-ray reader. And I did explain that in my first comment.

Nicol

I posted my conclusion after your last post based on the lack of information you provided.

Are you from GB? Is there a language barrier that we are running into? Why don't you answer my questions so we can do some logical trouble shooting. Why are you so intent on blaming the problem on Power DVD?

Now if you would have answered the questions I asked previously, then perhaps I would have reached a different conclusion.

Do discs 1-3 and 5 play correctly in Power DVD?

Playing a disc on a DVD player is very different from playing it on a computer with all the other things going on. Typically DVD players are much more forgiving than a computer program. .
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BoilerPlate: To posters who ask for help -- it is nice to thank the volunteers who try to answer your questions !
Anything I post unless stated with a reference is my personal opinion.

I could not have answered your first questions because I didn't have the answers at the time. I provided you with the only information I had available at the time of writing. May I also point out that you started talking about dxdiag without even explaining to me what it was? I had to do my own research to figure out what you wanted.

I will watch the other movies in the coming days and let you know what happens with them.

Nicol

PS. I am from Canada

Quote: Are you from GB? Is there a language barrier that we are running into? Why don't you answer my questions so we can do some logical trouble shooting. Why are you so intent on blaming the problem on Power DVD?

I am not from Great Britain but you seem to assume that people know immediately what you are talking about? I can tell you that many Canadians would have a lot of difficulty figuring out what GB is because we usually refer to your country as England. The same assumption applies to your request for dxdiag. You asked for it without explaining what it was.

As for why I am so intent on blaming the problem on Power DVD, it has to do with a fact that I mentioned in almost every single one of my posts: the disc plays faultlessly on my dedicated blu-ray player in my living room. It's when I play it on my computer that the problems arise.

Do we still have a communication barrier? Or should I elaborate further?

Quote: Do discs 1-3 and 5 play correctly in Power DVD?

How long will you give me to answer this particular question? Will you insist that I refuse to answer your questions if I don't answer regarding each movie BEFORE I actually watch each and every one of them?

I can only provide answers when I have them. I intended to watch the movies in the same order as I watched them in the cinemas. But I have jumped back to the first disc and will answer the first part of your questions in about 2 hours, 16 minutes and 10 seconds.

That's how long it will take to watch that movie. Then, I will have to take a Star Wars break to mark my son's 29th birthday anniversary. I will watch every single movie and bonus disc. Answers will be coming as fast as I can watch.

I only provide answers to the questions I CAN answer.

Quote: Playing a disc on a DVD player is very different from playing it on a computer with all the other things going on. Typically DVD players are much more forgiving than a computer program.

Here is what I can say with certainty:

1- I have played tons of movies on my computer without any problems arising.
2- My computer can handle a very heavy load without any difficulty. As I said in point 1, I have watched a lot of movies (of various length and never encountered this kind of problem before.
3- So far, the problem has only arisen with the Star Wars and PowerDVD combination.

What conclusion am I supposed to come to? I came here to find out if there are any known problems. Please read my first post: I asked if I was alone with this problem.

I did not come here to cause trouble or be rude to you. I am only trying to find a solution to my problem.

You said that you had played tons of videos on your computer without issue. Do you play them with PowerDVD12?

Yes, your computer should have no issues with playing the DVDs based on the dxdiag information.

If the above is correct then the communality is the Star Wars DVD. Perhaps even just one of the DVDs.

Are you getting any error messages?

Did you update to the latest build of Power DVD 12 -- V 1618 ?

Did you search the web for anyone else having issues playing the DVDs? I did and found some other people having issues. Look here:

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=problems+playing+start+wars+dvd&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_my_portal_home&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8&fr=att-portal

So in answer to your first question, yes, other people are having problems playing Star Wars DVD and they have them with a variety of different computer video players. .
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BoilerPlate: To posters who ask for help -- it is nice to thank the volunteers who try to answer your questions !
Anything I post unless stated with a reference is my personal opinion.

Quote: You said that you had played tons of videos on your computer without issue. Do you play them with PowerDVD12?

Nothing else but... PowerDVD 12 is the best program available to do the job as far as I know. So I stick with it.

Yes, your computer should have no issues with playing the DVDs based on the dxdiag information.

Every 3 to 4 years, I build myself a beast. I don't pay HP or anybody else to build my machines, I do it myself. What I have now is a video editing work station, not a desktop computer.

If the above is correct then the communality is the Star Wars DVD. Perhaps even just one of the DVDs.

I have watched three videos so far and I get problems with two discs: episodes 4 and 5. Episode 1 played flawlessly.

Are you getting any error messages?

Nope. With episode 5, PowerDVD starts chugging and then just freezes at about the 56 minute mark.

Did you update to the latest build of Power DVD 12 -- V 1618 ?

Every single program and driver on my computer is up to date.

Did you search the web for anyone else having issues playing the DVDs? I did and found some other people having issues.

I started doing that and found mostly problems occurring with version 11. I thought that if it was a common problem, I could find an answer at CyberLink.

Look here:

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=problems+playing+start+wars+dvd&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_my_portal_home&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8&fr=att-portal

I will as soon as I am done answering your message.

So in answer to your first question, yes, other people are having problems playing Star Wars DVD and they have them with a variety of different computer video players.

Thank you for your time. Now I have to keep searching for a solution. I thought this would be the best place but I'll keep searching.

NicolSD

I seem to recall that Star Wars has a special copy protection. I use anydvd hd to get around copy protections that prevent me from seeing my purchased movie and regional limitations. From what I am told it works wonders with Powerdvd, even when powerdvd stops being supported. It's not a free product, but so far worth it.

Quote: I seem to recall that Star Wars has a special copy protection. I use anydvd hd to get around copy protections that prevent me from seeing my purchased movie and regional limitations. From what I am told it works wonders with Powerdvd, even when powerdvd stops being supported. It's not a free product, but so far worth it.

I agree with this. I use it and it works. If this solves your playback problem then it has isolated the copyright protection as the cause. The trial is free for your troubleshooting purposes. I use it as a tool to backup my movie collection to hard drive and playback directly from there.

Star Wars is also a 20th Century Fox title. Fox is well known to have playback problems because of the copyright protection on numerous other titles using software and standalone players.

Good Luck! I hope it solves your problem.

Kevin
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