Software for playing HD DVD discs on PC/laptop

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davemurgtroyd

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I have a collection of HD DVD discs (yes I know old tech) which I can play on my Toshiba HDEP 30 player. I have now acquired a laptop HD DVD writer and a laptop HD DVD drive which I would like to use in external caddies with my laptops or PC. Does anyone know of any current software for Windows (Xp, 7 or 8.1) or even older editions of software which will allow this? Also any HD DVD authoring software for use with the writer.
 
4wd said:
Players, VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video framework!, Home · MPC-HC, SMPlayer - Free media player for your PC

Burn, Free Burning Software and DVD Copying Software - BurnAware

Rip\backup dvd, HandBrake: Open Source Video Transcoder

Many more free to choose from, try a few and see what one likes the most.
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None of those work with HD DVDs. To be clear here we are NOT talking about DVDs but a now discontinued format HD DVD - HD DVD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I have tried all the current free and paid for (at least those with free trials) programs that come up on Google (which doesn't seem to acknowledge a difference between DVD and HD DVD.
 
Apologies to @4wd - MPC with the right codecs does in fact play HD DVDs as well as Blu Rays unfortunately without menus but hey its free. It also copes with the language options and subtitles. I also discovered that my LG desktop drive is in fact a combo drive HD DVD and Blu ray ROM and DVD/CD rewriter drive.
 
^^^ good news always appreciated.

davemurgtroyd said:
Have tried Easy DVD Player twice but doesn't work on my Windows 8.1 laptop.
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Am supposing every compatibilty option has been tested.

Works in w7? If no w7 pc available, use a spare hd, swap hd on current pc, and install w7 on it (or eventually use multiboot\virtual on your current os hd, may be more practical but may f*** u* the pc if not done 100% right).

Install 7 without entering any activation code, and use it only for the special program\hardware when needed. Only connect to internet to get the programs and any needed extras then disconnect, or download everything needed in advance to a usb stick, also grab the basic drivers for your laptop\pc before install and keep them on usb stick.

w7 iso download Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

Create a bootable usb stick from the iso http://wudt.codeplex.com/

Have fun :O) been perfect here to get incompatible things working.
 
My only fully functional modern PC at present is a W 8.1 laptop. My other laptop I have just reinstalled w 7 on a new HDD but it needs the keyboard replacing (which I already have) and my desktop (probably going to be W 10 / Linux dual booting from SSD) is in various boxes at present waiting construction. I have been building computers for over 35 years - my first was a Forth based Z80 Jupiter Ace ( I still have 5 unused bare circuit boards for these and could possibly copy the ROM from mine to EEPROM if my programmer attached to ZX81 is still working). The desktop is my first build project for 10 years (been to busy as a full time carer for my late father). I have at least a dozen desktops in my shed that were working when stored ranging from my first PC I built a 200 MHz Pentium 2 up to an AMD 2000 plus at least a dozen storage boxes of various cards (ISA and PCI), drives and memory sticks all over 10 years old. Friends and neighbours used to give me their old PCs and components when I upgraded theirs. Also been using modems on BBS and later the web for 34 years starting with a ZX Spectrum with 1200 b/s download and 75 upload. I still have install discs for every version of Windoze fro Windows 2 onwards. So a reasonable amount of experience tinkering with PCs .
 
davemurgtroyd said:
Apologies to @4wd - MPC with the right codecs does in fact play HD DVDs as well as Blu Rays unfortunately without menus but hey its free. It also copes with the language options and subtitles. I also discovered that my LG desktop drive is in fact a combo drive HD DVD and Blu ray ROM and DVD/CD rewriter drive.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the MPC will ONLY play BluRay discs if the drive is already BluRay compatible. It will not make a DVD only drive BlueRay compatible
 
Channel Hopper said:
Just to clarify, the MPC will ONLY play BluRay discs if the drive is already BluRay compatible. It will not make a DVD only drive BlueRay compatible
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The same applies to HD DVD discs - the drive must be compatible. I have an LG combo drive compatible with both Bluray and HD DVD as well as separate Bluray and HD DVD external USB drives.
 
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