watch DVD on CD rom

flying-tuxman · 08-28-2006, 03:28 PM

Hi,
I'd like to be able to watch DVD's on a normal CDrom player on my laptop.
I've heard some software on windows can do that and Id like to know how to do it in linux.

crazyjimbo · 08-28-2006, 03:35 PM

As far as I know, this is impossible. The reading of the DVD is done at a hardware level - you need the right lasers etc. If you don't have a DVD drive then your computer can't read DVDs - period. (I would love to be corrected wrong on this one - it sounds cool if it really is possible

).

JBailey742 · 08-28-2006, 05:11 PM

The best bet is simply buying a DVD drive. It's not that expensive. and yes, DVD does use a different size laser.

hack124x768 · 08-28-2006, 06:15 PM

You can watch a movie, just not a DVD. I think what you heard of is a VCD. Its a dvd formatted disk with only 700mb of storage. So its a shrunken dvd burnt on to a cd. These will work with any dvd player, and cd-roms in computers, assuming you have vcd playing software such as mplayer or xine (w00t). I've never actually burned one myself, but I have read a lot about them.

PatrickNew · 08-29-2006, 03:20 PM

Indeed. I'm almost certain you're thinking of VCD's. I've used many of them, but sorry to watch something from Blockbusters, you're going to need a DVD drive.

Charred · 08-29-2006, 06:15 PM

IIRC, CDs use lasers within 750-780nm, while DVD lasers are at 630 to 650 nm. The CD's laser is just too wide to accurately read the denser tracks on the DVD, to say nothing of the problems brought on by layering.

Long story short, it just ain't a-gonna happen.

Sorry.