Now you're playing with power

June 27, 2005 5:44 PM

I have DVDs that play on my laptop but not on the standard DVD Player. Short of buying a cheap DVD player from an Asian grocery store, is there a way I can use a cable to play it on my laptop but watch the result on my big fat TV?

My laptop's an inspiron 1100--by Dell. (I know, I'm sorry.) It doesn't seem to have the sort of audio-out hole that most digital cameras have.

posted by kensanway to computers & internet (7 comments total)

s-video out to rca ought to go the trick.
posted by cyphill at 6:07 PM on June 27, 2005

also stereo 1/8" audio (headphone plug) to RCA audio unless you want to use the laptop speakers.

what video inputs does your tv have? i'm lucky enough to have an S-video input so i don't need the s-video to RCA converter.
posted by clarahamster at 6:25 PM on June 27, 2005

If you do decide to go for a DVD player, I'd suggest the cyberhome 300. It's played all the discs I've fed it, and I've heard good things about it from other people. Plus it's dirt cheap.
posted by odinsdream at 6:40 PM on June 27, 2005

I have found that some commercial DVDs will play on my laptop but not through my s-video cable. Others work fine. Not sure if it is copy protection.
posted by bobduckles at 6:50 PM on June 27, 2005

Probably region code settings. These are tweakable on most computers, but not (easily) on most home DVD units.

Does the Inspiron laptop *have* S-video out?
posted by realcountrymusic at 5:14 AM on June 28, 2005

With an S-VHS + a headphone jack you can play those items on your TV.

Without it...take a bad "DVD" to your local mega store and see if it plays in the same manufactuer's DVD player. (later model).

DVD+R (and to a lesser extent DVD-R) aren't 100% compatible...and the older the DVD player, the less likely it is to work. You don't say that these DVD's are +-R, but I'm willing ot guess that they're not commercial DVDs.

You can pick up a $50 cheap DVD player that will likely play anything.
posted by filmgeek at 6:11 AM on June 28, 2005

As long as we're speculating on the problem, are these possibly not DVDs but VCDs? Not all DVD decks play them and if they are CDR some can't play those at all, VCD or CD.
posted by phearlez at 6:48 AM on June 28, 2005