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How can I watch a DVD or movie on two separate laptops that are running Vista and share the same wireless connection? We want to be able to watch the same movie at the same time with only one DVD.

Two Laptops, Two Operating Systems

Unfortunately, with the system you’re describing, this isn’t possible. When two different laptops are programmed with their own operating systems, as yours are, it is as though they have two separate brains, and you can’t force them to use only one. Therefore, you can’t get them to do the same thing at the same time using the resources of only one.

Wireless and Wired Connections

To watch the same movie at the same time, you need to use one of your laptops and attach an external monitor. The catch with this will be that you need to use a physical connection to connect the laptop and a monitor. In this case, the wireless connection that you use to connect to the Internet has nothing to do with the computers’ ability to network or communicate. If you want them to share a video that one laptop is accessing from its DVD drive, you need to connect a cable to project the image to another monitor, and an Internet or wireless network connection isn’t necessary. There is no way to project a program running on one computer to another wirelessly.

Using an External Monitor

Theoretically, as long as the components are compatible, you can use most desktop computer monitors or a TV set as the second monitor. You can connect the monitor as an additional screen to the computer that is playing the media. You will need a monitor cable. If you’re using a desktop monitor, you should be able to use its cord to connect it to the back of the laptop. If you’re using a TV, you will need to go to a computer shop with your laptop and get a cable that is able to fit both. A technician there will be able to help you.

Remote Assistance

Windows Vista comes with a built-in tool called Remote Assistance that may work. This tool is generally used for troubleshooting another user’s computer remotely. It allows one computer to connect to the other to view its screen and control its keyboard and mouse. In theory, you could connect both computers and both will see the DVD playing onscreen. However, if the computers are in different rooms, the remotely connected computer will not hear the audio.

Copy your DVD?

Your other option is to make a copy of the DVD, which is obviously only possible if you made the movie yourself, otherwise copyright laws prevent you from duplicating it. I hope this is helpful, and that you can get your movie to play across more than one monitor. Good luck!

I have problems with some video links and websites. When I click the link it shows a small sign in the corner.  Please help me with this?

Troubleshooting Video Errors

There are a few things that you can do to troubleshoot video errors. Depending on your operating system and the media player that you are using, you should start with some updates and upgrades. Having the latest software on your computer is important because manufacturers and developers issue patches and software updates that your computer needs to stay compatible with both online video sources and links. If you are trying to open videos that were made using new technology with an older program that doesn’t understand the new technology, it makes sense that it isn’t going to work.

Update Windows XP or Vista, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player

First things first, get the latest updates for your Windows operating system with Windows Updates. If you are running Windows XP, there are three Service Packs available with timely updates from Microsoft and, if you are running Vista, there is already one Service Pack available. Use this link to visit Windows Updates and you can also set Updates to run automatically on a schedule to keep your system up to date.

As well as Windows Updates, you should also update your version of Internet Explorer, for the latest updates to your web browser. If you are using Windows Media Player, there is the link to get the latest version of the media program. If you are using something other than WMP, visit the website for the program and get the latest releases and updates.

Install Java

These software updates alone might be enough to sort out your viewing problems, but if you are still having trouble there are some more advanced software applications that you might be missing. Sites like YouTube use Adobe Flash Player - which is a graphics program. Adobe programs are especially sensitive to older versions left behind on your computer, so you need to properly uninstall all previous versions before downloading and installing a new one.

Here is the link to the Adobe page where you can download the Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller. Click the link to download the program, then run it on your computer and follow all the direction. When it’s finished, reboot your computer and then use this link to download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

I hope this takes care of your video problem. If not, write us again, let us know what operating system and programs you are using, what you’ve tried and what problems you are having specifically. Good luck!

When I connect my TV to the NVIDIA video card using an S-video connection in addition to the regular connector to the monitor I get cloning of my desktop on the TV but no color. I tried to change to NTSC output but still no color. Please advise? Thanks.

Black and White Output Problem

A black and white signal problem to the TV is a common error when connecting a video card and cloning a computer monitor image, and likely isn’t related to your NVidia card specifically. One simple fix that a lot of users report success with is buying an inexpensive 4 pin S-Video to composite RCA cable. Even though switching from an S-video connection to NTSC didn’t help, the composite cable might. It is important to note here that it is only a composite cable that you need here, not a composite adapter.

About Connection Cables

S-video cables transmit four different signals. In many cases, televisions aren’t able to make sense of all that data and some features - in your case color - are lost in transmission. You can resolve this issue with a composite cable, or by using a TV that is compatible with S-video

Adjust the NVidia Display Settings

Whether or not you decide to adjust the cable adapter, another possibility is that changing the NVidia settings will tell the computer to load the color. You might be able to adjust the computer’s signal transmission in the display properties rather than using a different cord, or you might have luck using a composite cable and adjusting the settings. Try these steps to alter the configuration:

1. Right click the desktop and choose Properties/Display Properties
2. Choose Settings, then Advanced
3. Find the NVidia tab and choose View Display Settings
4. Now, right click the entry for your TV and choose Select TV Format
5. Select Advanced
6. Now you’ll see listings for the Signal Format, such as PAL, NTSC and so on, click Apply
7. If the monitor doesn’t show the TV in color, then go back and select Video Output Format
8. Find the listing that says Auto-Select and change it to Composite
9. Click Apply again and the TV should be in color

I hope these tips help. It is most likely that switching the cable and adjusting the settings are all that’s required, but if you are still having problems, write us again and let us know what you’ve tried and we can take it from there. Good luck!

I have an Acer Aspire 5735 and its Arcade Deluxe DVD player is not playing some of my DVDs. All of the region changes are used up. The DVDs that I am playing are British and of the same region that my laptop is in at the moment. Why won’t it play these DVDs and how do I make it?

DVD Regions

DVDs are made for “DVD regions” with dedicated regions as follows:

0 - No Region Coding

1 - USA and Canada

2 - Europe, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Arabia, Japan and South Africa

3 - Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo and Indonesia

4 - Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America

5 - India, Africa, Russia, and former USSR countries

6 - China

7 - Unused

8 - Cruise Ships and airlines

9 - Expansion

Blu-ray’s introduction has simplified regions somewhat with just three global regions for Blu-Ray players (A, B, and C). Since we’re talking DVDs, we’ll skip the details on Blu-ray.

NTSC vs. PAL vs. SECAM

The next issue in the equation is the video format. Three main formats for television and video are used around the world: NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. For example, in the United States, the video format is NTSC. In the UK, it is PAL. These formats are not compatible without conversion. As you may have noticed, each DVD region is made up of different countries. So a DVD created for UK users would need to be a Region 2 disc in the PAL format. However, just because a disc is Region 2, it might not work in the UK if the disc was designed for Japan which uses the NTSC video format.

Changing DVD Regions on a Computer

As you know, you can change the DVD region of your computer’s DVD drive. However, there’s a limit to this. Usually, the drive can be changed five times before becoming permanently locked on the fifth one. In your case it sounds as if your drive is locked on Region 2.

Since your Region 2 discs are not playing, check to find out if the discs are NTSC or PAL. Is your laptop NTSC or PAL? If the two formats don’t match, you’ll need to buy a NTSC to PAL or a PAL to NTSC converter for your laptop.

Why can’t I get picture in full screen mode when I’m watching videos on the Internet when I can get sound still?

A few different scenarios could lead to this problem. Read through these suggestions and use them one at a time until you solve your problem. Try the first solution first as it is the most likely one.

Full Screen Mode and WMP

When the full screen mode is used with WPM or Windows Media Player, the player is sometimes actually bumped out of the screen. Hence, you can hear the movie but you can’t see it. The thought of that just makes me cringe with annoyance so I can imagine how you are feeling.

Let’s see if the following adjustment works to fix the problem:

Open Windows Media Player>Select Access Application Menus>Select Tools>Select Options>Select Performance>Select Advanced> Select Video Acceleration>Turn off the “Enable full screen mode switch” by removing the check that appears in the little box in front of it. Alternatively, if the “Enable full screen mode switch” isn’t turned on, you can place a check in the box and see if that makes the problem go away.

Troubleshooting Full Screen Mode Errors

It might be necessary to change the video acceleration in order to get full screen viewing. To do so, use this path:

Open Windows Media Player>Select Access Application Menus>Select Tools>Select Options>Select Performance>Select Advanced>Select Video Acceleration>Move the slider to decrease or turn off the acceleration.

Requirements for Viewing Videos

In order to view videos, it is necessary for you to first install the proper program onto your machine. For example, this problem of no video while audio still works can occur if you are trying to view the video through Windows Media Player but the video has been formatted for use with a different player. Before you install a new program, try these strategies first:

• Update the Video card drivers.
• Install a video converter such as Windows Media Encoder, Windows Movie Maker, or Microsoft Expression (all of which are offered by Microsoft.)

Video Playback and Viewing

If you know which extension is attached to the video that you are trying to view, you can determine whether or not you have the correct player for viewing. Here’s a list to help you in the future.

• The .avi file extension can be opened with “Windows Media Player.”
• The .ram. file extension can be opened with “RealPlayer.”
• The .mov file extension can be opened with “QuickTime.”
• The .qt file extension can be opened with “QuickTime.”

In my laptop (Dell Inspiron 9300 Windows XP), any media (including YOU TUBE videos, etc) does not run smoothly. It has breaks in both audio and video. Each time I reinstall Windows, it gets fixed and at the very next restart the problem comes back. Can you help me fix this? 

Multimedia Error with Choppy Video: Causes

Malfunctioning multimedia playback seems to be a problem that crops up for quite a few computer users. The problem can be related to your Internet connection, the time of day or night, your video card, and more. It becomes a matter of troubleshooting the problem in order to resolve it and get it to go away.

Multimedia Error with Choppy Video: Internet Service

Unfortunately, if you have dial up Internet service, then you are going to have to put up with choppy videos. There’s no way around it. Dial up service is exceedingly slow. If you upgrade your service to high speed cable, then you should have better playback quality. Additionally, another strategy that you can try is to watch the videos during off-peak hours since video streaming will be better at that time. Another option you have is to download the video and then watch it at a later time.

Multimedia Error with Choppy Video: Temporary Cache and Memory

Clear out the temporary Internet cache for your browser. In addition to taking up resources, these saved bits of data might be interfering with your connections. Go through the “Tools” option of your browser to locate the proper section to do this.

One of the reasons that a fresh install of your Windows OS might make the problem disappear temporarily is that you are starting with fresh resources. Are you sure that you have sufficient free memory on the computer? Try adding some new memory to see if that helps the problem.

Multimedia Error with Choppy Video: Adobe Flash

Are you sure that you have the proper version of Adobe Flash Player? Visit their website and compare their current version with the one that you have. This is really important for viewing videos, so try and keep up-to-date with this particular software application from now on. If you have an outdated version, it will create problems such as the one that you are describing.

Multimedia Error with Choppy Video: Video Card

Use the “Device Manager” to check out your video card and make sure that it is functioning properly. If your video card is damaged, it could lead to problems viewing videos. Another thought is that the drivers for the card might need updating. To access the “Device Manager,” follow this path:

1)      Click on “Start.”

2)      Click the “Control Panel.”

3)      Click on “Performance and Maintenance.”

4)      Click on the option for “System.”

5)      Click on “Hardware.”

6)      Click “Device Manager” to open it.

Multimedia Error with Choppy Video: Update the Browser

Choppy videos can also occur if your browser is out of date. In fact, video playback suffers terribly when both your browser and Adobe Flash Player are out of date.