AVI media player

[ajetrumpet]

all,

i've downloaded something called avi media player because i've found a website where i can download virtually any movie i want to watch for free. i have a double monitor setup cord for any of my machines where i can use my tv screen as the second monitor.

the problem i am having with this software is that i can watch the avi files just fine on the actual computer, but when i move the avi player to the tv screen, the avi player goes completely black. on my desktop computer, i get a black screen and i also DON'T get audio. but with my laptop i CAN get audio on the tv screen, but i again just get a black screen. i am not an electronics guru, so if there is a setting on my tv i may have to change, i am all ears if anyone has a suggestion for me!

another thing too, this player that I downloaded is either made by really bad software developers, or it isn't supposed to be out there. not sure which. it simply has a black screen as an interface, with buttons that have no captions, so you can't tell what each one does.

my other alternative is to use another media source to play these files, but I've tried quicktime and mediaplayer and neither of them can decode these avi files. can they play them but i am just not getting the method to do so? any help out there? thanks!

 

[Minkey]

Dude check the free software thread - both VLC player and Media Player Classic both play virtually anything you can throw at them and work properly over dual screens and are of course 100% free.

 

[dcb]

We get this issue on laptops normally
Try swapping your primary/secondary display

As per the other post VLC Rocks (cross platform too)

 

[ajetrumpet]

We get this issue on laptops normally
Try swapping your primary/secondary display

As per the other post VLC Rocks (cross platform too)

the monitor switch doesn't work either dcb. thanks though! I think i am going to try VLC. i'm sure it will be better than this junk that I have now.

 

[ajetrumpet]

hey you two,

the VLC media player does not like my TV screen either. do you guys have any other suggestions for me?

 

[Vassago]

hey you two,

the VLC media player does not like my TV screen either. do you guys have any other suggestions for me?

Your issue isn't with the player. It's with your video overlay settings on your computer since you are using a dual monitor setup. This is driven by your video driver. This of course, would depend on your video card, but try right click on the desktop, choose Properties-> Settings-> Advanced and look for something for Overlay. If you have Nvidia or ATI and have their control panel installed, you may need to look in their software for an Overlay setting. Most of them will have a theater mode which will do what you want with any player.

 

[ajetrumpet]

DivX player alternative

all,

i downloaded the divX media player as an alternative to the VLC. it works on the TV screen, which is great, but the program runs the AVI files too slow, on screen, regardless of which screen i have it on. i have tried to mess with the preferences, but does not work too much. someone told me that AVI files were of lowest quality, so I am just out of luck, but i don't believe that.

does anyone else have a suggestion of how I could get the files to play faster, so the movie looks like it runs normally, instead of dragging along ???

 

[wiklendt]

i have the following two options when playing AVIs...

1) burn a number of AVIs to DVD, then play in a standalone AVI-compatible DVD player. i'm using this at the moment coz i'm having difficulties with my nVidia driver since i updated it (rolling back didn't help, factory reset of laptop didn't help either).

2) when it was working -> an S-video cable + 3.5mm audio cable connecting my laptop to the TV, then i hit Fn+F4 (it may be different on your laptop), which loops through various display options. usually:

Laptop only > Laptop and TV (Mirrored) > Laptop and TV (Extended desktop) > TV only

i find the TV only works best for me.

the only thing i could probably suggest is to see whether you have NTSC/PAL issues with the AVI/your TV. i would give it a low probability, but sounds like you're trying many different things.

i use VLC or Nero Showtime when i play AVIs (Nero works with my laptop remote control, which came with the laptop and is HP branded - so i can pause, chapter forward, select DVD menus (if i've made an .iso of a DVD disc that i'm playing via my lappy), etc).

 

[mcclunyboy]

never had an issue with VLC player...highly recommended by me.

I use Tversity for TV streaming with my XBOX - works a treat as well.

 

[rainman89]

Only Issue I have ever had with vlc or anything like this is like Vass said, a video card setting issue.

What type of video card are you using?

 

[ajetrumpet]

Only Issue I have ever had with vlc or anything like this is like Vass said, a video card setting issue.

What type of video card are you using?

i had someone come over and take a look at my NVidian control panel, but he could find nothing. I am still having issues getting the VIDEO feed to work on my tv screen. I have no idea what card i have and know nothing about computer hardware at all. i wouldn't even know where to start looking and how to even change those settings if i did find them. got any guidance for me mr. genius?

 

[rainman89]

Cant find the solution we used here at work, but a few things come to mind. I dont have nvidia chip here at work, but you can try turning your hardware acceleration down on your video card too say the 2nd from the last setting.

Also, have you looked at full screen video settings and made sure they were on?

Last but not least, have you tried setting your tv to your primary display??

Try those, if that doesn't work. I don't know what else to tell you!

 

[Vassago]

i had someone come over and take a look at my NVidian control panel, but he could find nothing. I am still having issues getting the VIDEO feed to work on my tv screen. I have no idea what card i have and know nothing about computer hardware at all. i wouldn't even know where to start looking and how to even change those settings if i did find them. got any guidance for me mr. genius?

You couldn't find anything on Overlay settings? I know for a fact Nvidia has that option in the Control Panel.

Try checking these instructions out. I'm not sure how outdated they are.

http://www.weethet.nl/english/video_pc2tv_nvidia.php

 

[Rich]

Right click on the Desktop, various display options etc., are there

 

[oumahexi]

Adam, do you have a ps3? If so, copy the movies over to ps3 they'll play without a hitch from there.

 

[ajetrumpet]

no i don't honey.

but i'll tell you what I DO have now. AVI download capability, a converter to make DVDs from the AVIs, and a DVD player at my disposal. maybe I'll go into the black market business!

oh...and by the way, HIGHTECHCOACH, if you're reading this, make sure to report this post to your local FBI office.

 

[oumahexi]

We recently invested in a hard drive that links directly to our tv making it easy to watch videos in any format, I can also store all my music on it (1 ter ). Simple, no need for convertion - I love it! We have such a mish mash of video cameras in our family! Can't be used for black market though...

 

[ajetrumpet]

1 ter of memory? how much did that thing cost you!? and in what currency? with the pathetic nature of the US dollar right now, I'll have to divide it by 2! my desktop has 600 gb here, and most of it will be taken up by films that I have downloaded. AVIs have a tendancy to be around 500 mb each, if not more

 

[oumahexi]

1 ter of memory? how much did that thing cost you!? and in what currency?

£150 (Scottish pounds ) our local electronics store had a special on, I'd seen these things on the Gadget Show a few years ago and have been looking around for one ever since! They did have a 500 gig one but it was only £30 less, so I figured, what the heck...

 

[Vassago]

Terabyte drives can be found online pretty cheap nowadays.

Did you try what I suggested regarding the video issue? It really is quite simple. Videos run on an overlay and can only be assigned to one monitor at a time unless it's cloned. I assume you are not using it in clone mode atm?