Building a home network. Network media player

Nowadays, the DVD player can be called practically the most universal source that can play most of the audio and video formats. From this article, you can learn how to connect a DVD player to your computer, what you may need for this, and what mistakes you should avoid.

Types of connectors for connection

To get the best picture and avoid significant signal loss during transmission, it is worth considering how best to connect your DVD player to your computer. To do this, consider the types of cables, their positive and negative sides:

Also called color difference. Its essence lies in the content of three independent coaxial cables, through which all the components of the video signal are transmitted.

At the ends of the cable, the connector is usually RCA. On the player, the cable outputs will be blue, green and red, located side by side. The picture when using this type of connection becomes clearer, more stable, with much better and more accurate color reproduction. Even better, the changes are noticeable when using high-quality players and screens with a wide diagonal (over 29 inches).

1. RGB-cable.

The same type of connection provides separate transmission of the three primary colors and the sync signal (hence the more accurate name RGBS - red, green, blue, sync). Information is transmitted using 3-4 separate coaxial cables (if 3 cables are used - transmission of green and sync signal goes together), containing RCA / RGBS connectors at the ends, or transmission goes through universal Scart.

A separate variation of this connection can be considered RGBHV, in which 5 separate cables will be used (3 transmit the primary colors, the fourth - vertical, and the fifth - horizontal sync). This eliminates the possibility of using Scart.

In addition to 5 separate RCA or BNC coaxial cables, one VGA cable can be used. A cable that has 5 BNC connections on one side and one VGA on the other can also be used.

It is worth noting that the latter method is best suited for connecting to a computer screen, since the first will in any case contain a VGA connector through which the monitor is connected to the video card of the system unit.

1. HDMI-cable.

Presented by a high definition multimedia interface. With this type of transmission, video signal is transmitted in digital format, multichannel soundtrack - in digital form, as well as AV equipment control signals. In addition, the device is equipped with a user electronic control system, which facilitates the solution of minor problems related to the operation of the equipment. The benefits of this feature are best seen when using a remote control — eliminating the need for an infrared repeater for all devices.

HDMI is capable of supporting any screen format within the maximum bandwidth of the interface. Video signal of 1,080 lines using this type of connection can be transmitted at frequencies of 24, 25, 40, 50 and 60 Hz.

Anyone with an HDMI connection and related devices can also take advantage of additional settings that can provide high quality video and sound. The user can change the following parameters of the image: color space, aspect ratio of the screen, encoding method and many others.

The connector for the format is separate - 19-pin, small in size, which is why the connection is especially convenient when using portable devices (connecting a DVD player not to a stationary computer, but to a laptop).

Nowadays, HDMI cable is the guarantor of the best sound and picture quality among other connecting cables. In second place are component and RGBS connections, the choice between which in our case tends to the second option, since the first, most likely, will not be available when connected to a personal computer.

Step-by-step connection instructions

If a person wanted to connect a DVD player to a computer, it is worthwhile to understand that you have to tinker. You can find more than one connection method on the Internet, but depending on the device, many of them may not work, and below will be examples of why such connections should not be used.

Before connecting, make sure that, in addition to a computer and a player, you have:

1. PATA-USB adapter.
2. TV tuner or video capture card (you need to understand that this equipment costs a lot, and its purchase should not be in vain).
3. If you want to connect a DVD player that is part of your home theater, you should check if the computer's motherboard has a five-channel input.

If there is no such connection path, it is better to leave attempts to connect the player and the PC, because replacing the motherboard with the required parameters may require replacing the rest of the computer components.

For the process of connecting the device to be successful, the user must make the following settings:

1. Format the hard drive in the FAT-32 file system. Audio and video recordings that you want to view on a DVD player should be burned to the same disc (this is done so that the hard drive can be like a regular flash drive that stores information).
2. After the connection between the PC and the DVD player is correctly established, go to the path "Control Panel" - "Hardware and Sound" - "Sound", where you must specify the number of speakers in the parameters (usually at least 5). Adjustments are made to adjust the sound reproduction to suit the new environment.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Format your hard drive.
2. Connect the tuner or video capture card through the appropriate connectors.
3. To connect a DVD-player speaker system to the computer's audio card, take a cable and connect the inputs and outputs (to the first "mini-jack" and "tulip" to the second).
4. Configure audio playback settings.
5. Plug the DVD player into the network and specify the desired audio output channel in its settings. While watching video / listening to audio recordings, you can use the equalizer value editor using the settings of the computer's sound card, or use the player's menu for this.

You can also connect using an HDMI cable or a 5-channel connection (if available on your computer) using the same procedure, but with a different cable.

Above was the instruction for connecting a DVD player to a computer running Windows XP, 7, 8, 10. And connecting a DVD player to an operating system such as Windows Vista has its own peculiarities. The main difference lies in the fact that the computer on which this operating system is installed can act as a flash drive (data storage). In this case, there is absolutely no need to format the disk, although there are few examples of such a connection due to the low prevalence of the operating system.

The following video shows you how to properly connect your DVD player to your computer.

Possible difficulties and errors

The most common mistakes people make when trying to connect a DVD player to their computer are:

1. Using a regular USB cable. As soon as an inexperienced user sees that the player has the specified connector, he immediately tries to connect through it. It should be understood that although these connectors look the same, they exist for completely different functions (only firmware is installed on the player through this connector, on a computer this input has wider functionality and is mainly used to read files from portable media).

The saddest possible consequence is device malfunction. The bottom line is that the computer and the player, being the "master", will not be able to determine which of them should be the "slave" (device conflict).

1. Using other connections without purchasing a tuner or video capture card. At best, the connection will simply not be established. In the worst case (especially if the hard disk settings have not been performed), the devices are malfunctioning.
2. The operating system may require initialization of the disk (player) when connected. If you have not yet made the settings, then it is strictly forbidden to confirm this action on the computer. The Internet contains many examples of how, after actions of this nature, the DVD player stops recognizing almost any data, which makes it useless.

If you would like to connect a DVD player to your computer and expect to connect multiple times (as an experiment), then feel free to buy additional equipment and follow the instructions. The main thing is to follow all the rules and order of work, without innovative ideas.

In contact with

For a long time I have not written about interesting programs that you can find on our website, in the section. Today I want to tell you about an interesting music player called Doplayer. And among other similar programs, which are not few, it stands out for its beautiful design with animation of windows, fast speed of work, support for all audio formats, and ease of use.

An interesting, free player that definitely deserves attention. I agree that nowadays very few people listen to music from a computer hard drive. Basically, everyone listens to VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, etc. But, nevertheless, a good audio player must be installed. I also listen to music mainly on VKontakte, but when I work via a 3G modem, I listen to music that I keep in the old-fashioned way in folders on the local disk 🙂.

Let's go back to Doplayer. Personally, I really liked the design of the player itself. Somehow fresh and modern. Plus, these smooth window fades and other animations look very cool.

I also liked how online radio is organized in Doplayer. Immediately after installation, you will see a list of radio stations that can be listened to via the Internet. If I'm not mistaken, then there are about 500 of them. Press the station, and the playback starts immediately. And by pressing one button, you can switch to your playlist.

There is also an equalizer, "Doppler effect" and the ability to programmatically increase the volume. You can create playlists and save them. Well, I almost forgot about the most important thing, Doplayer will be able to play absolutely all known audio formats. I have not tested it, but it is written on the developer's website http://doplayer.ru.

The main features, I have already listed, now I will show you how the player looks like and its main functions.

A small overview of Doplayer

I recommend downloading the player from the official website, on the page http://doplayer.ru/download/. There is a new version all the time, especially since the program is actively developing and is being updated all the time. Download the installation file and run it on your computer.

Install the player following the instructions. By tradition, I will not describe the entire installation process. After installation, you can launch the player with a shortcut on the desktop.

A list of online radio stations will open immediately. If you are connected to the Internet, then click on any station and it will start playing. To switch to the playlist, click on the corresponding button.

In playlist mode, you can either simply transfer the audio file to the player by double-clicking on it and it will start playing, or press the menu button and select Open folder... Select a folder with your music and the player will load it into a playlist. Also, subfolders will be loaded.

In the same menu, you can open a file, open a URL, or check for updates. You can also open, save, or clear the playlist.

You may have noticed that there is a separator on the volume slider. So, after the separator, a software increase in volume begins. And by clicking on the button in the lower right corner, you can open the equalizer.

The equalizer looks like this.

Many people think that Windows Media Player is gradually losing its popularity, but this is not entirely true. There have been so many updates and additions to the player lately that you can completely customize it to your liking. While playing various types of files, you can change the player's skin and install various add-ons. While the player has always been a core component of Windows, really good, Windows Media has become in the last few years. The latest, version 12, contains a number of interesting features that will surely interest you. We will talk about these features and much more in this article.

Player update

If you have an older version of the player installed, then we strongly advise you to update it. Windows Media is completely free and always available for download from the Microsoft official website.

Automatic mode: Open Windows Media Player, press Alt, go to the Help menu, and click Check for Updates.

If you don't want to manually check for updates every time, you can turn on "automatic check". To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1

Open Windows Media Player, press Alt, expand the Tools menu, and open Preferences.

Step 2

In the "Player" tab, specify how often the player checks for updates.

First start

When you start Windows Media Player for the first time, you need to take a few minutes to set the initial player settings. They consist of several steps:

Step 1

The Windows Media Player installation wizard will appear, which at the first stage will offer you to choose which type of settings to use: recommended or custom. If you choose the recommended one, the player will automatically set all the settings without your intervention. If so, skip this section and move on to the next.

If you would like to configure the player yourself, select the "Custom Settings" option and click the "Next" button.

Step 2

The Privacy Options dialog box will open first. Check the boxes next to the items that you really want to use and click the "Next" button.

Step 3

At this point, WMP will ask if you want to add a shortcut to the desktop and Quick Launch bar, and will offer you to mark it as the default. Set the required settings and click "Next".

Step 5

At the final stage, the player will offer to set up an online store to access paid content. Select "Do not configure the online store" and click the "Finish" button.

Always stay anonymous online

When installed, Windows Media Player generates a unique identifier for your computer. This identifier is used in many places, including some web resources. Thanks to him, Windows Media Player can independently request information about media data and exchange service information. Although the developers claim that the player does not transmit any personal information, there are sometimes times when they can track what you are watching. If you do not want information about using the player to accidentally leak onto the network, disable this function. For this:

Step 1

Hold down the Alt key and then open the Tools menu and select Options.

Step 2

Go to the "Privacy" tab and uncheck the box next to "Send unique code ...".

Update codec

After you have installed the new version of Windows Media Player, you will also need to install additional codecs to support certain file types. The codec is nothing more than an add-on for Windows Media Player to help identify and play a variety of file formats. We recommend installing the "K-lite kodek" codec pack. It alone is enough to include support for almost all audio and video data formats. You can download it from the official website of the developer.

It is also worth enabling the option to automatically download codecs by going to the player's parameters and in the "Player" tab check the item "Automatically download codecs".

Adding skins and visuals to the player

The covers and visuals make the player more enjoyable to use and allow you to customize the look and feel to your liking. The only problem is that it is no longer possible to download them from the official Microsoft website, so the search for covers and visualizations will have to be performed on the Internet.

Today, no user can imagine a computer without the ability to play audio or video. As you know, this requires a certain program that has such a function. In this article we will tell you, how to install the player on a computer.

First of all, to play media files, you will need to install the so-called special programs for converting data. But some codecs will not be enough, an application that will directly play music and movies will definitely come in handy. There are quite a few free and paid programs available for this.

To install the player on your computer, you need to download it. Let's consider such an installation using the example of the program Media Player Classic, the distribution kit of which can be downloaded for free from the official website of the program. It should be noted that this player is distributed completely free of charge, in addition, you can find its source code, as evidenced by GNU GPL license... Media Player Classic is not a cross-platform application and only works under the Windows operating system. However, it has been translated into more than 20 languages, which speaks of its popularity.

The distro is less than 3 MB in size, so it will load quickly enough. After downloading, run the installer. The installation procedure is the most common installation of a Windows application. First, a dialog box will appear on which you just need to click on the button "Further"... Then you will need to agree to comply with the license agreement by clicking the button "I agree"... After that, a window will appear where you can select the program components for installation. We recommend that you mark everything for the reliability of the correct operation of the application.

Next, you need to select the installation path. By default, the program will be installed in the C: \ Program Files \ Media Player Classic folder. Here you can not change anything and just click on the button. "Install"... After a short installation, the program can be used.

Despite the light weight and simplicity of the interface, it copes perfectly with the playback of all major media formats, including Video CD, DVD, AudioCD, MP3, AVI... Also, this player can play Flash movies and even produce capture video from TV tuner... In addition, the developers have implemented subtitle and command line support.

Still using this program even damaged video files can be viewed... However, its main advantage is considered to be a relatively low load of RAM.

It is not at all necessary to stop your choice of a player on Media Player Classic. There are quite a few programs on the Internet that are designed to play both audio and video. For example, a paid application is very popular. jetAudio with a wide range of settings: from an equalizer to the ability to change the key of the tracks being played.

Separately, it should be said about the program designed to watch video and listen to audio through social networks. The fact is that today many users watch movies and listen to music online directly from the browser, without independently downloading media files.

As you can see, it is quite easy to install the player on your computer. The main thing is to make sure before downloading the distribution that the program will work on your operating system.

When the player is connected to a computer, there is a high probability that it will not be able to "detect" it. There may be several reasons for this, but don't be upset. You just need to calmly check all possible connection options.

Instructions

Chances are good that when the question "how to connect the player to the computer", you are looking too far, and the simplest and most effective is just to replace your USB cable with a working one.

You can buy such a cable at any store that sells components for computers. You can connect the player to a computer either through a standard USB (mini USB), or through the cable that comes with the player.

It is possible that your system simply cannot find a compatible driver for your device. Very often this problem occurs on systems like Winodows or Vista. To solve it, you just need to go online and download any drivers compatible with your system for standard USB drives.

Maybe your USB connector is defective in your computer, or just poor contact with your USB cable. Try connecting your player to other USB ports, or groups of ports. For example, if for the first time you connected your player to the port located on the front panel of your PC, then try to simply connect through the port located on the rear panel of your PC. Alternatively, you can check the performance of your player by connecting it to another computer or laptop. Thus, you will definitely make sure that your player is working, and the problem will be solved with what became the problem in its malfunctioning.

Finally, it is possible that your player has a problem with its USB port. In this case, you have no choice but to contact the store where you bought the player, unless of course you still have a guarantee for it. If, when checking your player, it fits the warranty case, you will simply replace it with a new one. But if you do not have a guarantee, or the warranty period is over, then you should contact any service center.