We make a lot of DVDs for use in presentations.  Have you ever had a problem playing a DVD, not just DVDs we've made, at a presentation?  Read on... 

Here is an explanation as to why DVDs don’t always play.

There is the possibility that the person making the DVD didn’t know what they were doing and made a dud.

But here is the more likely explanation:

How often have you been in a presentation and someone pops a DVD into PC DVD drive to play a video that is part of the presentations… and nothing happens.  After much fiddling around, the DVD is abandoned, the maker of the DVD is cursed politely and the presenter describes the cool video they would have been watching.  Don't blame the DVD maker!

Most organizations are outfitted with PCs.  Most computers found in homes are PCs.   And most are running on a Windows platform.  Windows Media Player is likely loaded on most of those PCs.  As a general rule, Media Player does not arrive on the computer ready to play DVDs.  It might play DVDs burned using Microsoft software, but it won’t play the average DVD unless you have your Media Player upgraded.  This is true for laptops as well.  There are exceptions, especially systems purchased that have a Media focus.

People working on a PC or Laptop, especially when DVD playing is part of their work, have upgraded their system and may not even be aware that has occurred.  That is why so many of us arrive at the PC sitting in a conference room, presentation room, notice it has Windows Media Player loaded and think, “Great, that’s what I have.”  But that PC you’re looking at generally isn’t used often, and really only needs to perform basic tasks, like running a PowerPoint presentation.  Chances are really great that it hasn’t been upgraded and won’t play that DVD.

Is there a solution?  Using an actual DVD player should eliminate any issue.  If using a computer DVD drive is a must, Macs do not have this issue.  They will play any DVD.  If a PC is a must and it isn’t playing the DVD, there are programs you can download for free to remedy the situation.  VLC Player is one that will play almost any DVD.  The download is quick and the player loads quickly.  But most presentations occur in businesses or institutions that require you to have the authority to download a program onto the computer’s hard-drive.  Others may allow the download, but, as a protection measure, will automatically reformat that computer to remove anything people have downloaded.  In this instance, if you were able to access the presentation room on a day prior to the presentation and were able download a player on the presentation computer and the DVD played, allow yourself some time on the day of the presentation to download the player again if it was removed during a reformatting.

So remember, don't blame the DVD maker.  Then again, it could just be that the person burning the DVD didn’t know what they were doing and made a dud.