# Dell Computer DVD: video won't show . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547 "2002-12-18T14:23:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/1 "2002-12-18T14:23:10Z")
but why? On my new computer at home, in the DVD drive, it reads DVDs in the viewer program and I can hear the audio, but the screen in the player stays totally black - no video at all. The DVD-ROM games work fine, but no video. The computer is a brand-new Dell 8250 with most all the bells/whistles. In a different program, the MovieStudio video editor plays video footage, so it seems that the video card is indeed installed. I’ve tried all the settings/controls/configuration for DVD and video I could find, but no change. I’ve re-installed the PowerDVD player but it seems to be the exact same version (originally installed at Dell on 12-4-02) and I also installed the DVD player that was on a couple of the DVDs (InterActive?) but that does the same thing, audio but no video. The DVDs tried so far are Spiderman, Monsters Inc and Peter Pan - Return to Neverland, so they are all new and their games work but the movie video doesn’t. I’ve submitted this question to the Dell messageboard but that doesn’t seem too active this morning. I cannot currently access Dell online support without my service tag # because I’m at work and the ST# is at home on the computer, but I thought maybe just maybe a doper could help. Any ideas? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/2 "2002-12-18T15:01:54Z")
Sounds like a video driver problem to me, either its settings are off or it’s simply incompatible in some way. ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/3 "2002-12-18T15:06:05Z")
You might try making sure you’re running the most current driver for your video card, and that your color resolution is correct. If you’re running Windows 2000, have an ATI video card, and downloaded microsoft’s “updated” drivers, this could be your problem as well. We had roughly 300 computers on campus download the update and have thier cards fail as a result. ---
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/4 "2002-12-18T15:40:34Z")
It is on Windows XP and I haven’t check into the video drivers option yet or the color resolution. Thanks for the suggestions so far. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/5 "2002-12-18T15:46:06Z")
Another vote for the video drivers. I’ve got a fairly new Gateway, running WinXP, and when I downloaded a new video driver from the MS Windows Update site, all hell broke loose (completely indecipherable screen image, with cascading “start” buttons, etc., etc.). It’s the only time something from Windows Update has ever caused me any problems (including going back several years on a previous machine). Retreating to the last restore point cured the problem. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/6 "2002-12-18T16:50:11Z")
I wonder if its a copy protection issue? As it sounds like macrovision coming on- no video, but audio? ---
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/7 "2002-12-18T17:28:28Z")
Handy - I don’t understand what you mean - - - how would the copy protection cause the video not to run? The rest of the DVD works, including the game. Does the DVD “know” it is in a computer and not a DVD player? The whole PowerDVD program is set up to play movies, but it won’t show the picture. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/8 "2002-12-18T17:33:15Z")
Copy protection interrupts the video portion of the signal when it thinks it is being run through a device that can copy it. If you want to see it sometime, hook up your DVD player to go through your VCR to your TV. Sometimes you get no video, sometimes you get intermittent video, sometimes scrambled. With all due respect to **handy** , I don’t think that’s it in this case, though. I think you’ve definitely got a software problem either with the driver or the player app. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/9 "2002-12-18T17:54:55Z")
Is it possible that the software is configured to send the video to an alternative output, like an RCA video output? Just guessing… ---
**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/10 "2002-12-18T18:39:39Z")
Here’s another vote for the color depth. I had a similar problem with my new Dell. The display’s color depth was set to 32 bits, which apparently the DVD player was unable to handle. Setting it to 16 bits made it work. ---
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/11 "2002-12-18T19:36:08Z")
heresiarch - the video card is supposed to support output to tv/vcr, so maybe that’s it. thanks. Omphaloskeptic - I’ll check color depth too, maybe first since it sounds like a simple fix. thanks to one and all * * * Checklist for tonight, in order of desperation: color depth video output video drivers copy protection issue try to kick dog (miss him, of course) fist through monitor in a blind rage ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/12 "2002-12-18T22:20:24Z")
Sounds like you’re on track for a career in computers \*\*H8\_2\_W8 \*\*. Let us know. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/13 "2002-12-19T00:50:25Z")
H8\_2\_W8, I got a new Dell 5440 & it plays dvds fine. I know they work to make their computers compatible, so this one is interesting. How much ram have you got? ---
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/14 "2002-12-19T12:24:53Z")
Well, I got home late after Mrs. H8\_2\_W8 made me go out to dinner and then Xmas shopping, so I didn’t get a chance to work on the DVD video problem last night. I’ll try to do the above tonight before Survivor. Thanks again to all who have offered suggestions. Handy - The RAM was a freebie upgrade to 512Mb, which I would hope would be enough. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/15 "2002-12-19T15:20:40Z")
Could be an overlay problem–can you play avi or mpg files? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/16 "2002-12-19T15:46:04Z")
“The RAM was a freebie upgrade to 512Mb, which I would hope would be enough.” That should be fine. Back to the drawing board 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/17 "2002-12-20T14:47:14Z")
Any, you should pardon the expression, _resolution_ on this, **H8\_2\_W8**? ---
**Author:** ![H8\_2\_W8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c77e96/32.png) [@H8\_2\_W8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H8_2_W8)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dell-computer-dvd-video-wont-show/143547/18 "2002-12-20T17:32:19Z")
I wasn’t gonna tell you, but since this is on a KneadToKnow basis - I got home late from work and didn’t have time to work on the DVD issue before Survivor. Mrs H8\_2\_W8 wants the printer setup first for her work, so the DVD may have to wait until the weekend. Thanks for asking.