Introduction to DVD Playback
Zoom Player's strength in DVD Playback is that it is capable of using DVD Decoders from various vendors and open projects,
allowing you to pick and choose the best decoder suited for your system and combine them with the best post-processing
and video enhancement filters currently available for the PC.
Zoom Player supports three distinct methods of DVD Playback:
Standard
The standard method is the most simplistic (and unreliable) method of DVD Playback. It lets DirectShow (microsoft code)
decide which decoders to use. It is very prone to failure or obscure errors and is only implemented for completeness,
don't use this method unless other methods fail. This method is identical to the method used by Windows Media Player to play DVDs.
Smart (Recommended)
This method is the easiest and most reliable way to play DVDs. On this page you can simply point & click at the components
you want to use.
Audio Renderer / Video Renderer
The Audio and Video renderer choices are identical to the ones for media files,
read more about them here.
Audio Decoder
The Audio decoder is the component in charge of decoding DVD Audio so it could be passed to your speakers or in the case
of S/PDIF output, the decoders just relay the audio data to an external receiver. To activate S/PDIF with most decoders,
you can select the decoder from the list and then press the little "C" button at the top-right corner of the list and
this should bring up the decoder's configuration page which should have an S/PDIF option. A preferred DVD Audio decoder
is the "DScaler" decoder or "AC3 Filter". For more information on DVD decoder setup, click here.
Video Decoder
The Video decoder is the component in charge of decoding DVD Video so it could be displayed on your TV/Monitor.
A recommended Video decoder is "DScaler". For more information on DVD decoder setup, click here.
Additional Filters
Smart DVD Playback gives you the power to add Audio and Video processing filters for additional effects that
can improve Audio and Video quality, or provide special-purpose processing. Please note that not all filters can
be used with all Video Decoders and Video Renderers. When trying to Play, Zoom Player will inform you of any conflicts.
DVD Navigator Filters
Zoom Player also allows you to select the DVD Navigator filter. The Microsoft DVD Navigator filter is the most stable
and reliable filter, but you can try the others (expect instability).
Set Video Color Space
Selecting the Video Color Space may allow you to save a bit of CPU power, fix contrast-range issues and possibly even
correct some color tinting problems. Only use this interface if you are experiencing problems.
Disable Internal Audio DSP
While Zoom Player can run its Equalizer DSP on the DVD Audio, its not recommended. As such, the
"Disable Internal Audio DSP" setting is enabled by default (preventing the Equalizer, PreAmp and Re-Sync DSP modules from working
when playing DVD content).
Hide unregistered decoder profiles
By default, Zoom Player will only list decoder profiles that are currently registered with your system. Unchecking
"Hide unregistered decoder profiles" will list all profiles, including ones that are not currently installed on your system.
Verify Selected Setup
The Verify Selected Setup button will double check if all the selected components are properly registered with the system
and will also remind you of any missing selection.
Register Selected Filters
The register selected filters button should only be used in combination with the "Hide unregistered decoder profiles" checkbox
being unchecked. With all profiles listed, you can click on the Registered Selected Filters button so that Zoom Player can
scan your system to check if the files are in place and are simply not properly registered with the system. Please note that
OEM versions (custom-built versions for specific computer vendors) of some decoders may be installed on your system but
unrecognized by Zoom Player.
Manual DVDGraph Profile
Manual DVD Graphs gives you a method of creating DVD Graph files by hand. Creating new graph files is quite complex
and the reason this method was superseded by the "Smart" method. There should be no reason
to use this interface. It's being included for backward compatibility.
