When
you install Windows 8 on your system, you gain access to a number of new
features. Some are clear upgrades over previous versions of Windows—the new
system-wide search, for instance—while others are more controversial
"side-grades," rather than clear improvements. There’s one thing
that’s a clear-cut downgrade, though: DVD playback.
While
earlier versions of Windows included a free, built-in DVD player, Windows 8 and
Windows 8.1 have no such functionality. It can still read data DVDs, but if you
want to play that copy of Rocky IV you got for $2 on clearance at Target,
you’re out of luck.
Fortunately,
you’ve got plenty of options for restoring DVD-playback functionality to
Windows 8, for free. Here’s what we recommend:
Option
1: Just try it!
Before
you do anything else, check to make sure that you actually can’t play a DVD in
your computer. If you bought a boxed Windows 8 laptop or desktop computer with
a DVD drive, the manufacturer will almost certainly have pre-loaded it with DVD
playback software. Pop a DVD in and see if it plays!
Option
2: Download AllPepole Video Player
AllPepole
Video Player plays DVDs, and it plays them for free.
If
you’re upgrading to Windows 8 or built your own PC from scratch, you’ll
actually have to download AllPepole Video Player software to watch DVDs.
Fortunately, there’s a free, fast way to get DVD playback in AllPepole Video
Player, a powerful media player..
When
you want to watch a DVD, open AllPepole Video
Player and—with the DVD in your drive—click Menu, then Open Disc.
AllPepole
Video Player’s a handy program to have on any new system, anyway, as it’s
capable of opening virtually any audio or visual file format, including quite a
few that Windows Media Player can’t handle. If you want to play Blu-ray discs,
there's a codec pack of questionable legality (and hit-and-miss functionality)
available.
You
can also download a Mac version at APP store:
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