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How to view a PAL encoded DVD

post #1 of 6
10/18/12 at 5:03pm
Thread Starter 
Four years ago I built a small form factor computer which an HDMI out on the rear panel.

I have never connected the computer to a TV or an AVR but I recently purchased a music CD/DVD combo in which the DVD is encoded in PAL. Both the CD and DVD play just fine on the computer (Windows Media Player) and the CD plays just fine on the CD player but of course I cannot play the PAL encoded DVD on our Panasonic Blu-Ray player which is connected through an AVR to a 50” plasma TV in another room. We would really love to watch this DVD on the big plasma screen which is part of our home theater setup.

Question: To watch this PAL DVD on our 50” plasma would it simply be a matter of moving the computer to the living room and running an HDMI cable from the computer to the AVR to accomplish this?
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post #2 of 6
10/19/12 at 7:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by batuche View Post

Four years ago I built a small form factor computer which an HDMI out on the rear panel.
I have never connected the computer to a TV or an AVR but I recently purchased a music CD/DVD combo in which the DVD is encoded in PAL. Both the CD and DVD play just fine on the computer (Windows Media Player) and the CD plays just fine on the CD player but of course I cannot play the PAL encoded DVD on our Panasonic Blu-Ray player which is connected through an AVR to a 50” plasma TV in another room. We would really love to watch this DVD on the big plasma screen which is part of our home theater setup.
Question: To watch this PAL DVD on our 50” plasma would it simply be a matter of moving the computer to the living room and running an HDMI cable from the computer to the AVR to accomplish this?

Generally yes.
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post #3 of 6
10/19/12 at 11:42am
Thread Starter 
Thanks arnyk, generally.

I will be trying this at home one day from work – the only time I can futz without interference from kids, etc. I’m thinking that I could either run the HDMI directly from the PC to the TV (which has a spare HDMI input) in which case we would enjoy a great picture but the sound not so much. Or, I could run the HDMI directly from the PC into the AVR (which has 3 or 4 spare HDMI inputs), in which case we should be able to enjoy a great picture AND great sound (the preferred option).

Trying to think this through ahead of time (not a computer or audio/video whiz as you may have noticed – that’s why I’m here), once connected via either route, I would need the TV set to the correct HDMI input (or alternately toggle through the inputs until I stumble on the correct one), then what preparations would I need to have made with the computer to assure that I would see a Windows screen on the TV after connect and power up? The TV is 1080p so I’m guessing that before I move the PC I would change the resolution to something like 1920 x 1080? The PC uses an ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics card which under Display Options offers a checkbox for Force TV Detect, which I’m guessing I will need to check prior to moving it.

That’s all I can think of.
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post #4 of 6
10/19/12 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by batuche View Post

Thanks arnyk, generally.
I will be trying this at home one day from work – the only time I can futz without interference from kids, etc. I’m thinking that I could either run the HDMI directly from the PC to the TV (which has a spare HDMI input) in which case we would enjoy a great picture but the sound not so much. Or, I could run the HDMI directly from the PC into the AVR (which has 3 or 4 spare HDMI inputs), in which case we should be able to enjoy a great picture AND great sound (the preferred option).

Either the AVR or direct approach should work. However for initial experimentation the simplest possible setup, which is to hook the PC to the TV directly, is recommended.
Quote:
Trying to think this through ahead of time (not a computer or audio/video whiz as you may have noticed – that’s why I’m here), once connected via either route, I would need the TV set to the correct HDMI input (or alternately toggle through the inputs until I stumble on the correct one), then what preparations would I need to have made with the computer to assure that I would see a Windows screen on the TV after connect and power up?

Usually, just hook a HDMI cable from the HDMI video output of the PC to the HDMI input of the TV and boot. I've done this many times. Your initial result will be a desktop on the TV. Then start your video player, and run it in full screen mode. That's it.
Quote:
The TV is 1080p so I’m guessing that before I move the PC I would change the resolution to something like 1920 x 1080?

My recollection is that usually the TV tells the PC via HDMI that it is 1920 x 1080 and the desktop comes up that way when you boot the computer after you hook things up.

If the screen looks odd after boot it is easy enough to do the selection manually.

Some TV's support only a limited number of formats, but many will work with a wide range of formats. YMMV.

The worst case requires you to set the resolution to one that the TV supports before you shut the PC down on its current monitor. It's handy to have a PC display that also runs 1920 x 1080 which many 24" models support.
Quote:
The PC uses an ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics card which under Display Options offers a checkbox for Force TV Detect, which I’m guessing I will need to check prior to moving it.

I've run PCs with various Radeon model video interfaces, and never had to check that box with a HDTV. Again YMMV.
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post #5 of 6
10/19/12 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you, arnyk. Appreciate your being here to bounce ideas off of before stepping out into the great unknown. Now all I have to do is find the time – maybe during the week sometime next week as the weekend is full, including young kids. While I’m a slow enough thinker on normal days kids just add enough interruptions and distractions that I really don’t need to be messing with computer/HT equipment.

I’ll check back in after trying this out and let you know the results.

Thanks again.
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post #6 of 6
10/23/12 at 6:09pm
There were many DVD player models that could be made compatible with PAL content by simple remote commands. Google "region free DVD". I think cheapest were Pioneers. Some BD players can be made to work with PAL (both DVD and BD) by simple hardware hack. I used Oppo DVD player, and now BD player. Both worked perfectly with all media disks I ever had in my hands.
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