Getting DVDs to Play on a Computer

Question

Yet another data point.
I brought in a Hollywood DVD and it played video but no sound...just like my DVDs at work.
Soooo, it is appearing more like the problem is on the player side, not the authoring side. However, that does not eliminate the problem. We believe that these DVDs will most likely be played on a prospective client's computer. It appears likely from my experience here that there are a lot of DVD players out there that have the drivers installed but not the DVD codecs/decoding software. I would have thought that Encore would have installed a proper DVD codec but that evidently is not the case.
All of these DVDs seem to play ok on a DVD/TV setup...what can I do other than writing a note on the disc suggesting that it be played on a DVD/TV if it does not play on a computer.
Will Bill Hunt's suggestion which he graciously offered about separating video and sound increase the likelihood that a DVD will play on a computer?

Answer 1

I was presuming Windows Media Player would play a DVD-Video. This is not that unusual...I even had a media house representative insist that WMP should play a DVD "out of the box." This is clearly not the case.
From Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/knowledgecenter/mediaadvice/0072.mspx
How do I play DVDs in Windows Media Player?
To play DVDs  using the Player, you must have a DVD-ROM drive, a computer running the  Microsoft Windows XP operating system, and either a software or hardware  DVD decoder installed on your computer. (By default, Windows does not  include a DVD decoder.) For more information about DVD decoders, see the  DVD Support in  Windows XP Web page.
If these conditions are met, you can play  DVDs by using Windows Media Player for Windows XP or later. For more  information, see the Play CDs and DVDs  Web page.
I had LG/Cyber link on my machine...it would not play sound...the free Cyber Link won't play Dolby sound. You have to buy the "premium" version for $15. For whatever reason, the freeware VLC and the Media Player Classic WILL play Dolby sound.
By the way My CS3 Encore appears to be limited to five Dolby encoding sessions; after that you have to buy the encoder for $295.
So, the lesson is:
Even if a DVD player is installed on a computer, don't expect it to play a DVD. The player has to have the proper drivers, codecs and decoding software. It appears that a lot of corporate workstations are not set up to play DVD-Video.
For someone involved in supporting the marketing team...this is a huge eye opener. I was expecting the marketing video to play on the prospective client's machine. Wrong! You have no control over how the prospective client's machine is configured. If the DVD is played and it doesn't work...it will simply be tossed to the trash...furthermore the likelihood is that you will never know.
In the short run, I am printing on the label that the DVD is best played on a DVD player/TV.
I did not hear from the media house on the results of the testing. Will check with them next week.
Thanks to all participants in the discussion. I hope someone else learned something as well.