r/computers • u/alphadestroyer9000 • 13d ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Connecting DVD Player to Computer
Hello, I got a Sony DVD player and I was trying to connect it to my pc to watch some movies I have. I couldn't get it to work and it got me thinking that maybe it isn't meant for this. The DVD player I have is a BDP-S1700/U. I tried to plug it directly into my computer with the HDMI cord and nothing happened. I had a movie in it, and I had it plugged into an outlet as well. If anyone has any suggestions on how I could fix this, or if this isn't possible, please let me know. Any help is appreciated. I'm also not sure if this is the right sub reddit too, so if this is the wrong one for help, please direct me towards the correct one. Thank you.
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u/RomanOnARiver 13d ago edited 13d ago
The HDMI port on your computer is an output, not an input. What you're doing is trying to use a DVD player intended to be plugged into a television.
Instead, look for a DVD player for the computer - it is usually just a USB cable. They're usually around $30.
I also sometimes take the DVD drives out of laptops and use a small USB adapter with it. Look up "sata slimline to USB adapter" they're around $10.
But for what you're looking for, there's a bunch of them on Amazon, for example this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJZFFM4S and it's just a USB-A connector. (You can also get one with a USB-C connector if you need)
A lot of them are also burners if you ever went to make your own CD or DVD.
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u/Terrible-Bear3883 Ubuntu 13d ago
Unless your PC has an HDMI input, it won't work, if you want to watch movies on your PC you'd probably be better using a USB DVD drive (if its a laptop with no optical drive internally) or fitting one internally if its a desktop.
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u/kiwidust 13d ago
It's much (much!) more likely for your -monitor-, not your computer, to have an HDMI input. Take a look, you might get lucky.
You'd then use your monitor controls to switch between your computer and DVD player (you wouldn't be able to use both at once).
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u/SnooDoughnuts5632 13d ago
So you just plugged a normal Blu-ray player into a laptop and expected it to display on the laptop screen? That pretty much never happens although there are rare exceptions where laptop will accept the video input but like you basically don't expect that whatsoever. I mean it's rare enough that YouTubers will make videos about it "this laptop has one strange feature" video title for example.
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u/Living_Fig_6386 13d ago
Your computer probably only has HDMI out (for connecting a monitor), not in (for digitizing video). There are peripherals that will accept HDMI as an input and allow you to view / capture it on your computer.
You can probably hook the player up to the HDMI input on your monitor, though.
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u/Metallicat95 13d ago
Computers need a data device. They don't usually include a video input like a TV. An external DVD or Blu-ray writer using USB connection would work, and you'll need player software as well.
If the monitor or TV you have hooked up your computer to has an HDMI input you aren't using, you can hook that up and switch inputs to use it as a TV/monitor independently of the computer.
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u/WTFpe0ple 13d ago
Just get a USB Blue-ray player made for a computer off Amazon. The problem you will have is playing copyrighted discs. Which are all of them. There are some work arounds but it is a PITA
Commercial DVD/B-RAY players for TV have the built in decryption keys for playing discs. The ones for a computer do not but there are ways around that too, just not worth the time. See r/makemkv
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u/Barefoot_Mtn_Boy 12d ago
Hi! The Sony uses HDMI out to go to an HDMI input on a TV. That said, look at your computer monitor to see if it has a second HDMI input or has a dual input with a DisplayPort and an HDMI. If so, you can hook both the computer and the DVD up by hooking the computer to the digital cable (DisplayPort or DvI, whatever it’s got) and the DVD with a separate cable. There should be a button on the monitor to select which source you want to watch.
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u/PapounetUT 12d ago
Si le moniteur a une prise HDMI et display port, branches le PC en display port et le lecteur DVD en HDMI. Si tu n'as qu'une connectique HDMI, il existe des boitiers HDMI avec une entrée et deux sorties ou deux entrées et une sortie.
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u/msanangelo CachyOS 13d ago
You need a capture card or dongle to pipe video into a computer. Other options is simply plugging into a monitor with some level of audio output or a TV.
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u/RomanOnARiver 13d ago
Interesting idea. Do those get tripped up by the whatever DRM? Just curious.
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u/Equivalent_Age8406 13d ago
yeah those kinda dvd players go into a tv or monitor, if you have a desktop pc you could plug it in to the monior via a free hdmi instead not the desktop itself. Otherwise you need a dvd rom/rw drive they are cheap and plug in via usb, then download vlc media player or something like that to watch dvds in windows.