Resolved External DVD Player Question

[sueb1863]

Hi, all -

I just bought a Dell external DVD player/burner for my Mac Mini. It's set to Region 1 but it doesn't seem to want to play my Region 1 DVDs. When I put one in, the DVD Viewer launches but then nothing else happens. All of the controls are grayed out. It plays my homemade DVDs just fine.

I'm guessing I need to change a setting somewhere? I downloaded the VLC media player and that works but I'm puzzled as to why the DVD Viewer won't play a Region 1 DVD when the player is set to Region 1.

It's a 2020 M1 Mini running Big Sur 11.6.1.

Thanks!

 

[MacCheetah3]

Maybe something here:

Troubleshooting DVD Player on Mac

Solve common problems you might encounter while using DVD Player on your Mac.

support.apple.com

 

[sueb1863]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it! However, nothing in that list is what's happening in my case.

In my case, the DVD viewer launches but then nothing else happens. No error messages, the disk doesn't eject, I can hear it spinning in the player, but nothing comes up on the viewer and the controls are all grayed out. Clicking on the play button and hitting the space bar does nothing.

The only thing I can figure is that it has something to do with the Region settings, but I can't get the region selection window to come up again. It came up once when I first plugged the player in and put in a commercial DVD and it told me the disk didn't match the region of the player, but both of them are Region 1 so I don't know why it was telling me that.

This also happened with another player I bought so it's not the player, it's some setting in my Mac Mini. I have a homemade DVD of home movies that we transferred and that one plays just fine.

 

[MacCheetah3]

If your Mac is an M1, this could be worth a try:

Open DVD Player using Rosetta​

There are many users experiencing the external DVD player not showing up errors on macOS Monterey & Apple Silicon M1 Mac. Affected users have shared a solution on Twitter – open the DVD player using Rosetta. If you can’t open your external DVD drive on Mac, follow the steps below:

1. If "DVD Player" is running, choose the window, and type ⌘+Q
2. On Finder, type Shift+⌘+G
3. Then type "/System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/" and click "Go".
4. Next, choose "DVD Player" and then type ⌘+I
5. Check "Open using Rosetta" and type ⌘+W
6. Add "DVD Player" to "Dock" by drag-and-drop
7. Open "DVD Player"
8. Insert a DVD in a disc drive, and play a DVD

[Fixed] External DVD Player Not Working/Showing up on Mac

The external DVD player is not working on MacBook Pro, Air, iMac (M1 Macs) running Monterey, Big Sur? The external DVD drive is not showing up or recognized? Check fixes to get your Mac external DVD drive back to normal.

www.macxdvd.com

Unfortunatelu, probably similar to your own searches, I am not finding much of anything with those specific symptoms. Additionally, I don’t recall ever encountering such a problem while using an LG USB DVD-RW drive.

 

[now i see it]

Should have purchased a used 2010 Mac Mini on eBay for $65. It has a built in DVD player

 

[Freyqq]

software problem probably, VLC works

 

[sueb1863]

If your Mac is an M1, this could be worth a try:

[Fixed] External DVD Player Not Working/Showing up on Mac

The external DVD player is not working on MacBook Pro, Air, iMac (M1 Macs) running Monterey, Big Sur? The external DVD drive is not showing up or recognized? Check fixes to get your Mac external DVD drive back to normal.

www.macxdvd.com

Unfortunatelu, probably similar to your own searches, I am not finding much of anything with those specific symptoms. Additionally, I don’t recall ever encountering such a problem while using an LG USB DVD-RW drive.

Thanks, I'll try that! It is a 2020 M1. The weird thing is, the DVD Viewer is launching, and it'll play my home movies DVD but when I put in my commercial DVDs it won't play them. And it doesn't say why, no messages or anything.

I did download VLC and it does work, I guess I'm just baffled as to why the DVD Viewer won't and why it told me the Region 1 copy of The Wizard of Oz was the wrong region even though the player is also set to Region 1. It's got to be something in the DVD Viewer program. Hmm!

 

[sueb1863]

Should have purchased a used 2010 Mac Mini on eBay for $65. It has a built in DVD player

I guess I could have, but that's older than the iMac I bought the Mini to replace!

 

[Fishrrman]

"I did download VLC and it does work, I guess I'm just baffled as to why the DVD Viewer won't and why it told me the Region 1 copy of The Wizard of Oz was the wrong region even though the player is also set to Region 1. It's got to be something in the DVD Viewer program."

If one app works for you
and
Another app doesn't
then
Use the one that works, and ignore the one that doesn't.

You might also try "IINA".

 

[sueb1863]

Thanks! Yeah, I guess I'll do that, I guess it just bugs me that it should work with the native player but it doesn't. But that's computers for you!

 

[for this]

I guess it just bugs me that it should work with the native player but it doesn't. But that's computers for you!

IMO, some Apple's own applications have more limitations than 3rd party's ones (QuickTime comes to mind). I think they are developed under constraint for Apple's interest, promoting some file formats and ignore competitor's formats, etc.

VLC developers have more freedom to add features.

 

[sueb1863]

I think you're right! I plugged the Dell player into my HP laptop just to see what would happen, and while I had to download an app to play the DVD, it didn't have any problems with the region. And I was able to confirm that the player is set to Region 1 so it should have worked with the DVD Viewer on my Mini.

I also tried the approach using Rosetta but for some reason it didn't work. The DVD Viewer opened but then I just got the twirling circle and nothing else happened. But VLC is working just fine!

 

[SpotOnT]

I think Apple DVD Player can only play commercial DVDs with Apple branded DVD Drives. The kicker is that the M1 Mini and Air identify Apple's own external SuperDrive as a third party drive now too.

My understanding is that Apple agreed to some silly terms when they got the movie studios on board to sell movies through iTunes. And that, along with things like you can't take a screenshot of the Apple DVD Player window when playing a DVD, was one of the limits.

Pretty much any other software, other than Apple DVD Player, will work just find though with any third party drive.