Chapter 1

138 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About DVD
Windows XP moved DVD playback into Windows Media Player. It requires
a DVD Decoder Pack, which contains a DirectShow-compatible DVD
decoder. See Microsoft’s DVD Support in Windows XP page for more info
and links to Decoder Packs. Microsoft also has a list of supported software
decoders for Windows XP.
I Upgraded to Windows XP. Why Did My
DVD Software Stop Working?
DVD player software written for Windows 98 and Me does not work in Windows
XP. Most Windows 2000 software also requires an upgrade. Check
with your DVD software manufacturer or your PC manufacturer for an
upgrade, which in many cases is free. Or you may want to buy a low-cost
Windows XP DVD Decoder Pack (see the preceding “How Do I Get the
Microsoft Windows DVD Player Application to Run?”).
How Can I Rip Audio from a DVD to Play
as MP3 or Burn to a CD?
Keep in mind that unless you are copying something for your own personal
use from a DVD that you own, copying a DVD is usually a copyright violation,
which is illegal and dishonest.
Use a DVD ripping tool (see “What is DeCSS?” in Chapter 4 and “DVD
Utilities and Region-free Information” in Chapter 6) to extract Dolby Digital
or PCM (WAV) files from a DVD. Then use a utility to convert to MP3, WMA,
or other formats, or to burn to an audio CD.
Alternatively you can connect the audio output from a DVD player (see
“What Are the Outputs of a DVD Player?” in Chapter 3) to an audio recorder
or to audio inputs on a computer.