Taking screen shots with Compaq DVD player

[VashTheStampede]

hi, umm sorry if i asked this question before, but i downloaded(I got it from morpheus.. i was hoping it was safe) this dvd player that someone on the forums told me too get, and it crashed my hole computer and the dvd player didn't even work anymore on my computer. I had too reinstall my hole computer

Well I have this dvd player program that came with compaq, and i also have pc friendly thing..

I was woundering if anyone knew how too take screen shots, because everytime i hit print screen. it keeps giving me this black screen...

It looks like it came from the DVD but it was just black.. The thing about is that if i keep the dvd running and i past it in paint or whatever it just plays the movie or whatever in the part i pasted it too, it is realy weird. if anyone can help me please.

Or know if a DVD software i could probly download, too take screen shots.

[setarip]

"everytime i hit print screen. it keeps giving me this black screen... "

Try holding down the Alt key while pressing PrintScreen. By doing this you are capturing only the active window.

Let us know of your success ;>}

[VashTheStampede]

i did

i did... it doesn't work for some reason.. it captures it.. but its only in a black screen, i don't understand it..

But say if i still have the DVD running, and past it.. the picture image that I pasted has the dvd running inside of it.

[khp]

Using printscreen won't work because the player uses directdraw.

Some players can do image captures by some other key combination (I have no clue which).

There have been a few postings on this, here in the general forum (u might have to go back a while).

[setarip]

I've just grabbed images from both a playing AVI and a puased AVI, in Windows media Player v.6.4, about twenty times, alternately using just the PrintScreen key and the combination of holding down the Alt key while pressing the PrintScreen key. The only "Quirk" is that the VERY FIRST attempt generates a blank black image. Thereafter, all captures are just fine.

To observe this in action, open the clipboard on your desktop (as well as the WinMediaPlayer) and get a live action view of the grab.

[khp]

Yes, for some people it works, I think it depends on what grapichs card u have, what drivers that u use, and your version of directx.

Sometimes it will fail completly other times the colors will get completly messed up, screen captures in mediaplayer is not a good solution

[VashTheStampede]

so should i get a new graphics card? or get a new player?

[khp]

so should i get a new graphics card?

OH NO - that would be an expensive way to solve your problems.

I found one of the other threads on this problem

http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1273

Setarip's solution is probably a lot easier than mine.

[VashTheStampede]

ok i found out i can take screen shots using the windvd.. but the thing is.. Its not a real copy of it.

Its like a trial and it only plays for like 5 minutes.... Do you know of any free downloadable DVD players i could probly get?

Well anyways the DVD player i have right now is DVD Express from Mediamatics. If anyone knows anything about taking screen shots from it...

wow.. i never thought this place was active.. this is a great community.

[VashTheStampede]

so ummm no one knows?

[khp]

Sorry, the only method, that I know of, that only relies on free software, is to use virtualdub, as I described in the other thread.

But I admit the it's a lot more complicated that way.