Front Row View DVDs

Front Row View DVDs feature several surgical and animated videos. As each series of Front Row View is a compilation of video submissions from various contributors, qualities such as sound and resolution may vary.

Front Row View videos can be viewed on computers (independent of operating system) equipped with a DVD-ROM drive and monitor, as well as stand-alone DVD players.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the picture alternate between light and dark?

What happens if I scratch the disc?

Why doesn’t the DVD play on my computer?

What if my question wasn’t answered here?

Why does the picture alternate between light and dark?
VCRs that have been programmed to record a DVD encoded with Macrovision will be unable to do so. This fact becomes evident, if the picture appears scrambled (as though the VCR tracking is incorrect), or if the picture alternates between light and dark. Connecting the video-out signal from a DVD player to a VCR’s video-in line will activate Macrovision. The only way to bypass Macrovision is to connect the DVD player directly to the TV.

What happens if I scratch the disc?
Scratches on a DVD can affect the playback of a disc. Users can clean the disc using a DVD polishing kit or a slightly dampened, soft cloth. In most cases, a severely scratched or damaged DVD will need to be replaced.

Why doesn’t the DVD play on my computer?
There are many answers to this question. Following are some basic troubleshooting tips to help resolve problems such as jerky playback, pauses, or error messages.

PC:

• Update the drivers. Driver bugs are the largest cause of playback difficulties, causing problems ranging from picture freeze to error messages about region compatibility. Users should ensure that their computers have the latest decoder drivers as well as the latest DVD drivers and graphics adapters by going to the Web site of the appropriate equipment manufacturer.
  
•  Turn on DMA or SDT. In Windows, users should navigate to the System Properties Device Manager.
   
  Then choose CD-ROM and open the CD/DVD driver properties.
  
  Click the Settings tab and make sure the DMA box (for IDE drives) or the Sync  Data Transfer (SDT) box (for SCSI drives) is checked.
  
  Download DVD Speed to check the performance of the computer’s DVD drive.
  
  Users with drives slower than 1x are guaranteed to encounter playback  problems.
  
• Use third party DVD playback software. Download and install the VLC movie player from http://www.videolan.org/ on the computer.
  
• Turn off programs running in the background. In Windows, users should close or exit applets in the system tray. Applets are represented by the icons in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
  
• Position the SCSI DVD-ROM drive as the first or last device in the SCSI chain. This applies only to users with SCSI DVD-ROM drives. If the SCSI DVD-ROM drive is the last device, users should ensure that it is terminated.
  
• Update the Macrovision software. Macrovision is the most common reason for inconsistent video play via the TV-out option on the video card. This may be due to the output software for the video card. Updates may be available on the software manufacturer’s Web site.

Macintosh:

• Update the drivers. Driver bugs are the largest cause of playback difficulties, causing problems ranging from picture freeze to error messages about region compatibility. Users should ensure that their computers have the latest decoder drivers as well as the latest DVD drivers and graphics adapters by going to the Web site of the appropriate equipment manufacturer.
  
• Mount the DVD as a start up disc. Users experiencing problems loading a DVD onto a Macintosh can hold down the Command, Option, and I keys when inserting the disc. This mounts the disc using ISO 9660 instead of UDF.
  
• Use third party DVD playback software. Download and install the VLC movie player from http://www.videolan.org/ on the computer.
  
• Turn off programs running in the background. In Mac OS, turn off AppleTalk, file sharing, and virtual memory.
  
• Allocate more memory to the Apple DVD Player. This applies only to users of OS 9.
  
• Update the Macrovision software. Macrovision is the most common reason for inconsistent video play via the TV-out option on the video card. This may be due to the output software for the video card. Updates may be available on the software manufacturer’s Web site.
  

What if my question wasn’t answered here?
For additional technical support, please call 1.800.825.2956.