Microsoft acknowledges multiple issues with Windows 10 DVD Player app, suggests workarounds

Windows 10 is packed full of new stuff, but one feature that didn't make the cut from earlier versions of the OS was Media Center. Microsoft once had high hopes for its Windows Media Center software, but it never took off as expected, and in its latter days, the company said that the few people who continued to use it did so mostly for DVD playback.

To make up for the loss of this functionality in Windows 10, Microsoft released a new 'Windows DVD Player' app last month. However, many of those who downloaded it, some paying $14.99 for the privilege, have experienced any number of issues with it - some of which Microsoft has now acknowledged, with suggested workarounds.

In a post on Microsoft's support site, Windows engineer Ellen Kilbourne detailed six known issues with the app - but not all of them has a workaround yet:

1. The video is stuttering or failing to play. Many people can fix this issue by installing the latest graphics drivers (AMD, Intel, Nvidia). We are continuing to investigate and fix other causes of this problem.
2. When changing from one DVD to another, Windows DVD Player will not play the new DVD. This can be fixed by closing and re-opening the Windows DVD Player app.
3. Windows DVD Player does not detect that a disk was inserted. This can be fixed by closing Windows DVD Player, inserting the DVD into your DVD drive, and then re-opening the Windows DVD Player app.
4.Inserting a DVD opens the Windows Store. If inserting a DVD opens the Windows Store, rather than launching the DVD player, you may need to update your program defaults. To do so:

Open the Start menu, search for “DVD” and select the result labeled “Autoplay” under Settings.

You should see four DVD entries in the AutoPlay Control Panel, including “DVD movie”, “Enhanced DVD movie”, and “DVD-Audio.” Set the default for each of these items to “Play DVD (Windows DVD Player)” under the drop down menu for each entry.

The Windows DVD Player app should now automatically launch when a disc is inserted.

5. Windows DVD Player will not play audio using Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. Some users may see this fixed by getting the latest from Windows Update. We are continuing to look at other cases where that may not be sufficient.
6. Playing a DVD to a second screen using HDMI sometimes fails. There is no workaround for this right now, but we are continuing to investigate it.