Simple Ways to Connect a DVD Player to a Laptop

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Watch movies from a DVD on your computer with these easy steps
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Do you want to watch a DVD on your laptop with an external DVD reader? Luckily, you have several options for connecting a DVD player including a USB external drive, HDMI, and wireless. Read on to learn more.

Easily Connect a DVD Player to a Laptop

Connect the external DVD drive to your laptop using a USB cable. If you don't have an external DVD drive, you can connect to your home's DVD player with a capture card, which internalizes the "HDMI OUT" to "HDMI IN" process and changes it to a USB cable so you can watch DVDs on your laptop.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Connecting an External DVD Drive with USB

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  1. Some external drives might ship with a USB cord attached, but if not, you will need to plug in a USB cable to your external drive. You can find a plethora of USB DVD drives at any electronics retailer. [1]
    • These are generally the cheaper option to buying a video capture card so you can use your TV's DVD player with your laptop. You'll buy a portable external drive that only works with a computer and can't be connected directly to a TV. [2]
  2. You'll most likely find a USB port on either side of your laptop.
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  3. A stretched cable could cause data interruption and not display a smooth video or audio track.
  4. If your laptop is already powered on, you can skip this step.
  5. Once your laptop senses the connected DVD drive, you may be prompted to download any drivers or software needed for the external drive. [3]
    • Not every external DVD drive will ask for software or driver updates, so don't worry if you don't see the installer!
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Connecting Wirelessly with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

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  1. 1
    Buy a DVD player with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities. Generally, older DVD players require a cable to play videos smoothly and without losing quality, but there are some smart DVD players out there (like the Sony Blu Ray Player with WiFi ). With your laptop and DVD Player on the same Wi-Fi network, you will be able to watch your favorite DVDs wirelessly!
    • This is not a common way to watch DVDs since HDMI or USB prevents the movie from losing too much data. However, these DVD players do exist, albeit they are expensive and your laptop must be able to use screen mirroring to use the DVD player attached to a TV.
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Connecting a DVD Player with a Video Capture Card

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  1. This might be labeled "HDMI Out" on your DVD Player and "HDMI IN" on the video capture card.
    • Since your laptop most likely has an "HDMI Out" port only, you cannot run an HDMI from the "HDMI Out" port on your DVD Player to the "HDMI Out" port on your laptop. You won't see or hear your DVD since both the player and your laptop will be sending out/displaying information. In that case, you'll need a video capture card to connect the "HDMI Out" port from your DVD Player to an "HDMI In" port. These tend to be slightly more expensive than buying an external USB-DVD drive as outlined in the previous method.
  2. You'll most likely find this rectangle-shaped port on either side of your laptop.
    • Some video capture cards will have a USB attachment at the end opposite of where you plug in the HDMI cable. You'll want to plug this end into the USB port on your laptop.
  3. A stretched cable could cause interruptions in your audio or video output, so make sure the cables between the DVD Player and the video capture card and between the capture card and your laptop aren't pulled too tightly.
    • If they are loose, you might need to try using a different HDMI cable.
  4. Put a DVD in the DVD player and start watching. If your sound or audio is off, you might have issues with your ports/cables. If this is the case, try using different cables.
    • When you initially connect the capture card to your laptop, you'll most likely get a pop-up to install the software you'll need to use with the capture card.
  5. According to the capture card you're using, you may need to open the capture card's software first to watch anything from your DVD Player.
    • Not every capture card will ask for software or driver updates, so don't worry if you don't see the installer!
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.leawo.org/entips/how-to-connect-dvd-player-to-laptop-with-hdmi-and-usb-1389.html
      2. ↑ https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00023515
      3. ↑ https://www.leawo.org/entips/how-to-connect-dvd-player-to-laptop-with-hdmi-and-usb-1389.html

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Plug the cable into your DVD Player in the HDMI port.
      2. Connect the other end of the HDMI cable to your laptop's HDMI port.
      3. Ensure that both HDMI connections are secure.
      4. Test the connection.

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