How to Forever Do Away with DVDs That are Scratched or Freeze Up During Play

How many times have you been watching a DVD that just suddenly freezes and becomes useless or skips to the point where you seriously consider pulling and Elvis and shoot the TV? Dozens at least, possible hundreds of times. Well, the future is here and it is a place where movies never stop in mid-scene.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• DVD player with USB capability.

1. The first step is to buy a DVD player that is USB capable. This is the great secret of watching movies and TV shows without the fear of a skipping or freezing DVD getting in the way. Several companies make these devices and the price can range from under $200 to over $500.

2. Get yourself an external USB hard drive. This is the place you will be keeping your collection of movies and TV show so be prepared to refashion that stand where your DVDs are now collected and taking up space. Simply copy the .avi files onto the hard drive, plug the USB cable into the machine, and go.

3. The problem, of course, is how to get all those movies and TV shows you love into .avi format. File-sharing programs are the best place to go, followed by multimedia newsgroups. If your favorite movie or TV show isn't yet available at these places, you can get software that will convert the DVDs you currently own into .avi format.

Tips & Warnings

• When downloading from file sharing programs, make sure that you get an .avi files rather than an .mpg or .wmv as most DVDs with USB capability won't play anything but the .avi or DIVX files. Of course, you can always convert those other types into an .avi file if you have to do.
• Files downloaded from file sharing programs can often contain viruses, so be sure to run a virus check first.

Resources

• Watch Movies Instantly with the Panasonic DMR-EZ485v USB Flash Drive
• How to Convert DVD Files to .AVI
• How to Download DIVX Movies