Windows 8 brought some visible upgraded features, which were not seen before in older versions of Windows. However, there were features that were downgraded too. One of them is the missing of a standard music player program.

If you haven’t noticed it yet, then let us tell you that all other previous versions of Windows possess a built-in DVD media player that doesn’t exist in Windows 8.

Don’t be upset of this fact, as you’re not out of luck and there are ways to have your DVD played. Read on, to find few ways to play a DVD in your Windows 8 system.

First step!

Before trying anything else, make sure whether you can play your DVD or not in your Windows 8 computer. Sometimes, the manufacturer installs a program to have this functionality back to Windows 8. So, do not take any movie without checking whether you can play the DVD or not.

Get VLC downloaded in your system

One of the best ideas, I could give is to have VLC media player downloaded into your system. VLC is renowned for the compatibility that it has with almost all the file format that you try to play. On the contrary, Windows media player doesn’t support many of the formats, which is why it is better to download VLC media player. All you need to do is insert the DVD  launch VLC program click the ‘Menu’ option and then, choose the option of ‘Open disc’.

An alternate option that you can go for is the Cyber link’s Power DVD 12 that costs $55. It is capable of playing both DVDs and Blu-Ray discs without any issue.

Go for Windows Media Center Pack

It wouldn’t be completely right, if said that Windows has taken away the media player functionality from Windows 8. Instead, Microsoft has made a smart move by making it an option for the users to buy the ‘Windows Media Center’ pack for $10.

However, if it is a basic version of Windows 8 that you have installed in your computer, then it wouldn’t be possible to buy this pack. In that scenario, you need to upgrade the version to pro, which would cost you $100 and then, you can go for Windows Media Center pack for another $10.

On a personal note we would suggest you to go for the VLC’s option, provided you do not want the advanced features of the pro version of Windows 8.

So, this is it about having your DVD played in your Windows 8 system. Now, you need to decide what you would like to go for.

Robert R. is an avid guest blogger who writes on behalf of http://brandstallion.ae/ . He enjoys sharing his knowledge with the everyday digital marketing & computer user, by helping them with common errors, especially Windows installer errors and slow computer problems. Check out his articles at the My tech gurus blog.