Can I Play An ISO File?

oka · Post by **oka** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:21 am

Is it possible to play an ISO file with any software?

After creating an ISO file and writing it to a disk, and played back, once in a while, I find an object that was not visible during the menu editing but is seen after writing the disk - waste of disk. On a few ocassions, I have hidden the 'page' button or the menu's 'page number' but I will see either one of them or both when playing back the finished product.

My one choice to be REALLY SURE would be to first write to a re-writable disk first. It's kinda time consuming if I have a handful of DVD disks to create.

I can open an ISO file with some softwares like DVDShrink or ExtractNow. But is there a software to play the ISO file as a whole and not in parts (menus and chapters)?

mitchell65 · Post by **mitchell65** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 2:28 pm

I "Googld" your question and go this. Don't know if it is any good but worth a try:
VLC Media Player will play ISO files.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Post by **Ron P.** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 2:37 pm

I've got VLC player, however have not tried it on ISO files. I think that to play an ISO file you need to mount it. The player needs to think it is a drive.

However I also Googled "how to play ISO files" and found out that VLC is capable of playing ISO files, and that nothing else is needed. I'll have to check this out...

Bob Hughes · Post by **Bob Hughes** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:54 pm

I use VLC all the time. Just drag & drop. Works well with ISO files. But occasionally has problem with my menus.

Trevor Andrew · Post by **Trevor Andrew** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:15 pm

Hi

Afaik the ISO files are simply TS folders Zipped. So if you cant play them unzip them and play the TS folder.

Accolades · Post by **Accolades** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:02 am

An ISO image is an archive file (also known as a disc image) of an optical disc in a format defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This format is supported by many software vendors. ISO image files typically have a file extension of .iso. The name ISO is taken from the ISO 9660 file system used with CD-ROM media, but an ISO image can also contain a UDF file system since UDF is backward-compatible with ISO 9660.

As with any other archive, an ISO image includes all the data of files contained on the archived CD/DVD, or any other disc format. They are stored in an uncompressed format. In addition to data of the files it also contains all the file system metadata, including boot code, structures, and attributes. ISO images do not support multi-track, thus they cannot be used for audio CDs, VCD, and hybrid audio CDs, which are usually ripped as audio files. However, for disks that contain a single track of data followed by tracks of audio, such as video game disks, the first track can be ripped as an ISO, and the rest as audio files.

These properties make it an attractive alternative to physical media for the distribution of software as it is simple to transfer over the Internet or via a LAN connection.

A valid ISO image is an uncompressed collection of various files merged into one single resulting file, according to definite and standard formatting.

The most important feature of an ISO image is that it can be easily rendered or "burned" to a DVD or CD by using media "authoring" or disc "burning" software. It can also be opened using archival applications such as 7-Zip file manager or the WinRAR shareware archiver. ISO burning is now typically a native feature of modern home and business computer operating systems.

Hybrid formats include the ability to be read by different devices, operating systems, or hardware. In the past, one example of this was a disc that supported both Windows and Macintosh from one image. One recent example is the release of hybrid ISO files which can be "booted" or started from both CD/DVD and USB flash drive devices when the image is written to either of these storage devices.

Accolades · Post by **Accolades** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:05 am

Burn the iso file to a disk.

Iso files are frequently used to distribute CD or DVD images. For example if you download a popular Linux distribution what you'll most likely download is actually an iso file. Using a CD or DVD burning program like ImgBurn you can then write that iso disk image to an actual disk. When you examine the completed disk you'll see all the files and folders that were contained in the image. In the case of the Linux distribution, you'll probably even be able to boot from the CD you just created.

Mount the iso file as if it were a disk.

There are several utilities out there that will mount an iso file as if it were a disk drive, though often only for reading. I've not used any enough to recommend, or even mention names, so perhaps readers will chime in with utilities that they've used.

Treat the iso file as if it were an archive.

Recall how I indicated that iso files are much like zip or cab files? As it turns out, some of the popular archiving utilities, including WinRAR and my personal favorite 7 Zip can also read and extract the contents of iso files.

All you need to do is use those tools' view or extraction functions on the iso file to examine its contents or extract some or all of the files you need.

Accolades · Post by **Accolades** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:06 am

Make 'Google' your 'friend'

Accolades · Post by **Accolades** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:08 am

Use Deamon Tools - Lite edetion is free to mout a 'VIRTUAL' CD/DVD Drive

oka · Post by **oka** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:28 am

I downloaded five different ISO players and installed the VLC player first. After initial usage on different ISO video files, I fell for it. I don't think I would even try the other players. It has lots of preference settings.

VLC Player is just what I am looking for and more. Thanks for all your help and time on helping me out.

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Can I Play An ISO File?

Can I Play An ISO File?

VLC Player Works Well