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Open University

Milton Keynes

Open University Chat Thread

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Reply 780

Juno

½+½

I dropped it around 2 months in. Waaaay too much work for a 30pt level one course IMO. My other, more relevant course was suffering so it had to be done.

I'm not finding it too much work, it's just very disorganised (read this book, read that bit, jump over there read something else...) and I'm not enjoying it. There is also no tutor support - my tutor is new, but I've had no replies to e-mails or anything. I've submitted my TMA, but I don't care whether I've passed or failed. The only thing stopping me from dropping it is that if I want practically any foundation degree/diploma on the way to my full degree than I need to do this course.

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 781

amylou

iv got my material through...how do i watch the dvd? it just plays it audio....theres nothing to see...what programme do i need to play it through? ive tried itunes and windows media player :s xx

Reply 782

LooCee

amylou

iv got my material through...how do i watch the dvd? it just plays it audio....theres nothing to see...what programme do i need to play it through? ive tried itunes and windows media player :s xx

Amy, are you using a windows computer? On my Mac the dvd for my course wouldn't play properly but in windows it loaded in my browser as an internet site type thing where you click the links on the side bar and it opens that section, shows the clips and things.

Is it meant to be a film or does it have activities on it? Check your course guide that should have been included because that usually tells you a bit about the dvd and how it's supposed to be run.

Reply 783

amylou

its a film.....when i try open it on my computer theres a little box saying my pc doesnt have the right decoder installed....iv just tried to downloan one called vlc but that wont open either....argh wanna get started :frown:

Reply 784

Moggs

amylou

grab GOM: http://www.gomlab.com/eng/GMP_download.html
and DivX: http://www.divx.com/en/win (thought you only need the codec, not the player. Select codec only on install)
and quicktime: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

That should cover you for pretty much everything :P

GOM should play almost everything apart from Quicktime stuff.

Failing that, what's the file extension of the video you're trying to watch?

Reply 785

SunburnedCactus

OU stuff shouldn't require too much to get it going, they usually supply all the bits for the benefit of internet bereft people.

Reply 786

amylou

Moggs

awww thanku, i tried doing all of that...and even then when i open up the gom player it says codec not installed :frown:

file extension...how would i find out that? :s

Reply 787

Moggs

amylou

awww thanku, i tried doing all of that...and even then when i open up the gom player it says codec not installed :frown:

file extension...how would i find out that? :s

Did you try opening it with QuickTime too?

Getting the file extension depends on your OS. I wasn't aware anyone ran without it off :s-smilie:

In XP, it's My Computer -> tools (on the top bar) -> folder options -> view tab -> uncheck the 'hide extensions for known file types' check box -> apply. Then you can just look at the file and it'll be filename.something. Whatever is after the dot, is what we need.

As SBC says, it might be worth looking at the course guide or any introductory notes/sheets of paper as they usually tell you what you need. And the drivers should be the disk too for anything you need to play, which might be a further hint as to what the files are.

Are you 100% sure they're video and not just audio? :wink:

Reply 788

amylou

aww thanx for helping....right, iv looked on the file names and they are .IFO (but thats for the ones that are now gom media files)

or theres .BUP which are the backups.

Yeah iv looked at my course guide and letters...they dont say anythin :frown:

Reply 789

amylou

oh and theres also a few .VOB files...also gom files :s xx

Reply 790

amylou

and yeah lol theyre defo dvd videos!! :tongue:

i tried using quicktime but it says the filetype is not one that quicktime understands

Reply 791

Moggs

Try using VLC or GOM to open the VOB :smile:

Should take you to the DVD menu.

Reply 792

Lunarsea

Just found this and I thought I'd share. It was broadcast early last month on Woman's Hour on radio 4. Of course it is primarily about women but I expect it may be interesting for the men on this forum too, just to hear the experiances of OU students.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/03/2009_49_thu.shtml

Reply 793

dg2009

So my S250 stuff just arrived as did more of my S205. NEED to get stuck into my TMA now as it's due in on Friday!!!!!!!

Reply 794

sallycow

dg2009

So my S250 stuff just arrived as did more of my S205. NEED to get stuck into my TMA now as it's due in on Friday!!!!!!!

Have you opened the s205 pack yet? The size of book 10 scares the crap out of me...

Reply 795

dg2009

yes but haven't really looked at anything, trying to sort out my S205 TMA02 which I'm failing on as I can't do q1 or 2 lol and the other 2 I'm just about able to do

Reply 796

Spanghew

Aaaah - for some stupid reason, I decided to plan a last-minte holiday, since work was slow. I'm going to be gone three weeks, and will be travelling home at the time my next TMA is due in.

I figured I could just do the essay while I'm there, but looking through the question in the booklet, it advises you to pay special attention to what the people on the DVD are saying!!!!

I haven't even watched the DVD, and even if I quickly watch it now, I won't be able to remember ebough of it to write an essay properly.

I've put the audio files needed onto an mp3 player, and will be taking the book, but I'm not going to know what's on the DVD or DVD rom until after the TMA has been handed in.

****. That essay's worth 20% of my grade as well :frown:

Reply 797

lupinpooter

Spanghew, can you organise a DVD player to use while you're away, or - better still perhaps - get hold of a transcript?

Reply 798

Juno

Read the question, watch the DVD and make notes? You also might be able to record the audio on your computer, and then transfer it to your mp3 player. You won't get the video this way, but it might be better than nothing.

Reply 799

Spanghew

lupinpooter

Spanghew, can you organise a DVD player to use while you're away, or - better still perhaps - get hold of a transcript?

I was going to jsut bung the DVDs in my backpack and hope that I'd find somewhere to use them, but I know the place I'm staying doesn't have a TV or anythng like that - it's really basic. Internet is available in town, though..

Transcript sounds like a good idea, -I'll look into it now, and hope it's not something I'd have to wait for. THanks.

Because I'm walking out of my house at 7 tomorrow morning. I should really be asleep now, but I just remembered this.