Lesson 19: Creating a DVD Player in VB6

Master multimedia controls to build a professional DVD/CD player application

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Key Takeaway

The Microsoft Multimedia Control in VB6 provides powerful capabilities for creating media players that can handle DVDs, CDs, and other multimedia formats with minimal coding.

Welcome to Lesson 19 of our Visual Basic 6 Tutorial! In this lesson, you'll learn how to create a professional DVD player application using VB6's multimedia capabilities. This elegant player will allow users to play music CDs and DVDs with full control over playback features.

19.1 The Multimedia Control

To create a DVD player, we'll use VB6's Microsoft Multimedia Control (MM Control). This powerful component provides an easy way to add media playback capabilities to your applications.

Playback Controls

Built-in buttons for play, pause, stop, next, previous, and more

Media Support

Supports DVDs, CDs, audio files, video files, and more

Device Control

Manages multimedia devices like CD-ROM drives and DVD players

19.1.1 Adding the Multimedia Control

The Multimedia Control isn't included in VB6's default toolbox. To add it:

1Open Components Dialog

Go to Project → Components or press Ctrl+T

2Select Multimedia Control

Check "Microsoft Multimedia Control 6.0"

3Add to Form

Drag the MM Control from the toolbox to your form

Adding Multimedia Control
Figure 19.1: Adding the Multimedia Control to the toolbox

19.2 Building the DVD Player

Our DVD player will include standard playback controls and a display showing the current track. Here's the interface design:

DVD PLAYER

Track: 1

19.2.1 Implementing the Code

The core functionality is implemented through the MM Control's commands. Here's the complete code for our DVD player:

DVDPlayer.vb 
Private Sub Form_Load() 
    ' Center the form on screen
    Left = (Screen.Width - Width) \ 2 
    Top = (Screen.Height - Height) \ 2 
    
    ' Initialize the CD/DVD player
    myCD.Command = "Open"
End Sub 

Private Sub myCD_StatusUpdate() 
    ' Update the track number display
    trackNum.Caption = myCD.Track 
End Sub 

Private Sub Next_Click()
    myCD.Command = "Next"
End Sub

Private Sub Play_Click()
    myCD.Command = "Play"
End Sub 

Private Sub Previous_Click()
    myCD.Command = "Prev"
End Sub

Private Sub Stop_Click()
    myCD.Command = "Stop"
End Sub 

Private Sub Eject_Click()
    myCD.Command = "Eject"
End Sub

19.2.2 Essential MM Control Commands

The Multimedia Control responds to various commands. Here are the most important ones for DVD/CD playback:

  • Play - Starts playback from the current position
  • Stop - Halts playback
  • Pause - Temporarily stops playback (toggle)
  • Prev - Moves to the previous track
  • Next - Advances to the next track
  • Eject - Ejects the media from the drive
  • Open - Initializes the media device
  • Close - Closes the media device

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you've learned how to create a professional DVD player application in VB6:

Multimedia Control

Adding and configuring the MM Control for media playback

Playback Controls

Implementing play, stop, next, previous, and eject functionality

Status Updates

Displaying track information during playback

Device Management

Initializing and closing media devices properly

Important Note

For the DVD player to work, users must have the appropriate media codecs installed on their system. The application will use the system's default media player capabilities.

Practice Exercises

Test your multimedia programming skills with these exercises:

Exercise 1: Enhanced DVD Player

Add a track list display that shows all tracks on the DVD/CD with the ability to select and play specific tracks.

Exercise 2: Volume Control

Implement a volume control slider that adjusts playback volume in real-time.

Exercise 3: Playback Progress

Add a progress bar that shows the current playback position and allows seeking.

Exercise 4: Media Library

Create a media library that can play various file types (MP3, AVI, MP4) from the hard drive.

Exercise 5: Playlist Management

Implement playlist functionality that allows users to create and save custom playlists.

Next Lesson

Continue your VB6 journey with Lesson 20: Creating an Audio Player Application.

Related Resources

Full VB6 Tutorial Index

Complete list of all VB6 lessons with descriptions

Explore Tutorials

Visual Basic Examples

Practical VB6 code samples for real-world applications

View Examples

Graphics in VB6

Learn about graphics creation in VB6

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Audio Player Application

Learn to create an audio player

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