How to fix a DVD movie that stops or goes black

Updated: 12/30/2019 by Computer Hope
Matrix DVD movie

There are two main causes for a DVD (digital versatile disc) movie stopping or the picture going black mid-play.

Power Management enabled

Verify that power management is disabled. Because there is no activity on the computer as you watch, the computer may switch to power saving mode, causing the movie to stop, go black, or cause an error.

Screen saver

Verify that all screen savers are temporarily disabled because the computer may think it's inactive during the movie. The screen saver may start running during the movie and cause errors, the movie to stop, or the screen to go black.