Contact person: Business Client

Phone:Show

Email:Show

Location: Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Budget: Recommended by industry experts

Time to start: As soon as possible

Project description:
"Project overview
The goal of this project is to develop a standalone desktop media player for Windows that can load, navigate and play a wide range of optical disc formats with their original graphical menu systems intact. This is not a simple file-based media player. The player must behave like a real disc player, detecting disc structures, loading interactive menus, executing navigation logic, and presenting a user experience consistent with how these formats were originally designed to work.

All formats listed below are in scope from the start. There is no phased reduction of features. Bidders should assume full implementation across all listed disc types.

Sources for test ISOs and reference tools
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Free 8KDVD ISO images for testing are available directly from the official 8KDVD site, which also documents how to watch and author 8KDVD discs:
[login to view URL]

The free 8KDVD Creator (authoring tool) can be downloaded from the same site and from SourceForge. This tool generates compliant 8KDVD disc structures and XML/HTML menus that must be supported by the player:
[login to view URL]

A Kodi plugin is also available that can load and play 8KDVD discs without full graphical menus. This plugin is provided as a behavioral reference only and demonstrates disc parsing, playlist handling and resolution selection.
Current playback options: [login to view URL]

The standalone player developed in this project must go significantly further by rendering full graphical menus:

Target platform and general architecture
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The player must run natively on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It should be a standalone desktop application, not a browser extension and not dependent on external players. The architecture is expected to combine a native playback pipeline for audio and video decoding with an embedded graphical/menu engine capable of rendering XML, HTML, CSS and JavaScript-based disc menus. Disc images (ISO) and physical optical media should both be supported.

8KDVD format support
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The player must fully support the 8KDVD disc format as defined in the attached specifications. This includes correct recognition of the 8KDVD_TS directory layout, handling of STREAM, ADV_OBJ and PLAYLIST folders, and parsing of [login to view URL] playlists and [login to view URL] files. Video playback must support the codecs used by 8KDVD, including VP9, with multi-resolution playback where available.

Menu handling is a core requirement. The player must load and render the 8KDVD XML menu format as the primary menu system. The XML should be visually rendered in a style similar to classic HD-DVD menus, with a side-aligned menu area, background poster or artwork, and playback controls positioned along the bottom of the screen. If the XML menu is missing or invalid, the player must fall back to the provided HTML menu. JavaScript execution, button focus, navigation, and visual transitions must all function correctly.

HD-DVD format support
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The player must support HD-DVD discs, including standard HD-DVD and the so-called “3× DVD” variant. This includes reading UDF disc structures, decoding EVO video streams, and implementing the HD-DVD interactive layer. The interactive system is based on ACA applications, XPL playlists and JavaScript-driven logic. Menus may involve HTML-like layouts, scripted navigation, and advanced interactivity.

The player must be capable of loading and executing HD-DVD menu logic in a way comparable to historical software players, including correct handling of background video, overlay menus, and dynamic navigation states.

DVD-Video format support
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Full DVD-Video compatibility is required. This includes IFO parsing, execution of the DVD Virtual Machine command set, correct handling of VOB files (including seamless playback across split VOB segments), and rendering of subpicture overlays for menus and subtitles. Interactive DVD menus must behave as authored, including button highlighting, directional navigation, and title/chapter control.

CSS handling and region logic must be addressed explicitly in proposals, with a clear explanation of what is technically implemented and what may require licensed components.

AVCHD format support
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The player must support AVCHD discs as authored for optical media. This includes correct handling of the BDMV directory structure, playlist parsing, and menu navigation where present. AVCHD playback must support typical AVCHD codecs and menu layouts used on consumer-authored discs.

Blu-ray format support
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Blu-ray disc support must include disc structure recognition, playlist handling, and menu playback. This includes BD-J or alternative Blu-ray menu systems where applicable. Proposals must clearly state how Blu-ray menus and navigation will be handled, including any limitations related to Java or licensing, and how those constraints will be managed or documented.

VCD and SVCD format support
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The player must support legacy VCD and SVCD formats, including correct detection of disc structure, MPEG playback, and basic menu or track navigation where present. While simpler than newer formats, these must still function as disc-based experiences rather than simple file playback.

Menu presentation and visual consistency
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Across all formats, menus must be visually rendered rather than approximated. The goal is to preserve the authored disc experience as closely as possible. For 8KDVD in particular, XML-based menus should visually echo the HD-DVD-era layout style, with side menus, background imagery, and bottom-aligned playback controls. Consistent focus handling, remote-style navigation logic, and smooth transitions are expected.

What bidders should include
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Bidders should explain how they will implement disc detection, disc image mounting, playback pipelines, menu rendering engines, and navigation logic for each listed format. They should describe how they will test against real ISO images, including the freely available 8KDVD ISOs, and how closely their implementation will follow the attached specifications. Any assumptions, limitations, or licensing constraints must be stated clearly.

Compatibility
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The application must run smoothly on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, x64 versions, with no feature loss between the two. A single installer is ideal.

Core playback requirements
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– Multi-region playback so discs from any region load automatically
– Subtitle handling (switch, turn off/on, external/embedded)
– Automatic resume from the exact last position when a disc is re-inserted

I’m open to the most appropriate tech stack—C++, C#, Electron + native modules, DirectShow, Media Foundation, libbluray, or VLC/GStreamer back ends—as long as licensing is clean for commercial distribution. Hardware acceleration should kick in where the GPU allows (DXVA, D3D11, or similar), but graceful CPU fall-back is necessary.

Deliverables
1. Signed Windows installer (.msi or .exe) with auto-update capability
2. Source code with build instructions that reproduce the release binary
3. Brief user guide covering menu navigation, region switching, and subtitle controls
4. QA checklist confirming each disc format launches, menus render correctly, and the three core features work on both OS versions

Acceptance will be based on running a sample from every listed format, toggling subtitles, verifying region overrides, then ejecting and re-inserting to confirm resume.

If you’ve already wrestled with Blu-ray Java menus, HD-DVD EVO parsing, or similar low-level optical quirks, tell me how you’d approach this and what libraries you prefer. I’m ready to start as soon as we agree on the roadmap and timeline." (client-provided description)