Files that are intended to be played from a CD-ROM or DVD can be played directly from your hard drive. You don’t need to burn the files to a CD-ROM or DVD first, you just need to know how the files can be played; everything is very simple and I will explain it here.

Let’s start with the BIN and CUE files.

What are BIN and CUE files?

These are very popular image files and are intended to be burned to a CD-ROM. The CUE file is used to store information about the actual data, such as tracks. If you want, you can view this file using a text editor such as Notepad. BIN files contain the actual data. When we talk about video, the data will be in the form of VCD or SVCD. This format is very good for high-quality images, but it uses a lot of MB.

So how do I play them?

Well, you can play the BIn file or the CUE file. Using VLC Player, you can simply open the CUe file and the video will play. If you prefer Media Player Classic, you will need to select “All Files (*.*)” from the browse menu and then select the BIN file. Both methods will work equally well; it’s a matter of which player you prefer.

Now let’s take a look at the DVD files (VOP, BUB and IFO).

What are VOP, BUB and IFO files?

VOP files are the files that contain the actual video – VOP stands for Video OBject. IFO files contain information about the video (VOP files), which allows the viewer to navigate the DVD menu, fast-forward, skip chapters, etc. BUPs are basically just BackUP files of VOP files. That way, if the DVD gets damaged in any way, you may still be able to play it.

So how do I play them?

You can play VOP files the same way you play BIN files. With Media Player Classic you can simply open a VOP file and MPC will play it for you. However, to open a VOP file, you actually open the IFO file that contains the information about the video. If you want to play the entire DVD, you must locate the IFO file called VIDEO_TS.IFO; this file will play the entire DVD, including the menu. Other IFo files can also be used, but VIDEO_TS.IFO will play the entire disc.

It’s really very simple!