Guest $iLk Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Frankly are they worth a damn or would my money be better spent buying a DVD player for my TV?Pros and Cons - for gaming, movies, etc.How would I control the interfaces on the computer?Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Hi $ilk,I haven't had one for too long, but maybe I can give you a good idea how they work.Basically you pop a DVD movie in there and load up your DVD viewing software - the most common, and one that ships with almost all DVD drives, is Cyberlink's PowerDVD. It's great software, let's you choose a ton of output options (for Dolby Digital surround and all that crap) and also has all the options you'd have on a traditional DVD remote control - Zoom, angle, pause, play etc. Also, do you have a fast computer? Cyberlink PowerDVD is software based so you need a good processor to ensure your movie doesn't pause awkwardly, ruining disbelief There are no pros or cons for gaming yet - PC games just don't come on DVDs yet, but I know special editions of MS Encarta do - five CDs on one disc means you don't have any disc swapping to do.Regarding movies on your computer - it depends entirely on two things. Is your monitor 17" or larger? If so, the movie quality should be great, but I wouldn't bother watching a DVD on anything less - its just a waste of time.Second, what sort of sound system is hooked up to your computer? I ask because if you are using $20 radio shack speakers with a $10 KOSS subwoofer, you're going to get turned off pretty fast, so you might as well buy a TV DVD player. If, however, you have a respectable sound system (respectable starts at 4.1 with Klipsch ProMedia's folks!) you WILL enjoy the movies Hope I've answered your questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Silk,I wouldn't waste my money on a DVD for your computer YET!! Get a TV DVD player, later, when Games are too big to fit on CD, THEN you will want to get a computer DVD player.I had a DVD player on my laptop, and it was fun to sit in a hotel and watch my own movies on the laptop, but if I had had a choice I would rather have a TV DVD player.My .02 worth, probably worth less!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Just keep in mind price point, $ilk. DVD-ROM drives are fairly affordable, particularly if you buy a combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive and you don't already have a burner. TV DVD players start at $400 and, trust me, you don't want anything that costs less than that. All DVD players are NOT created equal However, wait until the start of 2002 - I know for a fact companies are making a big move to DVD-R/RW drives. If you hang on till mid-end 2002 they'll be affordable, faster, still be able to burn CD-RW's and be able to of course watch DVD-Videos. Heck, maybe they'll be able to decode DVD-Audio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest $iLk Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 My system specs:1ghz PIII Processor 256 MB RAM DFI Motherboard 19" Monitor 50X CD ROM Drive 10X CD RW Drive My main concern is now, if I replace my CD drive with a DVD Drive, will I lose anything as far as playing games from the DVD Drive (CD Games not DVD)?What are my options either way with the above specs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolferz Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 DVD on a PC with a 19" monitor is the bomb.My only recommendation for you $ilk is, be sure to get a DVD player that has the hardware decoder. The software decoders blow.Most DVD players for the PC have no problem doubling as a a standard CD ROM drive. Mine works quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest $iLk Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Thanks man, I'm gonna check out prices now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted November 15, 2001 Report Share Posted November 15, 2001 Might I recommend the HP CD/DVD combo drive, the 9900ci? You can check out a review at CNET:http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-1095-...095-404-5603093I've been using it for some time and I don't have any problems with it at all, and I get great performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advil Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 I will usually recommend against the combo drives for one reason. Look at the numbers. If you follow that link you can see the drive is a 12x10x32 with 8x DVD and sells for $170.You can buy a TEAC 24x10x40 drive for about $110 and separate 16x Toshiba DVD for about $70. Roughly the same price, and twice as fast burning CDs and reading DVDs.If you NEED to save the space, then by all means get a combo drive. We make this tiny micro PC that only has one 5 1/4 bay, and for that a combo is perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Jamont Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 i got cables from my tv out to my tv , so i can watch the dvdees on from my computer on my tv , works like a charm , thanks nvidia for twinview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmett.hendrick Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 I got a DVD on my pc almost 2 years ago now(PIII 600mhz) had an OEM voodoo 3 3000 card (no tv out) but when we first got it we used to get the 19" monitor and stick on a table in the center of the room place my 4 satellite speakers( I have the FPS 1000 speaker system) and sat down and used to watch DVD's on the monitor before we bought a TV/DVD and now it only gets used because I have DVD version of Baldurs Gate. So at the moment a TV/DVD is a better buy as games don't really use DVD's (YET) but they will eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game_Ender Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 You can get a DVD-ROM for $45.00. I have read a review of the DVD drive and it is good product (comes with software also).[ 11-16-2001: Message edited by: Game_Ender ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest $iLk Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 I've never heard of that company, I'll check it out though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Whitewing Posted November 16, 2001 Report Share Posted November 16, 2001 Just a thought $ilk, dont replace the regular CD with the DVD. ADD a DVD drive if it will suit ya. If your machine is anything like mine, you have an open drive bay to install it in. You will be using the CD-ROM much more often than the DVD, or most likely even one of the burner drives. A CD is usually under $40 to replace when it takes a dump. That DVD drive wont be replaced as cheaply. If you've been using the DVD 90% of the time for non-DVD purposes, yer gonna be pissed when it quits on ya halfway thru the 4th movie you've ever watched on it I personaly prefer to kick back in my comfy leather recliner in front of the 36" TV surronded by Cerwin-Vega! speakers. I spend too much time behind a desk as it is to be able to enjoy a movie there. lol, besides.. there's less danger of dumping my drink on the keyboard if I'm in the living room!there's my .02 for ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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