dvd..is it that good?

[MannyCalavera]

Hi
I haven't got a dvd drive yet but i am itching to get one.but is the quality of dvd really much better than vcd?Well I have seen the effects on TV but i dunno about the quality on the monitor when played using my PC.

issit the time to buy it now or wait for faster sppeds to come out(i think the current speed is 16x)?

 

[fs5]

I'm assuming you're not from the USA because VCDs aren't as abundant here as they are in other countries.

The answer is simply yes. The quality is much better and I can run off resolution numbers other technical specs but bottom line yes

 

[MannyCalavera]

ok..so will there be faster speeds soon? and what brands of dvd drives do you recommend?

 

[fs5]

There will always be faster drive speeds but if you're going to mainly use it to watch movies than speed doesn't matter. I recommend toshiba dvd drives, I've had toshiba CD-ROMs and DVD drives and they've never failed me.


Also a 16x DVD drive is NOT equivalent in speed to a 16x CD-ROM, it's faster. I don't know the exact conversion maybe someone can chime in here.

 

[MannyCalavera]

thanks man,
but i don't think they sell toshiba drives here...only sony,pioneer and asustek.anyone else?

 

[ElFenix]

pioneer is considered a very good brand for computer dvd players. and yes, it whips vcd's booty. theres a capability for at least 6x as much data to be stored on a dvd, not to mention the compression method is much better.

 

[Sugadaddy]

VCD: 320x240, mpeg1 at 1150kbps

DVD: 720x480, mpeg2 between 2 and 10Mbps (variable bitrate)


So yes, it's MUCH better. I'd get a Pioneer 16X. The DVD speed doesn't really matter since movies are played at 1X, it's only helpful when you rip movies.

 

[Gaunt]

I would recommend a sony or toshiba. I've seen two of the pioneer models develop problems after a few months of use. They seem to slowly get worse and worse. I switch to a sony after my pioneer, and it works great, but I haven't had it long enough to recommend it completely.

 

[MannyCalavera]

thanks for the info guys
but do i have to get a decoder in order to watch dvds?i have a asus geforce2 mx 32mb(the first generation)..will that do or will it affect performance

 

[S0me1X]

I try to get all my anime on dvds to encode into divx much better than what you can get from the net, or in vcd format.

 

[DN]

I have a Pioneer 16x/40x DVD drive and it works flawlessly.. With the proper sound card and 5.1 speakers, you'll be blown away.. A decent monitor and video card doesn't hurt either..

 

[MannyCalavera]

S0me1X,what do programs do you use to encode them?and for what?(i am a little slow here)

and another thing...does anyone know how to compress vcd mpeg into mpeg 4??

 

[NelsonMuntz]

Of the choices you listed, I would say get the Pioneer. As far as watching the DVDs is concerned, as long as you have a 400 MHz or better it should be able to play DVD movies without any extra hardware support from the video card. Slower than that and you will need some kind of hardware help to watch them.

 

[Sugadaddy]

you don't need a decoder card, just software like PowerDVD or WinDVD. (unless your CPU is very slow)


You can use VirtualDub to encode VCD mpg to DivX.

 

[Aosh]

Hmmm, DVDs look much nicer on my 40" HDTV than they do on my 18.1" LCD. I wonder what it is... maybe it's cuz of much higher res of monitor, bad vid card (Leadtek Winfast GF3Ti200), bad decoder (PowerDVD), or cuz I'm sitting much closer to the screen. I doubt its the card or software... But whenever I play DVDs, I can see a lot of noise. When I re-encode the DVDs, I find myself using filters in VDub to "clean" them up.

 

[Dolemite]

Personally, I would stay away from the slot load Pioneer DVD drives. I had two (one 6x IDE, one 6x SCSI) that developed problems quickly. My Toshiba has worked flawlessly. No idea on Sony or Asus.

 

[MannyCalavera]

HDTV?whats that? and powerDVD is a lousy program?
when i play Vcd on full screen,it will be very blur so i have to resize it to a smaller size to get a crisper picture(you get what i mean don't you?)so the question is when playing DVD,can i get crisp picture on full screen mode?or is it the same as vcd only with better quality pic and sound?

thank you

 

[Bluga]

yes

 

[MannyCalavera]

yes?? meaning? sorry but i don't understand..=p

 

[MannyCalavera]

sorry for writing this again(i really want to know the answer)but...

when i play Vcd on full screen,it will be very blur so i have to resize it to a smaller size to get a crisper,clearer picture(you get what i mean don't you?)so the question is when playing DVD,can i get crisp picture on full screen mode?or is it the same as vcd only with better quality pic and sound?

thank you

 

[littlegohan]

I dont know about you but the monitor is support to be much clearer when compared to a tv (even a hdtv)

I guess you are sitting too close to you lcd monitor

 

[unclebud]

i have a pioneer dvd 114 drive and it locked up during the latter half of the negotiator
WHAT NO ONE IS TELLING you is that ALL DVD PLAYERS do NOT PLAY ALL DVDS...

 

[iluvdeal]

Manny, DVDs will looks just as good full screen. If you just to watch movies, just a get a standalone DVD player so you can watch on a TV, alot of them play VCDs as well. I'd only get a DVD drive for your computer if you like watching movies on your computer or you want to rip.

 

[MannyCalavera]

well..i think dvd players(standalone) is too expensive(how much is one anyway?)and what do you mean by not being able to play ALL dvds?
I have a 17 crt monitor so i dunno whether it will be enjoyable but the fact of having a clear pic on full screen is simply great!
sounds like pioneer dvd drives have conflicting opinions....but the reviews rate this as fairly good..hmm