DVD newbie with some questions...

[snow patrol]

Hi, I've got my mind set on building up a bit of a DVD film collection, but I've got a couple of queries which hopefully someone will be able to help me with

- I'd only want to watch them on my monitor. Would a DDR Radeon 32 be ok for this? Would the quality be fine?

- What's all this about Regions? (region 1 DVD discs, region 2 etc etc...or for that matter what are 'Region Free' DVD Rom Drives?

- Can anyone recommend a good DVD Rom Drive?

Thanks

 

[Wuming]

DVDs are coded for different regions, which are different parts of the world. so a region locked DVD player would be able to play DVDs that come from whichever region it is locked to.

Most DVD ROMs right now are region free and so are able to take DVDs from any region. some newer ones allow you to change the region a few times before it becomes permanently locked.

the toshiba 12x, the pioneer 16x are all quite good DVDROMs.

as for your question about your video card, i am watching DVDs using my Creative Riva TNT2 (32mb), so i suppose yours should be fine!

 

[kami]

1. Yes, Radeons, Geforce/Geforce2, and Voodoo3/Voodoo5 are all pretty much equal for image quality...but you get hardware motion compensation with Radeon and GF/GF2. I heard Radeon has the best quality out of the bunch.
2. Almost anything you buy will be Region 1 but if you do buy some imports or something, there are programs like DVD Genie to change the Region.
3. Anything Toshiba. Quiet, fast, and reliable.

Are you going to be using a 5.1, 4.1, or 2.1 sound setup? You can't go wrong with either PowerDVD 3.0 or WinDVD 2000 2.3.

 

[rmblam]

Any ATI card will work very well. ATI is stated as having the best DVD playback quality.

Unless you plan on buying and watching DVD from foreign countries I would not worry about the region.

I prefer the Toshiba 12x. Toshiba was/is the DVD innovator is how I understand it. Regardless, they make some of the best quality and quietest DVD drives available. Don't be concerned with the DVD speed. 16x is not better than 12x or 10x or 6x when playing movies. The speed is only an issue when ripping.

I prefer WinDVD software myself. It has worked the best for me out of the many I have tried.

 

[snow patrol]

Wow, thanks guys. You've answered my questions perfectly

 

[John]

I have a little niche for DVD's

The Radeon is an excellent 2d/3d card. It also saves the expense of buying a separate MPEG-2/DVD decoder card, and motion compensation allows for DVD decoding with very minimal CPU usage. I think you will be very pleased. In addition it is a very nice 3d gaming card.

Region 1 is what most people use since it is North America. Typically you get 5 or 6 runs at watching a movie from a different region, then the ROM is locked...unless you unlock it with firmware or a hack. Region free means you can watch a DVD from any region without locking the DVDROM down.

I would go with the Pioneer 16x or Toshiba 12x IDE DVDROM drives.

 

[snow patrol]

Thanks John, updating to a Radeon for 3d stuff (from a voodoo 3) will be a nice bonus I'm sure

Could anyone tell me, is this DVD ROM region free then?

 

[John]

Thats the same DVDROM I have, but AFAIK it is NOT region free.

 

[snow patrol]

So is it Region 1?

Have you managed to unlock yours with a hack? Also (sorry for all the q's!) - do DVD cases signify what region the DVD film is?

Thanks again

 

[kami]

Yes and everything you buy here will be Region 1. I really wouldn't worry about the region stuff UNLESS you plan on importing a bunch of stuff. I think so many people are obsessed with unlocking their drive and then they never even use the feature they just unlocked!

What soundcard/speakers are you using? Sound is equally important to visual quality, if not more...the biggest benefit of DVD is the sound I think. Picture is only twice as sharp as VHS but the sound is hella better But of course there's the other benefits...widescreen, extra features, etc.

 

[John]

I only watch region 1 DVD's, and I doubt I would ever use movies from another region. We have thousands in the USA !!

 

[snow patrol]

That's cool I'm in the UK, but I've noted from a couple of DVD movie retailers that the vast majority of their DVDs are listed as Region 1

Kami - I have a sound Blaster Live! Platium with FP1000 4 point surround speakers so sound should be pretty good

I think on Tuesday I'm going to order me a 32meg DDR Radeon, a Pioneer 16X DVD and a DVD film to get my collection started. Any suggestions?

 

[Anon19]

i import HK cinema movies all the time. i have a selection of jet li movies and stuff