DVD playback

[jwinter1]

I'm getting very poor DVD playback (blocky motion, stuttering, etc.), but I'm not sure what's causing it. I've got a 6x DVD drive, classic Athlon 750, 128mb of RAM, 32mb Prophet I vid card, and I'm using PowerDVD software for playback. I've read a couple FAQ's on DVD playback and all have claimed that you don't need a hardware decoder as long as you're not running anything else and you have 400mhz+. Any suggestions?

 

[Wizkid]

Make sure that you have DMA enabled for your DVD drive. This option is in device manager, double click on your DVD-ROM drive and there is an option for DMA. Make sure it's checked.

 

[Valhalla2000]

You can try WinFast DVD player. Personally i think it has better picture quality and less lag than PowerDVD.

 

[jwinter1]

I've tried to enable DMA before, but when I restart and check out device manager, the box is unchecked again. I think you're right about DMA, but do you have any idea how I could enable it and keep it enabled?

 

[rmblam]

You likely need to enable it in your bios also. Check the DMA settings for the other drives and pick an unused number.

I second the WinDVD. It has performed the best for me. Make sure you have directx 7a also. I'm not sure if directx8 is bug free yet. Use it at your own risk.

 

[culex]

If you tried enabling DMA, but wont stay checked after boot, your probably running WinME.

This is a problem when using drivers straight from WinME CD or Win98 drivers. Only happens to some machines for some reason.

Best way to get around is install an updated driver for your DVDROM made for WinME if your manufacturer did make it...

Otherwise, CTRL+ALT+DEL all the other crap except SYSTRAY and EXPLORER and try running it that way.