DVD question

[Miller92]

I have the ATI all in wonder Radeon wich has DVD playback. So can i just by a DVD drive. Or do i need a decoder card or software. Wich DVD drive should i buy?

 

[AndyHui]

You will not need a decoder card, but you will need DVD software. There are 2 main choices: PowerDVD or WinDVD. IIRC, there should also be software that ships with your Radeon.

People here tend to recommend Pioneer DVD drives.

 

[NelsonMuntz]

IMO, consider at least three DVD-ROM drives: Pioneer, Toshiba, and Lite-On. If we compare all of the 16X drives, Pioneer is cool because it has a slot loading design, but it isn't great with reading some of the copy protection in CloneCD. Toshiba is good with CloneCD except that it has a 2X DVD Rip speed limitation for some unknown reason. Lite-On doesn't have either of these deficiencies, just your basic workhorse. Look for reviews and make your own decision. The All-in-Wonder does hardware assist for DVD playback, so there is no need to get a decoder card, and it comes with DVD software in the box that you can use to view DVDs.

 

[Miller92]

so the software will come with the video card to watch DVD's. What about DVD ripping software what is the best? How about MP3 ripping software?

 

[AndyHui]

For MP3s, please see the FAQ: What is the best program (encoder) for making MP3s?