What DVD drive to buy?

[afowler]

hello,

I need a DVD drive for an XP machine that came originally with a CD-RW drive.

In addition to burning DVD's I need to be able to watch DVD-Video discs.

I seem to recall that Windows XP does not ship with the necessary codecs to play DVD-Video discs.

Can anyone recommend a (retail?) DVD drive that comes with DVD playback software.

Thank you

 

[Slugbait]

There has been a rather significant shift in bundling software...many retail boxes don't include a player any more. Most "good" deals on a drive are OEM, which usually don't include anything at all, much less bundled software.

And considering the original drive it will replace, I assume that you will require a PATA drive.

With all that said, the only decent drive I found at Newegg that includes a player is this Plextor, which is about $47 (shipped) after rebate, and has a combo deal for a free CD wallet. It's a rebadged NEC/Optiarc AD-7170A, and you'll want to check and make sure it has the latest firmware after install (if not, flash it).

 

[afowler]

Thanks for the link.

Yeah, I need a PATA unit.

Do you think it's a better idea to buy an OEM drive + DVD software separately? Does it work out to the same price? (I'd rather avoid rebates...)

I'm not sure where to start looking.

Thanks again

 

[corkyg]

For viewing, WMP11 handles DVD and CD video nicely.

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: corkyg
For viewing, WMP11 handles DVD and CD video nicely.

Absolutely correct! (with compatible DVD decoder, not included).

The two (arguably) best players would be WinDVD ($43) or PowerDVD ($48). There are some cheaper ones out there. For example, CinePlayer standalone (included with the Plextor) is $30, then add another $28 for a decent drive. So for $11 dollars more, you end up with basically the same thing, but you avoid the hassle of a rebate.

 

[afowler]

FWIW, I've been told that VLC and Media Player Classic can play DVD's just fine, (They have built in DVD decoders.)

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: corkyg
For viewing, WMP11 handles DVD and CD video nicely.

The problem is that WMP11 is a pile of crap...

 

[CDC Mail Guy]

Media Player Classic IS a good one. Free, and comes with a crapload of codecs

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33
The problem is that WMP11 is a pile of crap...

Why would you say that? It does everything it is supposed to do. Perhaps you don't know how to use it?

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: corkyg

Originally posted by: jonmcc33
The problem is that WMP11 is a pile of crap...

Why would you say that? It does everything it is supposed to do. Perhaps you don't know how to use it?

Agreed. My previous machine had quite a few players installed, but it was a hassle. My new machine has just WMP (plus codecs) and PowerDVD, and it's worked out splendidly so far...

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: CDC Mail Guy
Media Player Classic IS a good one. Free, and comes with a crapload of codecs

Much :heart: for media player classic from here too. All the playback and none of the bloat!

 

[afowler]

Excellent... Thank you all for the help.

 

[Rottie]

Originally posted by: corkyg
For viewing, WMP11 handles DVD and CD video nicely.

wmp11 does not have a dvd decoder built in I tried to watch "Die hard or live free" movie and it doesn't work so I had to install PowerDVD oem and now I am able to watch it with wmp11

 

[corkyg]

Good point. I had PowerDVD 7 already installed. I guess that's why it works. Also - Microsoft has a patch for WMP10 that also works in 22.

Codecs