Which DVD should I get for my PC?

[luvrambus]

I want to get a dvd for my computer..see below..I want a cheap one, $100-150 and I think I wanna try running it in software..Right now I'm thinking about a Pioneer 16x tray load with cyberlink powerdvd included for $149..Question..does it matter alot if it is 8x, 10x or 16x..I have a friend who has a 4x one and it looks pretty good to me...also would I drop frames running it on software on my PIII 733? What influences the software playback? the procesor, ram or graphics card??...I've looked all over the net for reviews that would cover these things and havn't found anything that helped..also I'm not interested in plyback to a tv since I already have a dvd for my tv..oh one last thing..I'm running a Matrox G400 right now and not my Hercules (my son plays more games than I do so I lent it to him)

 

[Comp10]

The pioneer drive and powerDVD would be an excellent choice. As for the speed of the drive, it should not matter with DVD playback becuase DVD movies are only read at 1x anyway. Software decoding depends almost completely on processor speed (needs to be at least 450mhz), and yours is plenty fast enough for smooth playback so you shoulnd't have any problems.

 

[John]

Inmatrix has a lot of info about software decoders. Movies spin at 2x (I believe) so you don't need a fast DVD if that's all you plan to do with the drive. Your video card has motion compensation support in PowerDVD and WinDVD, and that means nice playback.

I recommend WinDVD 2.2

 

[Stark]

I just got this in the mail:

I don't need it, but if anyone else can use it, enjoy!



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[DirkBelig]

I have a Pioneer 114 (10X) and it r0x0rs!!! The CD-ROM speed is 40X.

 

[MWink]

Panasonic makes very good (and cheap) DVD drives.

 

[Fun Guy]

The Matrix

 

[bolomite]

My Toshiba SD-M1402 has yet to give me any problems. It's 12x/40x.

 

[han888]

link

 

[AMB]

I would, and still recommend Pioneer, it is a very good make, one downside that I can think of, is the noise created with Data CDs, but apart from that, it is very good.

Power DVD 2.55 is in my opinion, the best software decoder.

 

[Rifter]

all you need to watch a movie is 1x so why bother with anything faster????? by the time DVD software gets mainstream there will be 40-70X DVD drives anyways, just pick up a cheap 2x or 5x drive, its all you need. Save the money to get a 40x or 50x drive later IMO.