Has there been any updates on WII dvd play?

[killem2]

My wife and I are extremely close to buying our 5 year old son a wii, but we saw it doesn't play dvds, sadly our dvd player just broke so it would be killing 2 birds with one stone. If not, its not a deal breaker just wanted to know if we should wait because something is being released or not worry about it.


I saw something about saving an avi to an SD card but god that would be annoying.

 

[TheGreySpectre]

I did not think there were any plans on adding dvd support but I have not looked that hard.

 

[hajalie24]

You can do it through the homebrew channel.

 

[killem2]

You can do it through the homebrew channel.

I will be brutally honest, i have not had a console since playstation in like 99. I've been in the pc gaming for years now. Could you tell me what that is?

 

[hajalie24]

It's a softmod for the wii, letting you run emulators and other apps for it.

 

[ghost_recon88]

It's a softmod for the wii, letting you run emulators and other apps for it.

Yep, and when you install it you also have the option of installing DVDX which allows you to watch DVDs.

 

[FudgeNuggets]

Jeez, don't bother. Go buy a $20 DVD player from Dollar General and leave the DVDs off of the Wii. You're better off doing that than putting the additional wear and tear on the Wii's mechanical optical drive. Mine will play DVDs but I would never commit such atrocities on any console.

 

[killem2]

Jeez, don't bother. Go buy a $20 DVD player from Dollar General and leave the DVDs off of the Wii. You're better off doing that than putting the additional wear and tear on the Wii's mechanical optical drive. Mine will play DVDs but I would never commit such atrocities on any console.

Yeah I didnt realize this was a software based thing, I'm not comfortable going through all that. Its not really about the money just extra space don't have a lot of room to work with. But I will probally just snag a dvd player, thanks for the replies

 

[Chixofnix]

I have a $20 DVD player that semi-regularly gives me trouble trying to play our netflix rentals - PC dvd disc drive works every time. I will probably try this homebrew route if only to have a second option in my living room.

 

[rainless]

Jeez, don't bother. Go buy a $20 DVD player from Dollar General and leave the DVDs off of the Wii. You're better off doing that than putting the additional wear and tear on the Wii's mechanical optical drive. Mine will play DVDs but I would never commit such atrocities on any console.

You're selling console DVD motors short... They have to do a HELL of a lot more work playing games than playing DVDs.

A two hour movie, in terms of wear-n-tear on the DVD motor is the equivalent of playing two minutes of Super Mario Galaxy.

So let's not get carried away... Why do you think they sell the PS3 as a Bluray player?

 

[Deadbot2_1973]

I've used the Homebrew channel DVD playback on my Wii. Not bad, but really for $30 you can get a small dvd player that will give better image quality(yes I know it's for a kid) and easier use.

The Wii is limited to 480p playback, and if it gets warm it starts to stutter. As far as drive wear and tear...meh. No issues there. They use off the shelf parts that are modified to support the way they encrypt the game disks. Then there is the interface for playback...not kid friendly.

Here you go. Wally World compact DVD player.

 

[Chixofnix]

I've used the Homebrew channel DVD playback on my Wii. Not bad, but really for $30 you can get a small dvd player that will give better image quality(yes I know it's for a kid) and easier use.

I agree with this much. I've also given it a try. It does simply work, and if you aren't comparing it to Bluray or Hi-Def material it's a very sufficient option for the cost (Free). The controllability with the Wiimotes however isn't spectacular if that matters to you.

Haven't observed any stuttering after two movies myself. Wii would sit in as a very sufficient as a backup or spare DVD player, especially for a TV that isn't benefiting from hi-res source materials, but you'll probably enjoy more developed seek/chapter controls from a $20-$30 budget DVD player.