Radeon LE + DVD player: Decoder worth it?

[FunkyTechnician]

I'm using a Radeon LE in my system and was planning on buying a DVD player this weekend. I was wondering what kind of difference it would make in my system (see sig).

If it's not needed I won't spend the extra bucks but since the difference isn't too much I would be willing to pay it if the performance difference is large.

Any suggestions on a DVD player for the comp? I was planning on getting one of the Creative Drives. I've never used a DVD player in a computer so far so my experience is zippo, but I am rather picky about picture quality and sound in my home theatre setup in my apt.

Amiel

 

[Spike]

Junglist19 (Apr 18, 2001 05:07 a.m.):
I'm using a Radeon LE in my system and was planning on buying a DVD player this weekend. I was wondering what kind of difference it would make in my system (see sig).

If it's not needed I won't spend the extra bucks but since the difference isn't too much I would be willing to pay it if the performance difference is large.

Any suggestions on a DVD player for the comp? I was planning on getting one of the Creative Drives. I've never used a DVD player in a computer so far so my experience is zippo, but I am rather picky about picture quality and sound in my home theatre setup in my apt.

Amiel

I would be wary of the Creative setup. I got their Encore package about a year and a half ago and have had nothing but problems off and on. The drive itself is about average, but their software and drivers are buggy (and that's being kind).

When I first got it, there were some movies that simply ended refusing to play the last chapter on the DVD. About a year ago (and the last time they revised the software) they rolled out a 'fix' for the problem. Today, there are still DVDs that I have problems playing.... Breakfast Club dies in the middle of the movie. Titan AE refuses to play sound after the THX logo. Braveheart is a total mess, subtitles are on and you get the 'commentary' audio track instead of the movie one. Those are just some examples of what I have had to deal with.

Now, with the same exact DVD drive but playing without the DXR3 card and using Power DVD, those same exact DVDs play flawlessly. If you can, I would go with a bare DVD drive and spend the $50US on Power DVD.

**NOTE: I have not tested the DVD player that came with my Radeon card yet. Power DVD may not be needed if this is good software from ATI.

 

[FunkyTechnician]

I had thought about that route also. I've seen several OEM stores selling the Creative drive for about $60.00.

I've found that I usually end up not using the software that comes with a drive, soundcard (with the exception of TDK 12/10/32 that came with ahead Nero). I've seen the bare drive on sale for about 59.99 online.

Thanks

Amiel

 

[AKDUDE]

I think your asking if you need a decoder card..
The Radeon has excellent decoding built into it. There is a seperate chip on the board just for decoding DVDs, so unless you need another card just for video output to a TV or something, I wouldn't waste your money.
Your card also should have come with the DVD player program from ATI, so your set there.

As far as drives go, I dunno. I have two older 6x panasonics that work great for me, but im not sure what is good on the market these days. If your only going to play movies with the drive, I wouldn't waste money on a fast one.
AKDUDE

 

[OpenFriday]

ive got a Radeon Le myself w/ a 4x toshiba dvd. SUBERB playback. I dont particularly like the ATI dvd software, i prefer PowerDVD, came free with my burner and is decent. I asked this same question a while ago and with the voodoo it seemed like a good idea but the radeon gives flawless playback IMO.

 

[Spike]

OpenFriday (Apr 18, 2001 08:34 p.m.):
ive got a Radeon Le myself w/ a 4x toshiba dvd. SUBERB playback. I dont particularly like the ATI dvd software, i prefer PowerDVD, came free with my burner and is decent. I asked this same question a while ago and with the voodoo it seemed like a good idea but the radeon gives flawless playback IMO.

Gave my new Radeon the old 'eye ball' test last night. Couldn't get ATI's DVD player to work (gave me a list of possible reasons why it couldn't, but none were true). Fired up Power DVD and watched The Matrix. This card is sweet