DVD movie playback needs a decoder?!

[rh71]

It was brought to my attention that buying just a DVD ROM is not enough if I were to use it to view DVD movies (what else did they have in mind?!). What is this talk about needing an MPEG-2 decoder card?

Can you describe what it is, both physically and technically? Thanks guys.

[JW310]

Pretty much what a decoder card does is takes the MPEG data from the DVD, and uses the chips on the card, rather than the computer's processor to turn that data into video and audio signals. There are software packages available that act as software decoders; you will not need a decoder card if you can use a software decoder. The main factor that will determine whether or not you will need a decoder card is the speed of your processor. Anything less than a 300MHz Celeron or PII will require a hardware decoder; otherwise, you *should* be able to use a software decoder with no problem.

For more information, check out http://www.dvdutils.com .

JW

[GMAGDNA]

Some DVD's will not play on a SoftDVD system. A hardware decoded player will play any movie.

[rh71]

So is that what they mean by 'kits' when you buy a DVD ROM drive? Includes a hardware decoder? Say I have the hardware decoder, what software plays the DVD movies?

If I were to order from an online company, they'd just sell the drive most likely, correct? I just want to know in general, I will certainly ask first.

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 02-22-2000).]