Decoder Card?

[Xynok]

I got a DVD-ROM 3 years ago that came with a decoder card I had to install. My question is, do all current DVD drives require these cards? All I remember about it was that it was a complete pain in the ass to mess with the decoder card.

I want to be able to install the DVD drive like I would a normal CD-ROM, and then it works, PERIOD...no cards. I assume most drives come with software (or you can DL some software) to actually view DVD movies, but do you have to have a freaking decoder card to do it still?

Finally, if you simply want it for installation purposes, you certainly won't need a decoder card; I have been reading that alot of upcoming software will be shipping on DVD disks rather than CD-ROM disks. So basically, my question is, do I have to screw with a decoder card to watch DVD movies depending on the drive I get (looking at the Pioneer 116 model 16xDVD, 40xCD-ROM), or do they ALL require a decoder card in order to watch DVD movies? If I'm not worried about watching DVD movies, and only want it for the ability to read data disks, I assume I won't even have to install the decoder card.

Anyway, sorry to be silly about this, but the last time I dealt with a DVD-ROM (3 yrs ago), it was a total pain in the ass, and I never liked that stupid decoder card taking up a slot in my system. I just wondered if you still need that damn decoder card (and wtf it does anyway) to watch DVD movies, or if the software handles all that now.

Also, has the installation of the decoder cards become any easier? If these are moronic questions I apoligize, but I have avoided getting a DVD-ROM due to my experience with the first one I got, and the fact that I already have a really nice DVD player, and I'm not too concerned about watching movies on my PC. Still, it would be nice to know all I have to do in order to experience the FULL capabilities of the drive is install it like a normal CD-ROM drive, load a DVD movie watching program, and it works--no decoder card needed (again, wtf does it do anyway?).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Xynok]

I just read Jim Taylor's FAQ on DVDs.

My applicable system specs:

Winows2k prof
AMD TBird 1.4GHz on ABit KT7A mobo
1GB PC133 RAM
Leadtek Winfast GeForce3 64MB AGP
WD 40GB ATA100 7200RPM HDD (NTFS)
Mag DJ800 19" Monitor
Pioneer Model 116 16xDVD 40xCD-ROM (Plan to buy once my questions have been answered)

So, my <font color=green>new</font color=green> question is this:

Will I simply be able to install the drive like a CD-ROM drive, then watch DVD movies using the latest version of Windows Media Player (or is there better virtual DVD player software around for FREE that doesn't infect my system like a virus)?

Again, I simply want to install the drive, pop in a DVD, and watch it using Windows Media Player, and expect the same quality (or real close) to my entertainment center DVD player, without using a Decoder card, and without buying (or DLing)some third-party software that messes with my system.

Thanks again.

 

[jihiggs]

dont know if the latest wmp will play dvds, but the wmp that comes with xp does. there are lots of programs out there that play dvds, but i havent found one that works that was free, so...
astalavista.com
oops where did that come from?

i went to the tomshardware forums and all i got was this lousy signature.

 

[AMD_Man]

Hmm, I have a 1.33GHz Athlon and an ATI Radeon 8500. It completely decodes MPEG2 so my CPU barely does any work (except audio and video overlay overhead). While watching DVDs my CPU utilization rarely goes over 9%. What I'm getting at is, any graphics card with iDCT will perform just as well, if not better than an MPEG2 decoder card in MPEG2 decode. iDCT stands for inverse discrete cosine transform. Discrete consine transform is the algorithm that the DVD movie is encoded with. Hence, iDCT, decodes or decompresses the encoded movie rather than leaving the strain of decoding to the processor.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[lakedude]

Dude your system is fast enough not to need a decoder card.

All you need is some kind of software player like windvd or powerdvd. They are both cheap to get or you can likely find a free copy if you know where to look. See <A HREF="http://www.doom9.net" target="_new">http://www.doom9.net</A> and look under links.

Remember if you ain't Muslim you ain't Shiite.