Want to replace DVD player with PC DVD

Fallschirmjager

Hi all, i have a bit of a questions that is between 2 stools so to speak.

i have a good sound setup, primare dvd,pioneer amp, b&w speakers and i am happy with it BUT

what i am looking to do is swap the DVD with a PC DVD player.

You may ask the reason...well here it is..

i am fed up forking out notes on a dvd player that is out of date by the time it arrives and unless i pay bazillions i cant get a dvd that is updateable-- i.e. the software

now on the PC you can do that much easier BUT the i dont know how you could link a PC dvd player and get the really good sound...you know DTS etc..

so the big Q is how do i replace my good dvd with a PC DVD(get the software upgrade benefits ofa PC) BUT still keep the quality of SOUND etc that i am used to.

any suggestions?

thanks for reading

PS..to get the lateral thinkers out there moving..can the pc be in a different room, can i hook up a remote control, can i hook the PC DVD drive somehow to the existing amp(!)

Kali

You'll probably need a Soundblaster Live! or similar soundcard, something with optical out, very few of them have coax out (think its on an extra livedrive?).. either way the sound quality will decrease regardless, as theres a lot more intereference present in a pc then a standalone dvd player... whether or not your amp/speakers and your ears would notice or not I couldn't say.

Video quality will be poorer as well if you're using a standard graphics card tv-out... will be in s-video, I've never seen an extremely sharp image from an nvidia card anyway.

You do realise that a lot of budget dvd players (home) are actually firmware upgradeable? (scan, cyberhome, etc.), Why can't you just get one of them? Most are multi-region, play everything, can get around macrovision and are based around PC DVD drives anyway.

I don't know quite what you're trying to achieve, but it really is FAR more hassle than its worth...

Yes you can control the pc via wireless devices... yes you can use audio/video senders as well (if you dont want to use cable) from the pc to the tv/amp, yes you can send remote control signals to the pc also... but what if you want to change the dvd? it just isnt practical and will cost more than its worth (both in quality and in perceived convenience)

Mountjoy Mugger

One of the main advantages of having a separate DVD player is the ability to hook up to your TV if your PC is in another room. I doubt you'll have much luck in managing that with a dedicated PC/DVD.

Remember the TV-out cable isn't exactly long. Of course, there's no problem feeding to your amp, but that's only half the battle. You'll probably wind up upgrading your PC more often than your DVD player, if you get a decent DVD player to begin with. Watching DVDs on a PC monitor sort of defeats the point in having a DVD player to begin with..

Saruman

There is a far easier way... get yourself a creative DXR3 decoder card. Fantastic card!! It has a Coax digital out and its what i used to use.. I went the other way.. finally bothered to get a DVD player and sound system. I dont use the card anymore though i have no interest in selling it. You can get a DXR3 anywhere though. Or get another decoder that has digital (optical or coax) out.

Oh and this statement will not matter:

Video quality will be poorer as well if you're using a standard graphics card tv-out... will be in s-video, I've never seen an extremely sharp image from an nvidia card anyway.

The card has Svideo out and the video quality is as good, if not better than low average DVD players. Certainly better than cheapo ones.

However!!!! Fallschirmjager i strongly advise you not to bother replacing the setup.. fair enough set them up side by side and see what you prefer but its way too much hassle!!

Kali

Well it will matter depending on the quality of the PCs DVD drive as well as the graphics/tv card

Fallschirmjager

gentlemen, what can i say im impressed. ok ye win i will hold off.


thanks for all ther advice.

i didnt know the firmware was upgradeable...jeeze how do you do that!!! i hope you dont have to swap crap on the inside.



one final thing to test yer brains

does a card have to support DTS (e.g. creative audigy) or is that software. from looking around it appears to be software only.

is that correct?

thanks again

Kali

Firmware is usually upgrade by a CD-R, (just downloaded and burnt using a PC).

I'd presume its just the playback software... if the card itself has a digital out it should be able to just pass through any audio stream to your main pioneer amp (where the signal is actually decoded)...

Fallschirmjager

thanks kali...u da man

Korg

does a card have to support DTS (e.g. creative audigy) or is that software. from looking around it appears to be software only.

Youre right i think, software only, however you're soundcard will need the optical out to pass the dts stream to whatever decoder you end up using. Most modern cards with an spdif out support 5.1 decoding to analog channels anyway.

As with other's here i think you're better off hanging onto your standalone dvd player, they're quieter, no noisy processer/psu fans imposing on the movie etc. Also standalone dvd's can connect to the telly using RGB over the scart cable (if the tv supports it), which is far superior to the composite or svhs output found on most pc tv out cards.

WezzyB

I got a DVD player before christmas from richersounds 'CyberHome ADL528', costs under €100.

I have updated the firmware (via CDR) twice since and especially the last update was very beneficial:
1. '2001 Space Odyseey' menus now appear in English instead of German!
2. Explorer style interface to MP3 CDs
3. Screensaver (after fixed timeout)

So firmware updates aren't restricted to expensive DVD players.

Fallschirmjager

ok, me lados, im off to look and see can i do a formware upgrade for a primare dvd player..if i am back here in a week screaming and shouting about it not working....you will know it didnt go well..

LOL

thanks for the help, very educational and korg thanks for the explaination of the DTS stream...

F

daveJAM

Is there a website where you can get these updates or are they on the manufacturers website? A quick look around the JVC website didnt prove fruitful!

Kali

Dont think JVC do them... most big brand name machines wouldnt anyway, its just easier for budget machines because most of them are based directly around PC DVD units.

Fallschirmjager

Now that is not what i wanted to hear....bugger i bet my wont eiter...there is a small irony here -- go cheap and keep getting better or go high and stuck with a frigid pice of old fashioned crap...hmmm what to do