4.1 Can I play DVD movies on my computer?
Description
This article is from the DVD Formats FAQ, by jtfrog@usa.net (Jim Taylor) with numerous contributions by others.
4.1 Can I play DVD movies on my computer?
Yes, if your computer has the right stuff. The computer operating system or
playback software must support regional codes and be licensed to descramble
copy-protected movies. If the computer has TV video out, it must support
Macrovision in order to play copy-protected movies. You may also need
software that can read the MicroUDF file system format used by DVDs. In
addition to a DVD-ROM drive you must have extra hardware to decode MPEG-2
video and Dolby Digital or MPEG-2 audio, or your computer must be fast
enough to handle software decoding. Good-quality software-only playback
requires a 350-MHz Pentium II or a Mac G4. Less than 10% of new computers
with DVD-ROM drives include decoder hardware, since software decoding is
now possible on even the cheapest new models. Hardware upgrade kits can be
purchased for existing computers (usually minimum 133 MHz Pentium or G3),
starting at $150. See <http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/video/dvd> for a list
of drives and upgrade kits.
If you're having problems playing movies on your PC, see section 4.6.
Certain MPEG decoding tasks such as motion compensation and IDCT (inverse
discrete cosine transform) can be performed by additional circuitry on a
video graphics card, improving the performance of software decoders. This
is called hardware decode acceleration or hardware motion comp. All modern
graphics cards also provide hardware colorspace conversion (YCbCr to RGB)
and videoport overlay.
Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows 2000 includes DirectShow, which provides
standardized support for DVD-Video and MPEG-2 playback. DirectShow can also
be installed in Windows 95 (it's available for download). DirectShow
creates a framework for DVD applications, but a third-party hardware or
software decoder is required (see below). Windows NT 4.0 supports DVD-ROM
drives for data, but has very little support for playing DVD-Video discs.
Margi DVD-To-Go, Sigma Designs Hollywood Plus, and the related Creative
Labs Dxr3 are among the few hardware decoders that work in NT 4.0.
InterVideo WinDVD software works in NT 4.0 (Mediamatics DVD Express and MGI
SoftDVD Max also work in NT 4.0, but they aren't available retail.) Windows
2000 uses essentially the same WDM drivers and DirectShow software as
Windows 98, so it fully supports movie playback and DVD applications,
including WebDVD. Internet Explorer 5.0 includes version 6.1 of Windows
Media Player that enables scriptable DVD playback in an HTML page. Windows
98 and newer can read UDF discs. Adaptec provides a free filesystem driver,
UDF Reader, for Windows 95/98/NT. Software Architects sells Read DVD for
Windows 95.
Apple QuickTime 4 is partially ready for DVD-Video and MPEG-2 but does not
yet have full decoding or DVD-Video playback support in place. Mac OS 8.1
or newer can read UDF discs. Adaptec provides a free utility, UDF Volume
Access, that enables Mac OS 7.6 and newer to read UDF discs. Software
Architects sells UDF reading software for Mac OS called DVD-RAM TuneUp.
Note: The QuickTime MPEG Extension for Mac OS is for MPEG-1 only and does
not play MPEG-2 DVD-Video.
Some DVD-ROMs and a few DVD-Videos use video encoded using MPEG-1 instead
of MPEG-2. Most recent computers have MPEG-1 hardware built in or are able
to decode MPEG-1 with software.
DVD player applications (using either software or hardware decoding) are
virtual DVD players. They support most DVD-Video features (menus,
subpictures, etc.) and emulate the functionality of a DVD-Video player
remote control. Many player applications include additional features such
as bookmarks, chapter lists, and subtitle language lists.
Software decoders and DVD player applications for Microsoft Windows PCs:
* ATI: special version of CineMaster software for ATI graphics cards
* ASUS: ASUSDVD
* Creative Technology: SoftPC-DVD
* CyberLink: PowerDVD (DirectShow; NT 4.0 and Win2000; available for
purchase)
* ELSA: ELSAMovie, German only
* InterVideo: WinDVD (DirectShow; NT 4.0 and Win2000; available for
purchase)
* Mediamatics: DVD Express (DirectShow; OEM only)
* MGI: SoftDVD Max (DirectShow; available for purchase) (formerly from
Zoran)
* NEC (NEC PCs only)
* Odyssey: Odyssey DVD Player (available for purchase)
* Ravisent (formerly Quadrant International): Software CineMaster
(DirectShow; Win 2000; OEM only)
* Varo Vision: VaroDVD
* Xing DVDPlayer is no longer available since the company was purchased
by Real Networks
Software decoders need at least a 350 MHz Pentium II and a DVD-ROM drive
with bus mastering DMA to play without dropped frames. Anything slower than
a 400 MHz Pentium III will benefit quite a bit from hardware decode
acceleration in the graphics card. An AGP graphics card (rather than PCI)
also improves the performance of software decoders.
Hardware decoder cards and DVD-ROM upgrade kits for Microsoft Windows PCs:
* Creative Technology: PC-DVD Encore Dxr3, Sigma EM8300 chip; PC-DVD
Encore Dxr2, C-Cube chip
* Digital Connection: 3DFusion, Mpact2 chip
* E4 (Elecede): Cool DVD, C-Cube chip (E4 has gone out of business)
* IBM: ThinkPad laptops, IBM chip
* LeadTek: WinFast 3D S800, Mpact2 chip
* Luxsonor: decoders in Dell PCs, C-Cube chip
* Margi: DVD-to-Go, ZV PC card for laptops
* QI: Hardware Cinemaster, C-Cube chip
* Philips Electronics: PCDV632, PCVD104, (K series come with Sigma
Hollywood card, R series come with software decoder)
* Sigma Designs: Hollywood series, Sigma EM8300 chip
* Samsung: Revolution, Samsung SD 606 6x, Sigma Hollywood Plus card
* STB: DVD Theater, Mpact2 chip
* Toshiba: Tecra laptops, C-Cube chip
All but the Sigma Designs decoder (including Creative Dxr3) have WDM
drivers for DirectShow. The Sigma Designs decoder card is used in
hardware upgrade kits from Hitachi, HiVal, Panasonic, Phillips, Sony,
Toshiba, and VideoLogic. The advantage of hardware decoders is that
they don't eat up CPU processing power, and they often produce better
quality video than software decoders. The Chromatic Mpact2 chip does
3-field analysis to produce exceptional progressive-scan video from
DVDs (unfortunately, Chromatic was bought by ATI and the chip is no
longer supported - but see Tony Lai's Mpact2 FAQ at
http://pegasus.ign.com.au/.) Hardware decoders use video overlay to
insert the video into the computer display. Some use analog overlay,
which takes the analog VGA signal output from the graphics card and
keys in the video, while others use video port extension (VPE), a
direct digital connection to the graphics adapter via a cable inside
the computer. Analog overlay may degrade the quality of the VGA
signal. See 4.4 for more overlay info.
Macintosh G4's and some iMacs come standard with DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM drives.
They use the Velocity Engine (AltiVec) portion of the PowerPC chip for
video and audio decoding. Unfortunately, there are numerous problems with
Apple's software decoding. Apple released five software updates in the
first four months. Check MacFixit and MacInTouch for the latest info. A few
models of the iMac, PowerBook, and G3 lines can be ordered with DVD-ROM
drives and hardware decoders. DVD-ROM upgrade kits and decoder cards for
Macintoshes are made by E4 (Elecede) (Cool DVD, C-Cube chip) [E4 has gone
out of business], EZQuest (BOA Mac DVD), Fantom Drives (DVD Home Theater
kit: DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM drive with Wired MPEG-2 card), and Wired (Wired
4DVD, Sigma EM8300 chip [same card as Hollywood plus]; MasonX [can't play
encrypted movies]; DVD-To-Go [out of production]; Wired has been acquired
by Media100). There's a beta version of a shareware DVD software player
that can play unencrypted movies.
The Sigma Designs NetStream 2000 DVD decoder card will support Linux DVD
playback.
Computers have the potential to produce better video than settop DVD-Video
players by using progressive display and higher scan rates, but many
current systems don't look as good as a home player hooked up to a quality
TV
If you want to hook a DVD computer to a TV, the decoder card or the VGA
card must have a TV output (composite video or s-video). Video quality is
much better with s-video. Alternatively, you can connect a scan converter
to the VGA output. The quality of the video will depend on the decoder, the
TV encoder chip, and other factors, but will usually be a little inferior
to a good consumer DVD player. The RGB output of the VGA card in computers
is at a different frequency than standard component RGB video, so it can't
be directly connected to most RGB video monitors. If the decoder card or
the sound card has Dolby Digital or DTS output, you can connect to your A/V
receiver to get multichannel audio.
A DVD PC connected to a progressive-scan monitor or video projector,
instead of a standard TV, usually looks much better than a consumer player.
See 2.9.
For remote control of DVD playback on your PC, check out Animax Anir
Multimedia Magic, InterAct WebRemote, Multimedia Studio Miro MediaRemote,
Packard Bell RemoteMedia, RealMagic Remote Control, and X10 MouseRemote.
Many remotes are supported by Visual Domain's Remote Selector software.
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