[Geise]

Anyone know of a DVD drive with really good video and audio quality? I like to use my samsung DVDrom drive as a player, but the quality (and the speed) could be better (I got it in like '99 or '00). I can spend up to $100, but I don't want to spend that much if I'm only paying for extra features like burning capabilities or something. If I can get the best DVD playback from a $30 drive, then I will buy the $30 drive, even if playing DVDs is all it can do. I'm sort of a videophile on a tight budget, and a good pc monitor setup is the closest thing I can afford to an HDTV entertainment center (I have a pretty damn good monitor) Any info is appreciated

 

[lan]

You are using a DVD-ROM on a computer to watch DVDs? If that's the case then they are all the same. It's the decoding software, your video, and audio card which have roles in determining the quality.

 

[Geise]

Well, if that's the case, then a CD player's laser technology has nothing to do with the quality of the output

 

[ooheadsoo]

No, music is not the same as video which has error checking. Music does not. I do think you need a nice stable drive though I have never owned a particularly good one myself. I'm currently using an NEC which seems decent. It's not loud and hasn't given me any problems. I've had problems with many Sony, Toshiba, HP, and Pioneer drives. I heard that Sony drives are now made by BTC. Stay the HECK away!

 

[null]

Ah, that's a load of bologna! Take a ~$50 LG drive and compare it with any other dvd-rom/cd-rom drive and the differences (if any) won't be very noticable.

It is truly the codec used, video card etc. that makes a significant difference.

 

[shimage]

I would stay away from LG... I've had a few of them, and they're the only drives I've owned that have died (and they've all died). The last one I got early this year, and it lasted about 5 months. I also have an old Toshiba DVD drive from '99, and though it's slow as molasses it still works as well as it did when I got it. Or maybe I just have really crappy luck with them.

 

[bLue_oNioN]

While any brand will serve you reasonably well, certain brands/models will invariably tend to have better sound insulation, thermals, reliability in stable read-rates, overall lower failure rates, etc. If he is going to spend his money, he might as well spend it on something approved, rather than spend it on a random drive with the premise that there will not be any noticeable difference, yes?

 

[bLue_oNioN]

By the way, I would look for a Lite-On -- from my experience, they have the best price/performance ratio.

EDIT: And by performance, I don't just mean ripping performance since from your description there is a hint that you might not be doing too much of that, although I must have it noted that Lite-Ons tend to do rather well with ripping. I am talking about heat, noise, stable read rates, low failure rates, and excellent firmware support provided by both the vendor and an enthusiastic community.

 

[Mr.Radar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimage I would stay away from LG... I've had a few of them, and they're the only drives I've owned that have died (and they've all died). The last one I got early this year, and it lasted about 5 months. I also have an old Toshiba DVD drive from '99, and though it's slow as molasses it still works as well as it did when I got it. Or maybe I just have really crappy luck with them.

I too have had an LG DVD-ROM drive die on me (and this is when 12x -ROM drives cost $30 too).

 

[null]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimage I would stay away from LG... I've had a few of them, and they're the only drives I've owned that have died (and they've all died). The last one I got early this year, and it lasted about 5 months. I also have an old Toshiba DVD drive from '99, and though it's slow as molasses it still works as well as it did when I got it. Or maybe I just have really crappy luck with them.

Really? I've owned numerous LG drives in my pcs for a few years now. They haven't failed me once.

 

[thomaspf]

Which music is not having error checking?

Redbook audio CDs do have erorr checking.

http://www.ee.washington.edu/consele...5x7/iec908.htm

Music is stored in discrete sectors which are mot stored in consecutive order but interleaved around the surface. Whenever you read a couple of sectors they get buffered reordered checksums applied and so on. There is no CD player that does not do that. The makers of pricey high end player want you to believe their players work more like a vinyl round table but that is just a lot of snake oil.

The really high end gear like the Meridian 800 or Camelot Tech. Roundtable is simply using high quality computer drives which run at > x1 sppeds for re-reads etc.

While I do realize that data CDs employ a different error correction scheme I do assume that actuall bit errors on reading CDs are pretty rare. And on scratched CDs these expensive boutique players do not do any better job in extracting the bits than a good CD-rom drive. At least I have not seen any published data that would back up that claim. Can you point me to any study that finds dedicated CD audio transports and laser assemblies to be better in this respect?

Cheers

Thomas

 

[Geise]

Well, other than getting a new drive to have better speeds and possibly better quality, I also want a new drive because my current one is a beige, but it's in a raidmax scorpio 868 black case (very ugly combo of colors). But really, I just need some convincing that I would benefit from a new drive so I can justify my urge to upgrade

But if a DVD drive's optics really don't matter much, then I'll just buy the one I've been looking at already. I'd still like to hear more about this though; it's rather interesting

*one more thing, I have an ATI Radeon 9800pro video card and a Soundblaster Audigy2 (vanilla). What would be the best software for dvd playback using this hardware?

 

[breez]

Get something with good audio ripping capabilities and your purchase shall be justified

Maybe some nice Plextor or a Lite-On (I heard some good things about Lite-On 166S).

 

[Flea Bag]

Does anyone have suggestions for a value-for-money transport? No DAC is required but a digital optical out is needed and I also need it to be able to plug straight into a wall socket (no computer needed).

I'm thinking of purchasing one to plug directly into a Behringer 2496 equilizer which has its own DAC, supposedly sufficient for decent sound quality. Someone compared it to the DAC on the DVD963SA and couldn't find much difference. Anyone? Less than US$200?

 

[Geise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by breez Get something with good audio ripping capabilities and your purchase shall be justified Maybe some nice Plextor or a Lite-On (I heard some good things about Lite-On 166S).

Ripping?...I'd rather use my dedicated CD player setup that I poured so much money into (thanks to this forum). Also, I hate portable audio devices with a passion...