Building a DVD player that plays everything

[TheInformer]

With all of the incompatibilities of the various DVD players, I got to thinking ... Why not put together a barebones PC and use it as my DVD player? This might be an idea for a project!

Here's a short list of hardware:

- desktop ATX case (set the TV on top of the case)
- P2/Celeron mobo
- Celeron 300a
- graphics card with TV-Out
- sound card (??)
- 1 or 2 gig HD
- DVD drive (NO CD or floppy drives)
- Keyboard, mouse

Here's a short list of software:

- Win98SE, bare minimum installation
- DVD playing application

The hardware I've listed doesn't cost that much. The machine would only be used for playing DVDs, so modems and the like wouldn't be needed.

This setup would allow you to play about every video and audio format through your TV, including high bitrate xVCDs, xSVCDs, DiVX, MP3, etc.

Any thoughts on this?

[kneeo]

consider getting a hollywood plus dvd decoder card.
http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/hollywood_plus.htm
and get the remote
http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/rc_hollywood_plus.htm

I have the hollywood plus and it plays everything I throw at it(mpeg, mpeg2, kvcd, etc) The remote is nice when you want to pause or fast forward, it works very well.

The only problem the hollywood plus has its own tv out, you can make it full screen on your monitor and output that to your tv, but you will get better quality if you go directly from the hollywood plus to your tv. That means you may have to get a switch box to switch between your graphics card and the hollywood plus.

Get a wireless keyboard and mouse, and network your pc in your living room and have it play files from other PCs in the house. That way you dont need it to have a huge harddrive.

good luck

[ulrich]

I find the Hollywood plus a good tool, just use the TV out and the cable provided to your Tv. The cable provided is a short SVHS/Composite cable(a two in one) that you can extend to any length. All good fun.

[SteveDVD]

It would be better if you could get a Custom Case. Little a little one for somewhere... I don't know but If you could like fine a case to size of a dvd player why put it underneath the TV... Put it in like a VCR player slot in a cabinent

[SteveDVD]

Also make sure you get some of those so called silents HDD and fans

[nad namffoh]

I am sorry I did not catch this thread earlier. I am talking about this very kind of thing in the DVD player forum. Here is the link to the discussion

http://forum.vcdhelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=98919&highlight=open+source

Do you think I should move my stuff over and join this discussion?

[musher70]

IN US THERES A PLACE CALLED "WALMART" AND U CAN BUY A DVD
PLAYER CALLED "APEX" UNDER 60 BUCKS PLAYS EVERYTHING.......
U CANT EVEN GO TO A COMPUTER SHOW AND GET A GOOD CASE
AND DVD PLAYER FOR THAT PRICE...LOL

[nad namffoh]

I have an APEX and like it very much. It plays almost everything. In my forum I am talking about a machine that will play everything that the APEX does plus high bit rate mpeg2 that is as good as DVD on CD R. . It will play back MPEG4 disks and be upgradeable. Also it will be a personnel video recorder and a game machine.

See the link in my previous message.