watching dvd...windows media centre or powerdvd?

footman · 9 Jul 2006 at 18:21

Just setting up my HTPC today and on inserting a dvd to test I was given the option of using Media centre or some other prog. Im not certain why I got media centre anyway!

will it make any difference as what application I use to watch dvd on my plasma?

csmager · 9 Jul 2006 at 18:30

With media center you get the whole tv/radio/music/video/pictures/dvd experience with one remote. Far better than PowerDVD - although MCE wouldn't play DVDs without it.

footman · 9 Jul 2006 at 18:32

csmager said:
With media center you get the whole tv/radio/music/video/pictures/dvd experience with one remote. Far better than PowerDVD - although MCE wouldn't play DVDs without it.

sorry to be thick, what do you mean by the last statement?

csmager · 9 Jul 2006 at 18:34

Microsoft can't bundle DVD codecs with Windows Media Player/Media Center. They'd end up in even more anti-trust mess if Windows could play DVDs out of the box.

You need some other program to add the MPEG-2 codecs to let you watch DVDs/Freeview etc - e.g. PowerDVD.

footman · 9 Jul 2006 at 19:07

csmager said:
Microsoft can't bundle DVD codecs with Windows Media Player/Media Center. They'd end up in even more anti-trust mess if Windows could play DVDs out of the box.

You need some other program to add the MPEG-2 codecs to let you watch DVDs/Freeview etc - e.g. PowerDVD.

got it! cheers

FrankJH · 9 Jul 2006 at 21:26

seems silly (imo) to bundle "media player app" and not support a very common format - but the description /explanation is correct

to be honest I have a shuttle htpc which has MCE installed without the extra disc and power dvd installed which works well for me on a 26" LG HDTV