RESP: I have both setup (recommedation in)

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: : This is off-topic of the subject of "BYOAC", but since I value the opinions of the fine folks here... :) : : I've been toying with the idea of getting a DVD player for the TV, but I had another idea: I was thinking about getting a PC (like a 500 MHz Celeron eMachine or the like) with a DVD player in it, and then also purchasing an ATI Expert 98 card and sending the S-Video signal out from the ATI to the TV. The upshot would be that I would also be able to web surf, etc (I'll have a network connection to that PC) from my easy chair! Can anyone tell me if there's an obvious reason why I SHOULDN'T do this? Does anyone know how DVD playback looks when using S-Video out from an ATI Expert 98 to a TV? Is there another video card that would suit this venture better? Thanks ahead of time for the input! : : -JP4 : Hey, I have done this, originally the way you are suggesting and now with a Standard DVD Player for the TV, I recommend buying a good home player such as the Samsung DVD709 (nice and easy to make multiregion as well, no hardware mods needed - done with remote). : I DONT recommend outputing from a pc. This used to be my setup... : 36" tv with SVHS input : 10 Metre SVHS Cable ($120 it cost me) to get from my pc to tv and keep the quality. : 10 Metre Stereo Audio Cable : Tatung DVD Drive (excellent no skipping) : Pentium 3 - 500mhz with 128meg ram : VideoLogic DVD Decoder Card (Dang good MP2 Decoder with SVHS output). : Ok system sounds like it rocks right?.. well it did in a way, The movies played back great with no skipping, but it meant you always had to ensure your system was 100% working, always happens dont it when you go to show someone something (or when you have friends round to watch a film), the pc plays up! : The sound was good as I have a dolby pro-logic tv so the output from the dvd card carried well and the pro-logic on the tv beefed it back up for surround sound. : The VideoLogic DVD decoder card was that good infact that you could even minimize the player and surf the net while someone across the otherside of the room watched a movie on the tv, great until you need a reboot :) : I know Im making this sound really good, because it was, kinda!... : The biggest pain in the but for me was having to use the mouse on the computer to access the menus on the DVD, that was a mayor gripe of mine and one of the main reasons I swapped to a real player in the end, yep it sounds trivial but I also thought hell I can put up with that. : Reasons against pc output dvd: : Lack of Remote control is a total pain in the butt. : Using the PC can effect the film esp if you reboot. : If your not using your PC you still have to boot : it up before you can watch a film. : Its just not as slick as using a real player, I find it strange me saying that now but its true. : Theres probably more things that would annoy me now if I went back to using the PC but I cant think of them. : I spent alot of money setting up the ultimate PC-TV DVD output only to find I was chasing something that wasnt very good compared to using a budget player that cost me about $300 which rocks. : So if you are thinking of doing it, just dont spend much money as I think you'll end up getting a home player anyway.

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