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Your Laptop DVD OptionsNov 17 '00 (Updated Nov 19 '00) Write an essay on this topic.As DVD movies become increasingly popular, many people find themselves wanting to use their portable computers as a means to view their DVD's. Whether you have an older laptop you'd like to upgrade, or are looking to buy a new system, there are a few different options available to you. Basic DVD Requirements The most basic piece of equipment needed to view DVD movies is a DVD-ROM drive. A DVD cannot be read in a CD-ROM. The ability to watch a DVD is also completely dependent on battery life. If you plan to watch a DVD while on the go, the battery needs to last for the 1 1/2 to 2 hours the movie plays for; keep in mind that the DVD drive will be spinning the entire time the movie is played, and can have a significant impact on battery life. I also would recommend at least 64 megabytes of RAM. Most systems come with 64 MB as standard, but older systems, and budget systems are sometimes equipped with 32 MB of RAM. Lastly a TFT screen is highly recommend for movie playback. There are three types of displays commonly used with portable computers: Dual-Scan (DSTN), High Performance Addressing (HPA), and Thin Film Transistor (TFT). TFT screens are the sharpest, brightest and clearest of the three technologies. Nothing will prevent DVD playback on the other two types of screens, but the display will appear pixelated and very blurry. Upgrading An Existing Notebook If you are happy with your older notebook computer, but would like added DVD functionality you don't need to part with the system. As of this writing PC Card (PCMCIA) DVD-ROM's can be purchased from $200-$350. These DVD drives interface with your computer through the PC Card slot present in almost all notebook computers. These PCMCIA drives can be used stand alone with processors running at 350 MHz or higher. If your system has a processor speed slower than 350 MHz you will need a DVD decoder card. At present only one company makes a DVD decoder for portable computers; the decoder is also a PCMCIA card and costs around $150. Using this card and the DVD drive will require two Type II PC Card slots, if your machine can only accommodate one card it is very likely your system cannot play DVD's reliably. Systems running at 350+ MHz will likely be able to play DVD's without the decoder card, however, your system will need a software decoder. A software DVD decoder is essentially a program that decrypts and display the DVD information in the place of a DVD decoder card. Using software decoding puts the work load on the system's CPU, and processors at 350 MHz or above can usually handle this workload. A couple of good software decoders are WinDVD and PowerDVD. Buying A New System If you've decided to purchase a new laptop, an internal DVD-ROM will eliminate the need for PC Card drives and decoders. Almost all modern notebooks ship with at least a 450 MHz processor, which is plenty fast enough for software DVD decoding. Many laptops also now come with an S-video out jack that lets the machine output what it displays on it screen to a TV or VCR. This truly makes for a versatile product as the system can then be used in lieu of a stand-alone DVD player. In the past 6 months or so, notebook manufactures have begun to build lower to mid-cost portables with DVD drives. IBM, Compaq, Gateway, and HP all have models with DVD drives priced from $1300 on the low end to upwards of $4000 on the high end. A midrange notebook will likely offer more than enough performance for the average user, while still enabling quality DVD playback. Final Recommendations Watching DVD's on a laptop can be a great way to pass the time while traveling, or simply a good way to spend a night on the couch. With the lowering prices of DVD equipped laptops, and the wide variety of DVD titles now available there is no good reason not to purchase a DVD drive over a CD-ROM. I would recommend the DVD option to anyone willing to spend a few extra dollars to have the convenience of being able to watch your favorite movie from wherever you happen to be.  |
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