Save both your money and sanity and just use software DVD decoding
Written: Apr 30 '01
Product Rating:
Pros: Works most of the time
Cons: Software DVD decoding is easier to operate, has a better interface, and meaningful driver updates.
The Bottom Line: If you're trying to watch DVD's on a really old machine, you might want get this card. Otherwise, buy a mid-level video card with MPEG2 support and DVD software.
canadacow's Full Review: Sigma Design REALmagic Hollywood Plus PCI Video Ca...
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the RealMagic Hollywood+ DVD decoder, since it plays video and plays it well. The video and audio quality from the H+ is certainly acceptable, but there are plethora of better options people can choose when adding DVD playback to their computer. Now, several 2D/3D video cards come equipped with DVD playback assistance, and coupled with a good software DVD decoder like XingDVD or PowerDVD, you can have a much better movie watching experience than you would the H+. The sad thing about the Hollywood Plus is that the drivers have seen little or no significant upgrades since they were released 2 years ago. Sadly, I've had the H+ for that length of time and the drivers are still missing features long since added to software DVD decoders.
Feautures that are missing or inadequate
Sadly, because Sigma Designs licenses the H+ technology to Creative Labs in the form of the DXR3, features are missing from the H+'s software that many users want. What I'm referring to here is the 5.1 surround downmix to sound cards such as the SB Live and others. Though it is possible to force the H+ drivers into doing this, doing so requires many hacks and mismatched driver versions with software versions. With software DVD decoding, there are no such difficulties, and most times 5.1 surround sound decoding will work immediately out of the box.
Furthermore, the H+ drivers seem to be under the grip of many European consumers who constantly complain about poor NTSC to PAL conversion. Because of this, most driver updates have focused solely on this issue. Unfortuntely, this does nothing for North American consumers (their largest consumer base) who have absolutely no need for NTSC to PAL conversion.
Those Asian hardware designers are at it again
While I have nothing against international trade, I do have some serious objections to instructions written in poor English. So many times I have purchased cheap software or hardware only to realise that the manual has wording along the lines of, "Working video component install in a hard slot vertical computer." Along with the poor instruction manual, normally the design of the software or hardware is quite shady. Major offenders of this shady hardware design include PCChips, SiS, and sadly, Sigma Designs. Software DVD decoders are often written by American designers with a much better grip on the desires of the American market.
Software... its cheaper and upgradable
Though the H+ provides an adequate solution for those who lack the processing power to decode full-motion DVD video, it is poor in comparison to the software DVD solutions available today. In other words, don't waste your money--buy a software DVD decoder if your computer can handle it.
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Sold as 6 UNITS at $4.70 per unit. (1 unit = each.) Rigid. Use on the end of rigid and IMC conduits and other threaded connectors to provide a smooth ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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