Chapter 1

decoder in order to play a DVD. Most PCs that come with a DVD drive
include a decoder, or you can purchase one. See “How Do I Get the Microsoft
Windows DVD Player Application to Run?” and “I Upgraded to Windows
XP. Why Did My DVD Software Stop Working?” for more info.
Software decoders and DVD player applications for Microsoft Windows
PCs:
• ATI: A special version of CineMaster software for certain ATI graphics
cards
• ASUS: ASUSDVD (a custom version of InterVideo WinDVD software or
CyberLink PowerDVD software)
• KiSS: CoolDVD (DirectShow [Windows 98/Me/2000/XP])
• Creative Technology: SoftPC-DVD
DVDs and Computers 117
• CyberLink: PowerDVD (DirectShow [Windows 98/Me/2000/XP]; NT
4.0; available for purchase)
• ELSA: ELSAMovie, German only
• InterVideo: WinDVD (DirectShow [Windows 98/Me/2000/XP]; NT 4.0;
available for purchase)
• Matrox: special version of CineMaster software for certain Matrox
graphics cards
• National Semiconductor: DVD Express (DirectShow [Windows
98/Me/2000/XP]; OEM only)
• NEC (NEC PCs only)
• Odyssey: Odyssey DVD Player (available for purchase)
• Orion Studios: DirectDVD (DirectShow, downloadable shareware)
• Sonic (formerly Ravisent, formerly Quadrant International): CinePlayer
(DirectShow [Windows 98/Me/2000/XP]; available for purchase)
• Varo Vision: VaroDVD
Xing DVDPlayer is no longer available since the company was purchased
by Real Networks
Software decoders need at least a 350 MHz Pentium II and a DVD-ROM
drive with bus mastering DMA to play without dropped frames. Anything
slower than a 400 MHz Pentium III will benefit quite a bit from hardware
decode acceleration in the graphics card. An AGP graphics card (rather
than PCI) also improves the performance of software decoders.