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8 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About DVD<br />
The following web sites provide more information on players and drives:<br />
• CNET DVD players and DVD-ROM drives,<br />
http://computers.cnet.com<br />
• The uk.media.dvd FAQ, www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/umdvdfaq<br />
• Aus.dvd (Australia/New Zealand/region 4 player info),<br />
www.ozemail.com.au/�brierley/dvd<br />
• Computer Shopper DVD players and DVD-ROM drives,<br />
http://zdentshopper.cnet.com<br />
Which Player Should I Buy?<br />
The video and audio performance of all modern DVD players is excellent.<br />
Your personal preferences, budget, and home theater setup all play a large<br />
role in determining which player is best for you. Unless you have a high-end<br />
home theater, a player that costs under $250 should be completely<br />
adequate.<br />
Make a list of things that are important to you (such as the ability to play<br />
CD-Rs, the ability to play Video CDs, 96 kHz/24-bit audio decoding, DTS<br />
Digital Out, and an internal 6-channel Dolby Digital decoder) to help you<br />
come up with a set of players. Then try out a few of the players in your price<br />
range, focusing on ease of use (remote control design, user interface, and<br />
front-panel controls). Because few variations exist in picture and sound<br />
quality within a given price range, convenience features play a big part. The<br />
remote control, which you’ll use all the time, can drive you crazy if it doesn’t<br />
suit your style.<br />
Some players, especially cheaper models, don’t properly play all discs.<br />
Before buying a player, you may want to test it with a few complex DVDs,<br />
such as The Matrix, The Abyss, Independence Day, and DVD Demystified.<br />
See “Why Doesn’t Disc X Work in Player Y?” for more information.<br />
In certain cases, you might want to buy a DVD PC instead of a standard<br />
DVD player, especially if you want progressive video. (See “What’s a Progressive<br />
DVD Player?” and <strong>Chapter</strong> 4’s “Can I Play DVD Movies on My<br />
Computer?”)<br />
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:<br />
• Do I want selectable soundtracks and subtitles, multiangle viewing,<br />
aspect ratio control, and parental or multirating features? Do I want<br />
fast and slow playback, great digital video, multichannel digital audio,
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