Want to make your DVD playback look and sound better, on the road or at home? Check out these DVD playing applications.
Nearly every new desktop or notebook on the market comes equipped with a built-in DVD player, and your OS may include some DVD playback software. What else could you possibly need in order to watch DVDs on your PC?
If you're serious about high-quality movie-watching on your PC, you should consider buying a separate DVD-playback program. These standalone applications can significantly improve your viewing experience with full-screen movie playback, color and brightness adjustments, and surround-sound audio. Some of them can even accelerate playback without audio distortion, so you can finish the movie before your plane lands. Others can convert your DVD audio to MP3 file so that you can capture the soundtrack and play it back later.
All of the packages we reviewed are available primarily as download versions, although some do offer boxed alternatives. Being download products, prices are listed in US dollars rather than Australian currency, although the conversion of prices is a relatively trivial affair. It's interesting to note that they all hover around the US$40-50 mark on price.How do you know which package to choose? We reviewed four choices that offer varying degrees of performance and audio options. Read on and decide for yourself.
CyberLink PowerDVD XP 4.0 Deluxe
PowerDVD is a great choice for virtually all users, with advanced audio tools and excellent video quality.
DirectDVD 4.47
Unless you really need to record your DVD soundtrack to MP3, skip this awkward, confusing app and turn to PowerDVD instead.
InterVideo WinDVD 4.0
Use WinDVD for watching DVDs on a laptop, but PowerDVD offers better playback overall.
Sonic CinePlayer 1.5
CinePlayer 1.5 is fine as a bundled app with your DVD drive, but pick PowerDVD as a better standalone.
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