Best player: WinDVD or PowerDVD?

nolonemo · Nov 26, 2002

I have copies of both (not yet installed), any opinions on which one is most trouble-free (Win2k Pro system)?

Thanks

jonbhoy · Nov 26, 2002

I have tried both and WinDVD sucks!. I'm a PowerDVD man through n through.
I use it on Win XP Pro with a Pioneer 106S DVD ROM.
No problems whatsoever

Denexo · Nov 27, 2002

I have tried both, too.
I loved to use Power DVD, but after many problems i had (crashes) i tried WinDVD 4 (Plus). Since then i am using it and never change back to PowerDVD.

elsamay · Nov 27, 2002

I have both, and I now prefer Windvd on my w2k laptop.

alien · Nov 27, 2002

Sonic CinePlayer v1.51 beats both of them!

nolonemo · Nov 27, 2002

Thanks, guys. Any opinons on Cinemaster 2000? I need to have that installed for Maestro anyway.

slp1965 · Nov 27, 2002

Id go with PowerDVD I like the sound and video tweeking tools within and the dolby headphone output is really nice. Nvidia if you can find it runs real smooth too. Power has had a couple buggy moments but the quality outways that. Windows 2000 pro also

Taz69 · Nov 27, 2002

nolonemo said:
Thanks, guys. Any opinons on Cinemaster 2000? I need to have that installed for Maestro anyway.

For Maestro and watching DVDs the Sigma Netstream 2000 is pretty amazing. It also works with Windows media player and any other software which supports Directshow.

It is also dirt cheap if you don't mind searching Ebay.com for one. (mine cost $10 eventhought the usual price is about $30)
The postage and import duty cost me more than the card .

jakobkraft · Dec 6, 2002

I love the features, and the background-free subtitles and the sound tweaking options of PowerDVD, often thought of, rightfully I guess, as the more "fun" option. But it's intermittent skipping and lazy de-interlacing makes for a picture that is wholly inferior to that of WinDVD. If all you care about is picture quality (and really what else is there?) then WinDVD is much better. Also I've had several crashes under XP using PowerDVD 3.0 and 4.0xp. Never crashed once with WinDVD 3.1.

Timmy · Dec 13, 2002

I've tried PowerDVD on 3 different machines and it crashes on them all. WinDVD doesn't, no idea why so I can't offer an opinion on the functionality but the difference for me is that one works and the other doesn't.