[NTLUG:Discuss] Sorta OT: dvd

[Rev. wRy]

On Thu, 2005-02-17 at 22:00, Fred wrote:
> I probably shouldn't, but here goes:
> What is the fascination with dvd viewing on Linux (or puters
> in general)? And the resultant hours of screwing around with
> libdvdcss, etc to get the encrypted movies to play, not to
> mention the pain one has to endure to get a good copy.
> Besides, watching movies gets almost all of my attention, so
> whatever else is happening on the puter gets ignored. I am
> retired and can get away with it but I would bet lots of
> y'all are not.

Laptop.  I travel.  Much easier to carry a dvd or two, or even *gasp*
have them ripped to my hard drive.

> I got a simple solution: a video capture board (bt848 chip)
> and a stereo sound card. Patch from a/v jacks on <$50 dvd
> player to computer. Play movie. Simple. Going the other way I
> use a <$50 scan converter in the svga line to the monitor to
> get ntsc video and take the line out of my full duplex sound
> card and feed it to my stand alone dvd recorder. No
> encryption that way, no muss, no fuss. The time savings alone
> is worth many times what the hardware cost. Of course, either
> doing that or using okle renders the computer useless for
> anything else for the duration of the record session -
> mustn't glitch the video, y'know. 

That's a lot to carry on the plane.

> I guess that I just find the viewing of movies more enjoyable
> when watching on something other than a computer monitor and
> when sitting in something more comfortable than this chair
> with someone more cuddly than the cat (almost a tie, but she
> wins). Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just out of
> touch on this one? About the dvds, not the cuddly.

I agree - I prefer them on the 36" plasma, but again, that's a bitch to
carry around.

> Fred

RW