On Sunday, July 14, 2002, at 06:37 , Kevin Avery wrote: > If I install this drive will OS X recognize the fact that I have a DVD > drive or do I have to add software or a driver?
As far as I know, Mac OS X already includes all drivers necessary. And it DOES include the software. DVD Player is part of the standard Mac OS X installation, and even if you don't have it, it should be on the Mac OS X install discs or, if all else fails, it should definitely be available for download from Apple. > Would I be able to watch movies on the iMac after installing it? I don't see why not. > Do I need to add software to do that or is it built in to OS X? Again, DVD Player is a readily available standard feature of Mac OS X > Do the movies appear full screen or just in a little box on the screen? Either or. You can watch them either way at your option. I generally watch them full screen. > Are movies displayed in the aspect ratio of the iMac's screen or in the > "wide" format? That depends on the DVD, not the iMac. The DVD will play in whatever aspect ratio it's recorded in. For example, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT is a widescreen DVD and therefore plays in widescreen on my iMac (Flat Panel). However, my first season STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION discs are full screen, since that's the way STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION was shot. Basically, DVD playback on the iMac has all the same featuers and behaves in exactly the same way as a stand alone DVD player. What kind of iMac you have makes no difference. DVD behavior is controlled by the content of the disc and is independent of the type of screen or the software used to play it. In fact, the only significant difference between playing a DVD on an iMac and playing it on a stand alone DVD player is that you can use the mouse to navigate through the DVD's menus. This makes navigating the menus of most DVD's a lot easier and quicker than on a "regular" DVD player. :) The downside is that, without special sound hardware and software, it's impossible to play back all 5.1 channels of the Dolby Digital sound... :/ You'll get standard 2-channel stereo only. Actually, I know that Apple is a Dolby licensee (they'd have to be in order for DVD player to be able to play DVD movies in the first place, since Dolby Digital is the standard sound format for all DVDs). I don't understand why they don't license Dolby Headphone technology for use in Apple's DVD player. To quote Dolby's website: "Dolby Headphone is a powerful new signal-processing system that lets you experience authentic surround sound over conventional stereo headphones." For more information on Dolby Headphone: http://www.dolby.com/dolbyheadphone/ Speaking of which, does anyone know how we might bring this technology to Apple's attention? Dolby Headphone as a standard feature of Apple's DVD Player would certainly give the Mac something the standard PC doesn't have... "Sound Different" might be a good slogan... ;) John A. Ardelli Owner/Moderator BIFIDA-L: The Original Spina Bifida Discussion List The Crystal Corner - The Original Dark Crystal Discussion List -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
