Want to go to the movies? Use your PC!

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Want to go to the movies? Use your PC!

Jason Parker
Contributing Editor, Downloads
Friday, September 19, 2003

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Watching television, I see the commercials for big flat-screen TVs and drool-worthy home-theater systems. But I doubt I'll be able to afford them anytime soon. If you're not ready to blow the same amount of money on home entertainment that you'd spend on a small car, you can always turn your PC into a personal movie theater.

All you need is the right hardware (DVD drive, video card, decent desktop monitor and speakers) and some good DVD-playing software. You're on your own when it comes to the hardware. But if all you lack is the software, I've got some options that'll do the trick.

The best DVD player apps give you good picture quality and a minimum of hassle so you can start watching your movies quickly. Here are my three current favorites.

DirectDVD lets you watch DVD movies on your PC with several available viewing options. It supports the most popular audio formats (including Dolby Digital and Circle Surround II) so you can really feel like you're part of the action. (Shareware/Windows)

Hero DVD Player, in addition to DVD playback, offers a full range of sound options. It also offers a zoom feature and lets you bookmark where you left off so that it's easy to continue a movie another time. (Shareware/Windows)

VideoLAN Client is an open-source app that works great on Mac OS X and supports several media formats. While you can use the Apple DVD Player, I suggest you give this free media player a try, too. (Free/Mac)

When I win the lottery, I'll be the first in line to buy a huge flat-screen TV and surround-sound home-theater system. Until then, I'll just use my PC instead.

What do you think? Do you ever watch movies on your PC? How do you do it? TalkBack to me below!

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