مشاهده نسخه کامل
: Vahed
26-07-2007, 22:22
so you want to play HD DVD or Blu-ray discs from Hollywood
on your existing computer? Well, it’s going to cost you—
not only in cash, but also, if your experience is anything like
mine, in frustration. The hardware you’ll need is expensive, the
software is immature, and your graphics card or monitor, even
if recently purchased, may not measure up.
Though I got my setup to play Blu-ray movies, I had diffi culties
with HD DVD movies, proof that the upgrade path to highdef
playback isn’t ready for the masses just yet. Playing high-def
movies on your PC requires more than just adding a new optical
drive to your existing rig. Hardware and software vendors recommend
at least 1GB of memory and a dual-core processor.
The bigger gotcha to playing back both Blu-ray Disc and HD
DVD movies, though, concerns copy-protection schemes. Commercial
movie discs are encrypted with the new Advanced
Access Content System (AACS) protocol; but Intel’s High Defi -
nition Content Protection, a hardware handshaking/security
protocol embedded in device fi rmware, is the real roadblock. All
of the hardware in your PC’s chain—the HD DVD or Blu-ray
drive, the graphics board, and the monitor—must be HDCPcertifi
ed to play back copy-protected content at full resolution via
a digital connection, either DVI or HDMI.
Shopping for HDCP-certifi ed devices remains tricky. If the
box doesn’t say “certifi ed,” don’t buy the product. Some graphics
cards state HDCP compliance in their specs, or boast HDTV
output, but don’t actually implement HDCP (only implementation
earns the “certifi ed” moniker). Look for a card based on
an nVidia GeForce 7– or GeForce 8–series GPU with Pure Video
HD drivers, or AMD’s ATI Radeon X1650 or a better card with
the latest Catalyst drivers. Even if a board has one of these chips,
however, that doesn’t guarantee that it implements HDCP.
nVidia grants its PureVideo HD logo only to certifi ed cards;
AMD doesn’t have such a logo at this time.
Because of HDCP, the hardware you’ll need to play high-def
Hollywood movie discs at top quality on your computer gets
expensive quickly, beginning with a $500 hd100 HD DVD-ROM
drive from HP or a Blu-ray burner such as Sony’s $700 BWU-
100A or Lite-On’s $600 LH-2B1S. Add to this an HDCP-certifi ed
video card ($150 or more) and an HDCP-certifi ed monitor of
reasonable size (expect to pay at least $700 to get 1920 by 1200
resolution for full 1080p; though less-costly HDCP monitors
exist, many don’t accept 1080p output). The total upgrade bill
could easily top $1500 if you were starting from square one.
on your existing computer? Well, it’s going to cost you—
not only in cash, but also, if your experience is anything like
mine, in frustration. The hardware you’ll need is expensive, the
software is immature, and your graphics card or monitor, even
if recently purchased, may not measure up.
Though I got my setup to play Blu-ray movies, I had diffi culties
with HD DVD movies, proof that the upgrade path to highdef
playback isn’t ready for the masses just yet. Playing high-def
movies on your PC requires more than just adding a new optical
drive to your existing rig. Hardware and software vendors recommend
at least 1GB of memory and a dual-core processor.
The bigger gotcha to playing back both Blu-ray Disc and HD
DVD movies, though, concerns copy-protection schemes. Commercial
movie discs are encrypted with the new Advanced
Access Content System (AACS) protocol; but Intel’s High Defi -
nition Content Protection, a hardware handshaking/security
protocol embedded in device fi rmware, is the real roadblock. All
of the hardware in your PC’s chain—the HD DVD or Blu-ray
drive, the graphics board, and the monitor—must be HDCPcertifi
ed to play back copy-protected content at full resolution via
a digital connection, either DVI or HDMI.
Shopping for HDCP-certifi ed devices remains tricky. If the
box doesn’t say “certifi ed,” don’t buy the product. Some graphics
cards state HDCP compliance in their specs, or boast HDTV
output, but don’t actually implement HDCP (only implementation
earns the “certifi ed” moniker). Look for a card based on
an nVidia GeForce 7– or GeForce 8–series GPU with Pure Video
HD drivers, or AMD’s ATI Radeon X1650 or a better card with
the latest Catalyst drivers. Even if a board has one of these chips,
however, that doesn’t guarantee that it implements HDCP.
nVidia grants its PureVideo HD logo only to certifi ed cards;
AMD doesn’t have such a logo at this time.
Because of HDCP, the hardware you’ll need to play high-def
Hollywood movie discs at top quality on your computer gets
expensive quickly, beginning with a $500 hd100 HD DVD-ROM
drive from HP or a Blu-ray burner such as Sony’s $700 BWU-
100A or Lite-On’s $600 LH-2B1S. Add to this an HDCP-certifi ed
video card ($150 or more) and an HDCP-certifi ed monitor of
reasonable size (expect to pay at least $700 to get 1920 by 1200
resolution for full 1080p; though less-costly HDCP monitors
exist, many don’t accept 1080p output). The total upgrade bill
could easily top $1500 if you were starting from square one.