Need advice

[brian0526]

I want to buy a DVD player for my in-laws for Christmas. They don't have a computer and I'd like to be able to send them CDs or DVDs they can put in the player and look at pix of the Grandkids. Do I need to get a player that has Kodak CD Photo capability or something like that to do this? Can I make DVDs using iPhoto or iDVD that they could view on their DVD player (very easily- they have zero computer skills).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

[ehawk]

I have had no trouble burning a dvd and viewing it in all dvd players. They say older models may not work, but I have had no trouble viewing dvds burned using idvd.

[radhak]

Originally posted by brian0526
I want to buy a DVD player for my in-laws for Christmas. They don't have a computer and I'd like to be able to send them CDs or DVDs they can put in the player and look at pix of the Grandkids. Do I need to get a player that has Kodak CD Photo capability or something like that to do this? Can I make DVDs using iPhoto or iDVD that they could view on their DVD player (very easily- they have zero computer skills).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

you could just check that the specs for the player say "DVD-Video, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3-CD" (I can't think of any DVD sold today not playing these), and you are home free.

i can only add, buy the cheapest possible player. Amazon has a number of lesser known brands starting at around $40, and all of them pretty much okay. eg - the DP300 'Norcent', which is great, even better than many other pricier players in a couple of ways : it is compatible with both NTSC and PAL (european) format TVs, and has a voltage range of 120-240, so usable anywhere in the world. Of course, you many not need these, so you could ignore all that...

if you are only comfortable with name brands, you could still go for the cheapest among them.

i have seen that the prices of dvd players are hiked up for the 'progressive scanning' capability, and for playing multiple dvds sequentially, and did not find any use for either : the progressive scanning is needed only for TV sizes 32 inches or more (i have only a 27 inch), and i cannot think of watching more than one DVD at a time

[cpjakes]

I would look for a player with JPEG playback. Kodak format can only be done during developing or through some very limited software options, I believe. But make sure that you test it before you buy, I have seen many players work with JPEGs, but they can be quite slow depending on your file size. Also, some models have a resolution limit, so if your camera is over 3MP, you may have a problem. Just burn a disc with a mix of picture sizes (file size and resolution) and take it in with you.

Different players also have different navigation functions. Since this is a relatively new improvement to DVD players, not all are very intuitive.

cpjakes

[brian0526]

The navigation functions will be key. My in-laws are not computer literate at all. Ideally, I'd like to be able to save a "slide show" for them that they could just plug in and would play automatically. But, I'd like for my brothers-in-law (non-Mac users) to be able to send them disks with JPEGs that they could navigate as well.

I guess a little trip to Best Buy is in order to check out some options.

Thanks!
Brian

[ddbean]

Don't forget that not all TV's support DVD players, although this might be changing now. Check the DVD player output plug type matches their TV inputs.

[ethernet76]

Ok first off since I'm going to assume you're using a Mac...Mac burns in DVD-R format. So first off, support for DVD-R is needed.

There are a lot of formats out there, DVD-R(superdrive supported), DVD-RW(superdrive supported), DVD-R+, and DVD-RW+.

Support among these various formats varies.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....uct&cmp=%20%20

That one looks doable, and supports DVD-R, and JPEG CD.

If their TV doesn't have the composite(red-white-yellow) plugs, you'll need a RF modulator. And a spare coax cable. However, if they have cable, some cable set-top boxes have built-in converters. For information, look at the manual(ugh), or call your cable company(ugh).

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...30660804302498

[brian0526]

Thanks for the help. I did a little research and found many of the current model DVD players (within the last year) support JPEG Still Pictures. Found a couple for around $50 at Best Buy and Costco. By getting one of those, my brothers-in-law(who do not have DVD burners) can create disks with JPEG files that the in-laws can pop into their DVD player and view the pictures.

Peace,
Brian

[jonapete2001]

I have found two dvd players that will not play burned disks.

1. oritron(1st genertion dvd player) dvd player will not play any burned media +,-, or any +/- rw.

2. ibook 600 dvd player only(not cdr combo) will not play any rw disks.(this really makes me mad for some reason).