DVD player on b&w G3?

[poochy]

I just inherited a b&w Power Mac G3 from the job I was laid off from recently...and I cannot find a way to watch DVDs on it.

The computer does have a DVD drive and decoder, but I cannot find a version of the Apple DVD Player software that is compatible with this mahine. I upgraded from 9.0.4 to 9.2.1 somehow thinking this would help, but it didn't.

I have version 2.1 of the DVD player. I was told that 1.3 would work - but I don't have the OS 9 CD and I coudn't find it in the 9.1 update I downloaded, and I certainly can't find that version of the DVD player anywhere online.

Does anyone know where/how I can find it? Or is my only other choice to upgrade to OS X and use DVD Player 3.1.1? Would it be worth upgrading the OS on a cranky ole machine like this?

 

[Hemingray]

You are correct about DVD Player 1.3. That was the last version for OS 9 that supported the PCI-based PowerMacs with hardware DVD decoding (B/W G3's and Yikes G4's). You didn't receive the system restore disks that came with the computer?

Personally, I would just upgrade to OS X when 10.2 comes out. And get yourself a Radeon 7000 PCI graphics card so you can get the most out of your G3. The card will cost you $130 and OS X about the same. Not bad for breathing new life into an older computer.

P.S. Welcome to MacRumors!

 

[bousozoku]

My G3/400 isn't cranky at all, despite being three years old this last spring . It's especially happy with the latest version of Mac OS X.

Definitely feed it a new video card, some more memory, and Jaguar and it'll serve you well for quite a while.

 

[LimeiBook86]

WELCOME!

Hey Poochy! Welcome to the fourms buddy!

 

[MacMaster]

NO! Do not get the Radeon 7000! Just get the plain old Radeon Mac Edition! It may sound not as good, but it actually has a larger graphics pipeline and faster GPU than the 7000.

 

[Ensign Paris]

I would get a better graphics card, infact just make sure you have one with atleast 16mb of RAM so you can take advantage of Quartz Extream.

Ensign

 

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by MacMaster
NO! Do not get the Radeon 7000! Just get the plain old Radeon Mac Edition! It may sound not as good, but it actually has a larger graphics pipeline and faster GPU than the 7000.

The Radeon 7000 GPU operates at 300MHz where the old Radeon Mac edition operates at 166MHz. It doesn't matter if one has a larger pipe, if the other card does more than twice the work in the same amount of time...

The Radeon 7000 card/GPU also includes newer technologies in it (newer then the old Radeon Mac edition did). Just a few of the new features are:

3D Acceleration Features
* HYPER Z™ technology
* VIDEO IMMERSION™ technology
* Twin Cache Architecture
* Single-Pass Multi-texturing (3 textures per clock cycle) <- This makes the new card even better, since the old Radeon Mac edition does only one texture per clock cycle.

Also, the 7000 support TWO displays at one time, where the old Radeon Mac edition supports only ONE monitor at a time. Both have 32MB of DDR memory but the Radeon 7000 does more with it. If you want to look at them both, then go here for the 7000 or here for the old Mac edition card spec's.

 

[MacMaster]

Originally posted by AlphaTech


The Radeon 7000 GPU operates at 300MHz where the old Radeon Mac edition operates at 166MHz. It doesn't matter if one has a larger pipe, if the other card does more than twice the work in the same amount of time...

The Radeon 7000 card/GPU also includes newer technologies in it (newer then the old Radeon Mac edition did). Just a few of the new features are:

3D Acceleration Features
* HYPER Z™ technology
* VIDEO IMMERSION™ technology
* Twin Cache Architecture
* Single-Pass Multi-texturing (3 textures per clock cycle) <- This makes the new card even better, since the old Radeon Mac edition does only one texture per clock cycle.

Also, the 7000 support TWO displays at one time, where the old Radeon Mac edition supports only ONE monitor at a time. Both have 32MB of DDR memory but the Radeon 7000 does more with it. If you want to look at them both, then go here for the 7000 or here for the old Mac edition card spec's.

Well, I stand corrected, wait let me think,...I thought I read somewhere (on insidemacgames.com or something) that the radeon mac edition was beating out the 7000 at higher resolutions, and stuff like that. I'll try and find the link to that...
*does some quick searching of insidemacgames*
ah! I found it! What do you think?

 

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by Ensign Paris
I would get a better graphics card, infact just make sure you have one with atleast 16mb of RAM so you can take advantage of Quartz Extream.

Ensign

That's not possible, unfortunately, since QE requries at least 16MB of AGP, and his comp uses PCI. That's why I suggested the Radeon 7000 PCI, because even though it won't take advantage of QE, it will at least run as good as it can for his B/W G3, since no poor sod should have to use a Rage with OS X.

 

[AlphaTech]

MacMaster, since that review was done, ATI has updated the drivers (at least once), which improves performance among other things.

Hemingray, either Radeon (with 32MB OF DDR MEMORY) will enable him to take advantage of QE. While the performance might not be as stellar as someone with an AGP slot, I would still think the video card upgrade will do justice to QE. Maybe someone should ask Apple if a hot PCI video card inside the blue and white will allow them to take advantage of QE or not, and how much. until we get some feedback (direct from Apple) I will still hold to the notion that the GPU will do wonders for that system.

 

[MacMaster]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
MacMaster, since that review was done, ATI has updated the drivers (at least once), which improves performance among other things.

Hemingray, either Radeon (with 32MB OF DDR MEMORY) will enable him to take advantage of QE. While the performance might not be as stellar as someone with an AGP slot, I would still think the video card upgrade will do justice to QE. Maybe someone should ask Apple if a hot PCI video card inside the blue and white will allow them to take advantage of QE or not, and how much. until we get some feedback (direct from Apple) I will still hold to the notion that the GPU will do wonders for that system.

AlphaTech, thank you for straightening me out.

 

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
Hemingray, either Radeon (with 32MB OF DDR MEMORY) will enable him to take advantage of QE. While the performance might not be as stellar as someone with an AGP slot, I would still think the video card upgrade will do justice to QE. Maybe someone should ask Apple if a hot PCI video card inside the blue and white will allow them to take advantage of QE or not, and how much. until we get some feedback (direct from Apple) I will still hold to the notion that the GPU will do wonders for that system.

If that's the case, then that's excellent news, because that means my G4 PCI will benefit as well, since I have a Radeon 7000. But I don't think QE will work, and here's why:

Requirements: Quartz Extreme functionality is supported by the following video GPUs: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX, GeForce3, GeForce4 MX, or GeForce4 Ti or any AGP-based ATI RADEON GPU. A minimum of 16MB VRAM is required.

That's off of Apple's web site. So if you're right, I will be pleasantly surprised!

 

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by Hemingray


If that's the case, then that's excellent news, because that means my G4 PCI will benefit as well, since I have a Radeon 7000. But I don't think QE will work, and here's why:

That's off of Apple's web site. So if you're right, I will be pleasantly surprised!

I think that they are assuming that only people with AGP systems will have a radeon or better...

If I get a chance, I will give Apple a call and see if I can get an answer. These past two weeks have been more then a little insane. The other tech here at work has been on vacation (physically this time) so I have had to do everything here. Normally, I let him handle the little shyt, like printer jams and such, so that I can take care of the bigger problems.

I am going to have to hurt that boyo when he returns to the office on Monday... If he does this again next year, I will be rip-shyt. Then again, payback is a bytch, since I get three weeks vacation next year, I might have to do something similar to his ****ing shyt to him...