Poor Quality Fullscreen Playback

[aquagraphite]

Ive tried many software dvd players, such as Power DVD 6, WINDVD 6 and so on, but all have a major problem.

I run a fairly powerful machine, here is the spec:

Intel 3.2ghz
1GB Ram
NEC 3500 DVD Recorder
ASUS X800 Vivo
Apple 20" Cinema Display (Aluminium one)

So i meet and excel all of the requirements for the players. I run my main resolution at 1600x1050.

I can play dvds that have awesome quality in windowed modes - Pin sharp, loads of detail and brilliant colours. When I enter full screen everything is very digitised and blurry, almost as if the dvd player software has just streched the windowed mode and thats it.

If this is the case is there any way around this? Any software that will get past this inadiquacy of poor quality fullscreen playback? Is a hardware player worth looking at (RealMagic XCard)? or ultimately am I doing something wrong?

Im a designer by trade and use Apple macs at work, they play dvds with no problem, incredible detail no digitising at fullscreen.

Thanks in advance.
Mark

[jmet]

Lower your screen resolution to 1024X768, then play them in full screen mode.

[aquagraphite]

Thanks for replying

I have tried all resolutions, but to no avail. Im not the only one who appears to be having this problem, my friend with a lower graphics card than mine (9800xt) and a smaller monitor has exactly the same problem.

The full screen mode appears to be only a stretched and enlarged version of the windowed mode - obviously creating artifacts etc in the process.

The monitor is supposed to be one of the best out there and so is the graphics card, so it cant be these.

[setarip]

"Im not the only one who appears to be having this problem, my friend with a lower graphics card than mine (9800xt) and a smaller monitor has exactly the same problem."

Is your friend's monitor also an Apple monitor?

[aquagraphite]

Nope - Decent 17" CRT

No my mates monitor is a decent 17". Both machines have had a fresh system installed.

I have been looking into using zoom player and ffdshow. It appears that you need to upscale and resize the windowed mode to get true high quality fullscreen.

[setarip]

All I can tell you is that I have no such problem using WinDVD for playing back DVDs at fullscreen on a 17" Dell LCD and an ancient 15" Packard Bell CRT...

These ARE commercial DVDs you're viewing and not .AVIs or MPEGs converted to DVD, right?

[aquagraphite]

Hmmm strange

No these are normal everyday dvd's. It could be that the resolution I'am running at is very high (1680x1050). But as my native resolutions do not cover 800x600 I think I might just have to rely on a my Sony dvd player.

What graphics card do you run as a matter of interest?