# DVD Drive vs DVD Player: Same image quality?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-drive-vs-dvd-player-same-image-quality/425968>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 10, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-drive-vs-dvd-player-same-image-quality/425968 "2007-11-10T23:30:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-drive-vs-dvd-player-same-image-quality/425968/1 "2007-11-10T23:30:33Z")

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With regard to LCD TVs and digital signals, I was wondering if the TV image quality is the same when comparing a stand-alone DVD player vs a PC DVD Drive.

Obviously the data path between the player and the TV is more direct than that from a PC and seems to imply less data bottlenecks or corruption, but with today’s high-powered computers and video cards is that an issue?

Are there any HD-DVD drives for the PC yet?

Thanks, all.

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**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-drive-vs-dvd-player-same-image-quality/425968/2 "2007-11-11T00:19:45Z")

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If your PC has a decent video card that handles de-interlacing/color well, you’ll get a superior image out of the PC.

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**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-drive-vs-dvd-player-same-image-quality/425968/3 "2007-11-11T00:55:37Z")

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Essentially, yes. All other things being equal (TV, cable quality, etc.), the image quality of a standalone DVD player will be the same as a DVD rendered by a computer. Especially for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, most standalone DVD players these days actually are just a computer in a glossy case, with a remote-control receiver bolted to the front.