my DVD-ROM as a stand-alone player?

[vertigo_phreeze]

tried this in the other hardware thread and i have 151 views and no responses, so thought i would ask here just incase.

i have seen the kits that you can use to make your internal CD and DVD-ROMs an external drive, but i was wondering if there is a similar kit or solution out there to make your DVD-ROM a stand-alone player that you could just plug into a TV (or stereo for the CD-ROM). i have some extra drives laying around since i have upgraded my PC from time to time and was looking for a way to put them to use.

also, if there's not a ready-made kit, what would it take to build one? i am not worried about the cost or size, i am just curious as to how doable it would be. thanks in advance.

[Doom9]

almost anything is possible but in this case, the effort isn't worth it. Your best shot would be a barebone PC with a TV out. Trying to actually build a standalone would almost impossible.. you need to build a custom computer using non PC components, create your own operating system supporting your hardware, program a player to handle the formats you want handled, etc.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Not really vertigo_phreeze,

Some time ago I looked into pairing my Xcard with an old motherboard and doing something similar to what you suggest. But by the time you add sufficient RAM (maybe even enough to hold an operating system) plus a nice case etc, you might as well go out and buy a cheapo dedicated standalone player. Even more so today, as the costs of the players are so low.

Currently I have my Xcard in an PC which is located in adjacent room (so I can't hear it). However, the DVD ROM drive is in my sitting room and is connected to the PC using USB2.

It all works very well but was an absolute pain to cable up!

Cheers

[genpix]

my $0.02:

one of the reason why old DVD-ROMs are laying arround is "old DVD-ROMs are incompatible with new media". For instance, my old 5x Creative DVD-ROM does not read DVD-RW.
"surprisingly", this was exacly the reason why I bought a new DVD player (and throu away my old one, which did not read -RW).
So, why bother to find a new life for old drives? Especially, when it's very hard to find.

You can use a newer version of DVD-ROM (which reads every DVD media format).
But, hey, they are at least 12x readers (nobody does slow drives anymore). Do you need this helicopter near your TV?

[Fox Mulder]

Originally posted by genpix
Do you need this helicopter near your TV?

LOL

[vertigo_phreeze]

ok, thanks guys, i had been searching a lot on the subject on the internet and couldnt find anything about doing something like this...i guess i know why now. i have been getting interested in diy projects lately, but i guess i will scrap this one. thanks for all your help and for the quick responses.