People who buy OEM drives are supposed to already have the software licensed from someone else for sale with the complete PC. End-users are supposed to buy either a complete PC containing the DVD-ROM drive - thus getting the DVD player program anyway - or buy the retail kit which includes the DVD player software license. And costs more :-). The same thing applies to video cards, too.

Wade.

AFAIK, none of the DVD player software is drive dependant. And while basic drivers are always available if the drive requires it, they have nothing to do with playing DVD movies.

Actually, it's rather like buying an ordinary CD-ROM drive: you don't usually get an audio CD player program with OEM models, do you? Well, omitting a DVD player with an OEM DVD-ROM is the same thing. That software usually comes with a retail version, the OS, or the relevant output device - sound card for a CD drive, video card for a DVD drive.

BTW, the issue of MPEG2 video codecs is a tangle to do with video on computer; DVD players will come with the relevant codecs often permitting more generic programs like WMP to play DVD streams. Again, nothing to do with a specific drive.

Wade.

You do not need any drivers to read a DVD-ROM disk with a DVD-ROM drive other than what normally comes with any OS.

You do, however, need an application to watch a DVD movie with a DVD-ROM drive.

In any case, Pioneer were more than willing to direct me to the same vendor who provides the software that comes in the Retail drive box. I'd just have to purchase it.

Wade.