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.