Best Video Watching Money Making For Mac



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Best DVD Player Software of 2019 - Programs for Windows PCs

We’ve been reviewing the best DVD player software since 2004. In that time, we’ve researched hundreds of products and performed hands-on testing on dozens of applications. After our most recent evaluation, we picked PowerDVD as our top choice. We believe it is the best DVD player software because of its performance in our tests, innate usability and high-quality playback. It uses TrueTheater Color and TrueTheater Sound technology to optimize video and audio for your screen. It can also play Blu-ray discs and disc images (ISO files) you may have stored on your hard drive.

Best Overall

PowerDVD

This program has nearly every tool and feature we look for in the best DVD player software. It enhances and optimizes your DVDs for playback on modern, high-definition displays.

Best Value

WinDVD Pro

WinDVD Pro costs less than half of our top pick’s $60 price and still includes a lot of great features.

Best for Mac

JRiver Media Center

Few of the applications we reviewed work on Mac computers. Of those, JRiver Media Center performed the best in our tests. It’s a great alternative to the native DVD player in macOS.

ProductPriceOverall RatingPerformanceOptions & SettingsHelp & SupportDVDDVD-R/RWBlu-rayDigital Video FormatsPerformanceUsabilityCPU UsageTime to Play (seconds)Auto-Resume PlaybackDolby & DTS SupportLossless Audio PlaybackPlayback SmoothingRegion ChangingDigital ZoomingSubtitles & Closed CaptionsAB RepeatCustomizable SkinSmart StretchingHD UpscalingSocial Media ConnectivityTouchscreen InterfacePower ManagerEnvironmental SettingsTime StretchEmail or Online FormKnowledgebase & FAQTutorialsUser ForumFree UpgradesWindowsMac OS XLinux
PowerDVD 15 UltraView Deal5/599%9.89.8✓✓✓✓99%98%19%17✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓-✓✓✓✓✓✓-✓--
WinDVD Pro 11View Deal5/596%9.59.5✓✓✓✓96%93%8%22✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓-✓✓✓✓✓✓--✓--
JRiver Media Center 20View Deal5/596%9.89✓✓✓✓96%94%7%16✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓-✓✓-✓✓✓-✓✓✓
DVD X Player Pro 5.5View Deal4.5/592%8.89.8✓✓-✓92%93%3%18✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓-✓✓--✓✓-✓✓✓-✓✓--
BlazeDVD Professional 7View Deal4.5/588%8.59✓✓-✓88%90%6%15✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓---✓✓-✓✓---✓--
Zoom Player MAX 10View Deal4.5/571%9.310✓✓✓✓71%70%6%19✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓--✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓--
BS.Player PRO 2.69View Deal4.5/585%9.810✓✓-✓85%85%9%17✓--✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓-✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓--
Aiseesoft Blu-ray PlayerView Deal3.5/585%69.8✓-✓✓85%86%44%19✓✓✓-✓✓✓-✓--✓----✓✓✓-✓✓✓-
Aurora Blu-ray PlayerView Deal3.5/589%5.89.8✓✓✓✓89%76%47%15✓✓--✓-✓-✓--✓✓--✓✓✓✓-✓✓✓-

Best Overall

PowerDVD

PowerDVD Standard
PowerDVD Pro
PowerDVD Ultra
Intuitive interface
Highly customizable
No power management tools
Best Video Watching Money Making For Mac

PowerDVD is our top pick for several reasons, chief among them its sleek design. The program is beautiful to look at and easy to navigate, and it has powerful organization tools. Additionally, playback is crisp and clear, no matter if you’re watching DVDs, Blu-rays or files from your computer.

Additionally, the software enhances DVD playback to take advantage of high-definition displays using its TrueTheater Color. TrueTheater Color intensifies color and sharpens standard-definition videos so they look good on new high-definition displays. The program also includes TrueTheater Sound technology, which optimizes bass, reverb, volume and amplification.
In our tests, PowerDVD consumed 19 percent of our test machine’s processing power. While this is relatively high, it’s low enough that it didn’t slow down other applications running on our computer. Other programs we reviewed consume as little as 3 percent of our computer’s processing power.
PowerDVD is also versatile. It comes with a full array of audio and video settings that allow you to adjust picture values such as brightness, hue and saturation. It also offers convenient screenshot, zooming and looping tools.

Best Value

WinDVD Pro

Plays DVDs, Blu-rays and digital media files
Has excellent power management tools
Takes about 22 seconds to start a show after you hit the play button

In terms of raw functionality, WinDVD Pro matches or beats almost every other DVD player application we reviewed. For example, in addition to playing DVDs, it plays Blu-rays and video files stored on your computer. It also comes with several tools found in our top pick, including those for digital zooming, smart stretching, HD upscaling and more.

WinDVD Pro beat our top pick in our processing power tests, only eating up about 8 percent of our test computer’s resources, compared to the 19 percent PowerDVD used. It also rivals our first choice in terms of usability. WinDVD Pro’s interface is easy on the eyes, simple to navigate, and easy to learn and use. However, it’s a big sluggish – it took about 22 seconds from the time we hit the play button until our show began playing.
Unlike our top pick, WinDVD Pro has power management tools, which allow you to customize power consumption to save battery life when you watch shows on your laptop. In addition, you can use the software’s environmental settings to optimize the sound and picture for different viewing spaces such as your living room or home theater.
This program provides the most value for your money. If you don’t need the best of the best, WinDVD Pro is worth considering.

Best for Mac

JRiver Media Center

Single OS
Master License
Excellent alternative to the DVD player bundled with macOS
Powerful smart stretching and upscaling technology
Limited support options
May take a while to fully explore all its multimedia features

Although every Mac comes with DVD player software, it’s very plain jane, offering only the very basics. If you need more powerful navigation and organization tools, JRiver Media Center is the application you want. Not only can it play DVDs, but it also plays Blu-ray discs – a feature not found anywhere in macOS. The program also lets you organize, sort and watch any type of digital media on your computer. It’s a great all-in-one solution for your entertainment needs.

This DVD player software scored well in our tests. It only used about 7 percent of our test computer’s resources, which is low enough to run other programs while you watch movies or listen to music without experiencing lag or other performance issues. It has most of the tools found in our top choice as well, including customizable skins, HD upscaling, environmental settings and time stretch functionality. This full toolset makes the program useful and versatile.
However, JRiver Media Center lost points because there is no way to contact the manufacturer directly. Still, you can solve most common problems by consulting the company’s online FAQs, tutorials and user forums.

Lightest on System Resources

Zoom Player MAX 10

Zoom Player MAX 10 - One Year
Zoom Player MAX 10 - Lifetime
Takes up very little processing power.

Zoom Player is a good choice for DVD player software if you’re concerned about reserving processing power to run other applications.

During our testing we measured how much CPU usage each program ate up, some took as much as 47% - Zoom Player only takes up 6%. So, you can be certain that you’ll be able to surf the web and run other programs while you watch a movie.
But there are a couple of drawbacks, the biggest of which is that it has a steep learning curve. One that is slightly shocking in a program that should be very simple. Menus weren’t in intuitive places, and the program as a whole was difficult to navigate. And the interface itself could use a facelift, the program looks like a throwback from the early 2000s.

Fastest Playback

Aurora Blu-ray Player

Aurora Blu-ray Player - One Year
Only takes 15 seconds to load a DVD movie.
It’s a resource hog, taking up 47% of your processing power.

When we timed how long it takes to start a movie with DVD player software, Aurora Blu-ray Player was the fastest.

It took the program approximately 15 seconds from the play button being pushed to the movie starting on the screen. However, unlike Blu-ray player software we reviewed, there wasn’t much difference between the fastest and the slowest. The program that took the longest to load a movie was only took about 22 seconds – and all the others never cracked 20.
This program also takes up a whopping 47% of your system resources. So, if you plan on doing other things on your computer while you watch your movies, plan on potential slowdowns and drags in performance for both the DVD player and the other applications.

Why Trust Us

Top Ten Reviews has been testing DVD player software since 2004. Our team of video experts has scoured through each product looking for key tools, features and extras that make your watching experience more enjoyable. They focus on finding software that have easy-to-use interfaces, don’t strain computer processing power, have high-quality audio and video playback, and include customization options.

We also considered what media each program can play besides DVDs. The best ones also play Blu-ray discs and other digital media stored on your computer. In addition, our favorite products come with organizational tools that let you access and play all your media files in one place.

How We Tested

We subjected each DVD player program to a battery of tests to measure its performance, usability and playback quality.

Performance Test
In this test, we evaluated each program based on its capacity to play video without lagging, buffering, or other distortions or delays. We also considered the number of audio and picture optimization settings each application has, as well as how well they work.

For reference, a difference of a few percentage points in the programs’ scores shouldn’t have a big impact on which software you choose. We just felt that applications with higher scores worked slightly better than ones graded a little bit lower.

Usability Test
We designed this test to determine how easy each software is to use, including how intuitive it is, how many important features and settings it has, and how well it performs each task. Great DVD player programs have interfaces that are easy to understand and navigate right off the bat.

Additionally, we tested each application’s customization options and other features, such as modifiable video effects. As we customized playback and used extra features, we judged them based on how easy they are to find and use, as well as how well they work.

CPU Usage Test
We played a test DVD and monitored how much the software strained our computer's CPU. We played the movie without any extra features activated or other programs running. The percentage score we list is the amount of processing power the software used while playing the movie in full screen.

Software that uses a higher percent of your computer’s CPU power may make other programs run slowly if you use them at the same time, or you may hear the computer fan running to keep the processor from overheating. Applications that use fewer system resources are better because you can run other programs while you watch movies, and you don’t have to listen to the high-pitched buzzing of a processor fan.

Key Aspects of DVD Player Software

How Much Does DVD Player Software Cost?

You can expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $100 for DVD player software – which sounds like a lot, because it is. Especially since Windows Media Player comes free with the operating system and plays DVDs rather well. The value comes in what else you can do with it – nevertheless, it’s hard to justify paying $100 for the ability to watch DVDs on your computer.

Performance: High-Quality, Lossless Video & Audio
The best DVD player programs don’t degrade video or audio quality. Many offer Dolby and DTS support, so you get crisp, clean sound, as well as lossless audio, even when you use an HDMI cable or headphones. Top products can also optimize DVD content to take full advantage of new high-definition displays.

Quality software also includes a variety of playback options. For example, these applications let you automatically resume watching right where you left off. They also have smooth playback so you don't waste time waiting for your video to load and buffer.

Options & Settings: Customize & Control
The biggest benefit of using DVD player software over a physical player is you have much more control over quality settings and controls. The applications also have a larger selection of customization features such as player skins and layouts. These extra features can help you organize your content and make the program even more intuitive, which is convenient if you use the software frequently. Furthermore, paid software doesn’t hassle you with nag screens, which pop up when you open the software or at random intervals to ask you to upgrade to a premium version, something that’s common with freeware.

You may want to re-watch a funny section of a comedy flick or zoom in on a specific detail in a mystery thriller, and good DVD player software lets you do so. These programs typically let you customize your video settings, so you can set bookmarks, loop and repeat clips, or even just stretch the video to fit your screen. Some software can also connect with and optimize your home theater's audiovisual setup.

Windows 8 and 10 don’t come with native media players, though their predecessors did, and a good movie player software can fill that void. Some programs are even compatible with the touchscreen interfaces found on select Windows 8 machines.

Most applications can also integrate with your personal video library on your computer's hard drive or an external drive. A few even let you post directly to your favorite social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, so you can share what you're currently watching with a small comment, just like a true movie critic.

Help & Support: Get Information & Upgrade Your Software
With great software comes great technical support, or at least it should. Consider products that offer a way to contact the manufacturer, as well as online documentation that can answer your questions or ease your concerns such as tutorials, a knowledgebase or a FAQs section.

One of our favorite support features is a user forum, which some manufacturers include on their websites. Forums let you interact directly and indirectly with other people using the product to ask questions, report issues or just talk over your common bond.

Lastly, whether for Mac OS X or PC, your DVD player software should offer some kind of free upgrade option. Most come with free minor upgrades for life and make you pay for major upgrades, though your software will continue to work fine if you choose not to upgrade. Very few manufacturers offer free minor and major lifetime upgrades.

Supported Media Types: Make Sure You Can Watch Your Favorite Videos
While most people use DVD player software to play DVDs, many also enjoy playing their favorite digital video files. Some player software allows you to play DVD-R/RW discs. Only a few play Blu-ray discs, so if your movie collection is predominantly Blu-ray, you may want to consider Blu-ray player software, which typically has more all-encompassing options.

What's the Best DVD Player to Buy?

In the age of ultra-high-definition Blu-ray discs, streaming services and digital downloads, you could be forgiven for thinking DVD is dead. However, this is far from true. Unlike other formats like VHS and Laserdisc, DVD has been able to hold on to some relevance. There are still millions upon millions of DVDs in people’s media collections. Unfortunately, the DVD player you bought in 2000 probably doesn’t work anymore, even if the discs you bought back then do. And watching DVDs on a computer just doesn’t provide the same experience as a TV.

While it makes the most sense to buy a Blu-ray player to watch your old DVDs, it’s not always the best option – especially if you have an old standard definition television. We’ve tested, rated and ranked the best DVD players on the market today. At the end of our analysis, Panasonic DVD-S700 was our top overall choice. This is due to its simple physical layout and quick disc load times as well as some extra features. This player keeps track of where you paused or stopped watching on the last six DVDs it played. So, if you’re switching between movies, you can pick up right where you left off even if you’ve watched other things since then.

Do Windows & Mac Have DVD Player Software?

Every Windows and Mac computer comes with a preloaded media player. For Windows, it’s Media Player. This is a handy tool that’s been packaged with Windows for many years, but it doesn’t play DVDs – you need third-party software to play them.

On the other hand, Mac computers have a native DVD player program, and it launches whenever you insert a playable DVD. However, it is very basic. For example, it's missing features for region changing, digital zooming and HD upscaling as well as organizational tools and more.

Best Free DVD Player Software

There’s really no worthy competition for the free, open source media player VLC. It’s been around for ages and is a go-to program for people who want a free alternative to iTunes and Media Player. VLC looks and runs a lot like iTunes, and it’s easy to navigate and has decent organizational tools. In addition, it works on almost all operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and more.

Related Product Reviews

At one time the idea of watching movies on a Mac seemed both quaint and inconvenient. After all, you already had a TV and its accouterments in the rumpus room. Why gather friends and family around the desk in the corner of the living room to watch movies on a 17-inch iMac?

But times are changing. A home media center that includes a Mac mini is no longer a crazy idea. Nor would anyone look askance if you moved your 27-inch iMac into that same rumpus room and devoted some of its time to entertainment.

Once you accept the notion of a Mac as a home media player, your next thoughts naturally turn to movies and, likely, the iTunes Store. But the Store isn’t the end-all-and-be all of online movie sources. Although outfits such as CinemaNow and Blockbuster demand that their content be watched on devices that don’t bear the Apple brand, there are a handful of other sources for movies that you can play on your Mac. Step up to the ticket booth and check out these options.

1. The iTunes Store

We can hardly begin without mentioning what the iTunes Store provides. Of any source, the iTunes Store is the most Mac friendly. Offering thousands of movies for purchase or rental, the Store’s movies are playable on a Mac, Windows PC, Apple TV, iPod, and iPhone. You can transfer them to and play them on any computer authorized with the Apple ID used to purchase or rent the movie. The Store sells and rents both standard definition and HD movies. There are currently more than 280 HD movies, available in the 720p (1280 by 720) format. Many feature 5.1 surround-sound soundtracks as well.

Apple's prices are based on a movie's age and format. Apple characterizes movies as being library (meaning older) or new. Prices generally shake out as follow: standard-definition library titles cost $10 to purchase; new standard-definition titles are $15; all HD titles cost $20; iTunes Extras movies, which contain bonus DVD-like material, cost $15 in SD format or $20 in HD (there are some exceptions to iTunes Extras pricing, however).

As for rentals, standard-definition library titles cost $3, and new library titles in standard definition cost $4. Library HD rentals cost $4, and new HD rentals cost $5 (iTunes Extras content is not available for rentals). After you download a rental movie, you have 30 days to watch it. After you start watching it, you have 24 hours to finish it; the movie is automatically removed from you Mac after that period. During those 24 hours, you can watch the movie as many times as you like.

Like all videos sold at the Store, you can't burn movies in a form playable on a DVD player. You can, however, burn purchased movies as data for backup purposes.

2. Amazon Video On Demand

Amazon’s Video On Demand service is one of the few movie services other than the iTunes Store that’s not actively hostile to the Mac. It can afford to be magnanimous because it streams movies via a Web browser, even one that sits on your Mac. You can also watch the service’s movies on TiVo, Roku players, compatible Sony Bravia devices, Panasonic TVs that support Viera Cast, and compatible Samsung HDTVs.

You’re allowed to download videos to up to two compatible devices—a TiVo and Windows PC, for example. Regrettably a Mac isn’t one of those compatible devices. Clearly, Amazon Video On Demand is not the ideal service for Mac users, but it does offer a couple of advantages over the iTunes Store. For one, if you purchase a movie it's accessible to stream on any Internet-connected computer, so can watch it on your laptop while visiting the in-laws without having to remember to copy it to that Mac's hard drive. Another—particularly if you're willing to broaden your video diet to include TV shows—is price. Amazon, like the iTunes Store, sells individual TV episodes for $2 (SD) and $3 (HD). But purchase a season and you’ll save money at Amazon.

For example, the first season of Mad Men costs $20 (SD) and $35 at the iTunes Store. Amazon charges $18 (SD) and $28 (HD). Dexter Season 2 at the Store is $24 (SD) and $36 (HD). The same season costs $19 (SD) and $29 (HD) at Amazon. Even if you're interested in movies only, Amazon also offers deals on current movie rentals. For example, recently you could rent Orphan for $2. The Store’s rental price that day was $4.

One could very reasonably argue that the iTunes Store provides more value—you actually have the content on your hard drive rather than in the cloud, and you can play them on an iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV. But if your intention is to watch the video only on a TV connected to a computer or on the Mac's screen itself, Amazon could be the better deal, provided that you have fast and reliable broadband. (To stream HD content you should have a broadband connection of 5mbps or better.) Also, those Amazon videos are available to you wherever you have a computer and fast Internet connection.

3. Netflix

The-DVD-in-the-mailbox company, Netflix, has offered movie streaming for a couple of years through its Watch Instantly feature. If you have a Netflix plan starting at $9 (one DVD at a time) you're welcome to use this service, which offers more than 20,000 movies and TV episodes.

Not all that long ago, much of this content was Grade B material and/or ancient, but Netflix is making efforts to bring better content to the service. Recent release movies are starting to appear. And although you won’t see last night’s episodes of your favorite shows (or likely anything from the current season) Netflix does offer season packages of such popular shows as Heroes, Weeds, Californication, Lost, The Office, and Dexter. (Regrettably, no HBO content is offered for streaming.)

On a Mac you’d normally watch Netflix streams via a Web browser. However, both the Boxee and Plex media center applications allow you to watch Netflix Watch Instantly content. Or, if you’d like to use Apple’s media center application, Front Row, you can install the open-source Understudy, which adds both Netflix Watch Instantly and Hulu Desktop to Front Row.

The visual quality of Netflix's content doesn't match that of either the iTunes Store or Amazon Video On Demand—both of which look quite good. The faster your Internet connection, the better the picture. But even with a reasonably fast connection I’ve yet to see a stream that comes close to the look of a DVD (or iTunes or Amazon content), much less HD. But it’s hard to beat the price, particularly if you’re already a Netflix subscriber.

4. YouTube

Of course YouTube has movies… no, real movies. Okay, some are real old movies, but movies nonetheless. And they're free. If you’ve been wanting to catch up on your spaghetti westerns or B-movie drive-in fare (and a few gems thrown in for good measure), point your browser at YouTube’s Movies channel. And keep YouTube bookmarked. Reports are that YouTube is talking to major movie studios about offering movies for rent.

Money Making Opportunities

5. Boxee

As mentioned earlier, Boxee is a media center application rather than a source for videos. However, it includes a couple of plug-ins that can lead you to movies scattered across the Web. For example, install the Internet Archive plug-in and you can view a vast number of old films (including silent films) that are now in the public domain. The Public Torrents plug-in allows you to download this same kind of content and view it within Boxee. All content available through Boxee is free.

Speaking of Boxee, with the Apple TV 3.x update, the popular (and free) Apple TV hack that allowed you to run Boxee and XBMC, atvusb-creator, broke. Its creators are working to make it compatible, but in the meantime, the $50 aTV Flash hack does work with the Apple TV 3.0.1 update.)

6. Hulu

A popular destination for watching TV episodes and clips, Hulu also offers full-length movies. Similar to YouTube’s movies, the films available from Hulu aren’t recent blockbusters or Oscar-winning fare, but you’re sure to find a handful of movies to kill an evening. Like Hulu’s TV shows, these movies are free and include the occasional short advertisement.

You’re welcome to watch Hulu from within a Web browser, but Hulu Desktop, Boxee, or Plex provide the better viewing experience. Of the three avenues, Hulu Desktop is the most reliable because, unlike with Boxee and Plex, the people running Hulu actually want it to work. Hulu has taken pains in the past to break other applications’ access to the service.

Roll 'em

Best Video Watching Money Making For Mac

It wasn't long ago that video-on-demand was a pipe dream. Yet, almost without realizing it, that dream has become reality thanks to faster broadband and the increasing number of gadgets that can take advantage of it. With these resources at your disposal, your Mac becomes an important—if not primary—component of that dream.

Best Video Making Apps

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