I just realized that after the 10.1.5 update I can now watch DVDs again on the same display that is powered by my PCI Radeon. Didn't think they would actually fix it... hadn't seen it mentioned before, I'm prepared to be yelled at if it was...
Around the 10.1.3 updates to Mac OS X, if you were using a PCI based ATI card the DVD player application would quit, claiming that you were using an unsupported configuration.
Basically, you could only play DVDs on a monitor that was being driven by an OEM AGP graphics card. When I got my G4, it has a Rage 128 Pro, and I had a Radeon PCI from my beige g3. So I sold the AGP Rage 128 card and stuck with the Radeon as my only display card.
Having been unable to watch DVDs for a while now, I am once again happy. I really didn't think they would fix it...
What version of OS X is your friend with the PCI Radeon using? Before 10.1.3 or 10.1.5? Also, has he tried using the PCI Radeon as the ONLY monitor, and trying to play DVDs then in 10.1.3 or 10.1.4?
It won't work if the above scenario is met. AGP cards never seemed to have a problem, but for those of us using ONLY PCI cards, it failed in 10.1.3 and 10.1.4.
There was a rather long thread at MacNN about this issue when it first arose...
Comments
My Radeon 8500 has been running great with DVD player since the 10.1.2 days
Around the 10.1.3 updates to Mac OS X, if you were using a PCI based ATI card the DVD player application would quit, claiming that you were using an unsupported configuration.
Basically, you could only play DVDs on a monitor that was being driven by an OEM AGP graphics card. When I got my G4, it has a Rage 128 Pro, and I had a Radeon PCI from my beige g3. So I sold the AGP Rage 128 card and stuck with the Radeon as my only display card.
Having been unable to watch DVDs for a while now, I am once again happy. I really didn't think they would fix it...
My friend has the PCI version of the Radeon installed on his B/W G3
Both of us have no problems with DVD player
It won't work if the above scenario is met. AGP cards never seemed to have a problem, but for those of us using ONLY PCI cards, it failed in 10.1.3 and 10.1.4.
There was a rather long thread at MacNN about this issue when it first arose...