Subj : Is a PC optical drive a "player"?
To   : All
From : Nightfox
Date : Wed Apr 23 2025 15:06:39

Recently (within the last year or so), I've started to notice people online referring to a PC optical drive as a "player" (as in, wondering whether they should add a "DVD player" to their new PC build).  I feel like this is my new pet peeve..  A DVD player is a stand-alone device meant to play DVD movies on a TV; a PC optical drive is not a "player".

But I did a search online, and I saw at least one ad online for an external USB blu-ray drive with the word "player" in the description..

Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"?  I feel like that's not even really accurate, because when you're watching a movie disc on your PC, it's the software that does the playing of the video.  The optical drive is just reading the data, and you could also be using the optical disc to install software, rip movies, etc., which are activities that don't count as "playing" something.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.24-Linux
 * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

.