[G4] DVD player for G4 with PCI graphics

[WDunwiddie at aol.com]

I have a Yikes G4 as well. This is basically a B&W G3 (Yosemite?) motherboard with a G4 chip. I added a DVD decoder daughter card (small printed circuit card which plugs into the Rage graphics card) and a refurbished internal Panasonic (Matsushita) CDRW/DVD ROM drive. From OS 9.2.2 (not Classic) using Apple DVD Player v.1.3 (not v.3.0) I can play DVDs without problems except for occasional stuttering if I have background system activities going. My recollection is that the decoder card was $40-$60 and easy to install. I don't know if this will help you with your Firewire drive, but it is the only way to add MPEG2 to a Yikes that is currently available. There was a separate PCI slot MPEG decoder card available in the past, but I've never found one for sale. 

Sorry to be so vague about names and costs: I'm at work using a Dell Wintel box.

Good luck,
Walter