No. You just need the appropriate codec installed to view it. Try the K-Lite Codec pack. It's available free online.
You will need a DVD ripping tool for this task. There are easy to use software that can rip your DVD movie into all popular video formats such as .avi, divx, mpeg1, mpeg2, mpeg4 and a lot more.
You could use a splitter but if you need to use both at once you will need special software.
No, special software is not needed to write up many recipes. Should you wish to use software, something simple, such as a spreadsheet should suffice.
Yes. Download Audacity - free recording and editing software. Easy to use.
you need to use special software that can convert to HD.
There are no special requirements to display animation movies. You may need additional computational power to create animations but it however depends on the software you use.
I use Aunsoft MTS Converter for best video quality.
To create a mugen character you need to use software such as Fighter Factory Classic. Follow the instructions that come with the software to create your special character.
If you need a free video converter, you can try "Any Video Converter" freeware. It can easily convert all kinds of video formats to mpeg1, mpeg2, FLV, AVI, WMV, et al. As commercial weblinks are prohibited on this website, you will need to search for it, and other free software, on the web (n.b., use the same caution you would when browsing any website or web page on the internet, and make sure that your anti-virus and anti-spyware software are up-to-date).
I use whatever type of software that will accomplish the task I need to do.
computers, internet and special software
There is no special trick needed. You simply need a compatible webcam (most are) and software that makes use of it, such as Cheese, a Flash game, or a chat client (such as Kopete or aMSN).