Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Blu-Ray 3D on Your Laptop with PowerDVD 10?
Posted by Don Tolson in "Digital Home Software" @ 08:00 AM
Product Category: Video/Audio Player
Manufacturer: CyberLink
Where to Buy: Amazon [affiliate]
Price: Starts at $49.95USD for the Standard version. Ultra version tested is $99.95USD.
System Requirements: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Win7 -- Intel Pentium 4 3.0Ghz+ or AMD Athlon 64 2800+ 1.8Ghz+; 512meg RAM, DirectX 9.0. For Blu-Ray: WinXP SP3/Vista/Win 7 -- Intel Pentium 4, CoreDuo or Core2Quad or Athlon 64 4400+, 1Gig RAM; blu-ray compatible drive. Full system requirements can be found on the CyberLink website.
Specifications: Video: Blu-Ray, AVCHD, AVCREC, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, SMPTE, VC-1, WMV-HD, RM/RMVB, MKV, FLV, HDMI3.1. Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/7.1/HD, DTS/HD/96/24, HDMI3.1, AAC. A full description of supported formats is available here.
Pros:
- Wide variety of video and audio formats supported;
- Blu-Ray and 3D emulation (needs compatible screen) with Blu-Ray 3D native support coming soon;
- Includes TrueTheatre video 'noise' filters and stabilizer.
Cons:
- Music interface is lacking in 'modern' features (album art, playlists, etc.);
- May overload some systems;
- Overloaded with 'social networking' interfaces.
Summary:
PowerDVD by CyberLink has been the DVD player of choice for OEMs for a number of years, providing a simple way to view movies on home PCs and laptops. With version 10, CyberLink extends the capabilities of the software to the point where a well-equipped media PC can compete with dedicated home theatre equipment. With Blu-Ray (TM), Dolby (TM) 7.1 and remote support, all you really need is a big screen monitor and you'd be all set. Let's take a look and see if you really need that dedicated Blu-Ray player.
