![]() That said, its ease of use, powerful post-processing and library features add up to make PowerDVD 9 a good buy for those who don't want to mess about with lots of separate programs. For DVD use, a variety of free programs - VLC media player, ffdshow and Griffith - can replicate most of the Deluxe version's features. If you're simply looking to play Blu-ray movies, there are slightly cheaper options, such as Arcsoft's TotalMedia Theatre (What's New, Shopper 249) which costs $70 (around £48). The same interface can display DVD chapter thumbnails for navigating to your favourite bits. ![]() You can browse your movies using an iTunes-like cascade of cover art. MoovieLive may be less encyclopedic, but it can differentiate between Blu-ray and DVD versions of a film and different DVD releases. ![]() There are free alternatives to this, such as Griffith ( but these rely on film information from the Internet Movie Database. Every time you play a disc it can be added to your collection, with cover art and details retrieved from CyberLink's MoovieLive site. Over time, you can build up an index of your DVD and Blu-ray collection. For Windows XP users, it also has its own Cinema mode, which can be used from a distance and navigated by a remote control. PowerDVD integrates smoothly with Media Center by adding an icon to the menu system. Ultra can also decode the usual HD audio standards found on Blu-ray, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Both versions support a range of Dolby technologies, with Dolby Virtual Speaker and Dolby Headphone providing pseudo-surround-sound capabilities. A big disappointment, however, is the lack of surround-sound DTS support in the Deluxe version. On the audio side, both packages support Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. There are free post-processing tools available with similar capabilities, such as the popular ffdshow, but these are not nearly as user-friendly. This results in far smoother and more natural-looking movement. Like many HD TVs, TrueTheater can be set to generate extra frames of video based on the existing ones, so as to match your monitor's refresh rate. ![]() Image upscaling is also impressive, with sharp edges showing no overt pixellation. ![]() Set correctly, it boosts the impact of fine details but with a minimal increase in picture noise. There's detail enhancement, which can be left on automatic, or set with a simple slider. The Ultra version also supports the AVCHD and AVCREC formats, so you can play HD camcorder footage that's been burnt to Blu-ray or DVD.īoth versions of PowerDVD can improve the appearance of standard-definition video, thanks to the TrueTheater post-processing tools. Support for the HD format is the key difference between PowerDVD's Ultra and Deluxe versions, with the latter limited to DVD playback. PowerDVD 9 still has plenty to offer, though, with features including image enhancement, a movie library and Blu-ray playback.Īt present, there's no free software that will play Blu-ray movies. This is no longer essential as Windows Vista Home, unlike XP Home, comes with a built-in MPEG2 codec, allowing you to watch DVDs via Media Center without additional software. Practically every new PC used to come bundled with DVD playback software such as PowerDVD. ![]()
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