Cyberlink's updated its BD Advisor (the HD advice having sadly, but understandably, falling by the wayside), to check for profile 1.1 (Picture-in-picture) and 2.0 (BD-Live) support. A quick download of the 4 MB app and a scan later, and you know if your hardware may need an upgrade to play movies at all, or to enjoy all the special features by checking out the new advanced tab in the new, slightly cleaner interface. Our request for a calculator to add up the cost of necessary upgrades has yet to be answered, though we're slightly comforted in the knowledge that the required equipment is a lot cheaper now than it was two years ago during our first scan.

Call us crazy, but it seems that CyberLink has been patting itself on the back quite frequently. Shortly after announcing that its PowerDVD software was certified for DTS-HD Master Audio playback, it's now trumpeting two more certifications: Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) and AVCREC. These additions assure users that any connected material on BD-Live-enabled titles will play back just fine in PowerDVD, and the AVCREC approval enables it to "play back the recording of high-definition video onto DVD recordable discs using the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) format." Per usual, owners of PowerDVD 7 or prior will need to fork out some cash for the upgrade, while PowerDVD 8 owners can nab the update gratis.

Just weeks after Corel held a trophy high proclaiming that its WinDVD 8 had landed DTS-HD Master Audio certification, CyberLink is finally able to do the same. Except with its own breed of playback software, PowerDVD. For audiophiles the world over, you can now stop pacing in wonder of when said application will finally have this honor bestowed upon it, as that 7.1-channel goodness you've come to expect from DTS-HD MA can now be fully enjoyed on PowerDVD. Break out the Champagne? No? Okay.

Earlier this month, ASUS introduced the "world's first HDMI 1.3a compliant audio / video enhancement combo card." Who knew numero dos was so close behind? Auzentech has just announced its very own HDMI 1.3-native PCIe audio combo card, which is built around Creative's X-Fi processor and enables PC users to easily output 7.1-channel audio with no downsampling. Essentially, the Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 "accepts video from either an internal or external connection, mixes it with digital audio, and outputs the combined video and lossless multichannel audio via a single HDMI 1.3 port." Yep, that means Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs are fully supported. The only digs? For one, pricing remains a mystery, but the real kicker is the September release -- talk about a long wait.

Have all manner of DLNA-enabled equipment laying around, but want an easier way to access it whether at home or on the road? Cyberlink Live's personal web service plans an upgrade that will combine its existing remote access to content stored on a PC, with direct media access to your entire home media network, from a TV, NAS, DVR or anything else via your web browser. Slingboxes, PS3's remote play and other systems have helped enable media access from the next room or the next state, but we'll keep an eye out to see if our disparate hardware will be flying one flag when direct media access becomes part of the package in Q4 of this year.

We can't imagine Nick is the only one out there who struggled with getting PowerDVD to handle Blu-ray Discs correctly, so if you've been letting said application collect digital dust while longing for it to function as advertised, take note. CyberLink has just shot out the latest update to the program, and according to our resident tipster, it's a game-changer. It enables hardware acceleration for H.264 encoding, enhances disc load time, reduces memory consumption and makes playback a good bit smoother overall. For PowerDVD 8 Ultra users, this one seems like a surefire download. Hit the read link to get it on!

[Thanks, Nick]

Whoa there, partner. Anxious to pull the trigger on that upgrade to PowerDVD 8? If you plan on playing back any HD DVDs with it in the future, we'd politely recommend you didn't. Apparently CyberLink saw fit to remove HD DVD compatibility altogether from its latest version of PowerDVD, leaving v7.3 as the last remaining edition that played nice with red. Thankfully, the company has emailed out a statement to those questioning the move and assured us all that both v7.3 and v8.0 can be installed on a computer at the same time without issue, so at least all hope isn't lost. A lot can change in 16 months, huh?

[Thanks, Ryan]

Although CyberLink's PowerProducer software has been certified to author Blu-ray Discs since 2006, the latest and greatest version is offering up a few niceties for those who just can't resist the urge to upgrade. PowerProducer 5 Ultra enables users to create both BDs and DVDs, and even adds in support for the AVCHD video format. Furthermore, it's BD-RE 3.0 certified, supports 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio and on-disc editing, and includes a "simpler, re-styled interface and new design tools for creating customizable disc menus with imported photos and videos." For new customers, PowerProducer 5 Ultra will run you $79.95 (versus just $49.95 for the non-Ultra edition), while existing owners can make the leap to Ultra for $49.95.

Being Bonus View (or Profile 1.1 like we used to call it back in the old days) enabled has gone from theoretical to actual for users of Cyberlink's PowerDVD Ultra. Also enhancing BD-J compatibility with certain movies, the 71.8mb download brings users to build 3730 and should provide the seamless PiP quality observed at CES -- if your PC can handle it of course. No charge for supporting more of Blu-ray's features, so get to downloading.

[Thanks, François]

Just a few weeks back, we were able to grab a sneak peek at Resident Evil: Extinction's Bonus View feature, and now Blu-ray.com has yet another preview we figure the BD camp will be interested in seeing. Apparently, CyberLink was busy demonstrating its forthcoming Profile 1.1-enabled PowerDVD 7 Ultra software at CES, which allowed Sunshine to be played back "perfectly" with picture-in-picture enabled. Also, they were able to confirm that the aforementioned application will indeed play nice with DTS-HD tracks and that DTS-HD MA support was just around the bend. Reportedly, the update will be available gratis to current owners of PowerDVD Ultra next month.

While we like Blu-ray burners as much as the next guy, we've never understood why the burners came first. Well, the wait is finally over and Sony has just announced the BDU-X10S (reader only) for both the PC (pictured) and laptop (after the jump) with a MSRP of $200 -- curiously not 199.99. If this isn't a good enough deal for you, luckily Sony is also including CyberLink's PowerDVD BD Edition. The drives feature a SATA interface, which makes sense since this is the interface of choice on the type of newer PCs that will actually have the juice to playback HD.

Currently, there's just not a whole lot of options when you're scouting a pre-fabricated rig that does both HD DVD and Blu-ray on a single optical drive, but adding one more to mix certainly helps. Enter Inteset, which has just announced that an HD DVD / Blu-ray combo drive will be an option in the firm's Maximus and Denzel media server systems. The machines will reportedly come loaded with CyberLink's PowerDVD Ultra software, support 7.1-channel surround sound, and sport an array of ports including audio in / out, DVI / VGA / component / S-Video, USB, FireWire, and antenna inputs for the TV tuners. 'Course, since the company recommends that you "contact a dealer for pricing," you should assume that this here HTPC won't run you cheap.

Cyberlink's recently released PowerDVD Ultra software seemed to be a cure-all solution for enjoying high-definition movies on a PC, offering support for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, including Microsoft's low-cost Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. As Cyberlink's support forums show, however, not everybody's been rewarded for their patience (and hundred bucks), with a number of reports cropping up of playback problems with both high-def formats on systems that Cyberlink's own system adviser says meet the necessary requirements. The main problem appears to occur with those using an HDMI or DVI-to-HDMI connection between their video card and display device, with the video reportedly only playing for a few seconds before throwing up an "Error 0103" message stating that the player couldn't be initialized. While there's reports of the problem dating back to shortly after the software's release in late December, there's so far been no fix for the issue and no word from Cyberlink on when one might be coming. Some of the affected users don't seem to be in the mood for waiting, however, with a couple even going so far as to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau, though its yet to be seen what will come from that.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Whether playing HD DVD and Blu-ray discs from a drive, or files obtained or stored via other means, you'll need plenty of horsepower to keep the HD flowing smoothly. Hardware Zone took a look at NVIDIA and ATI's competing platforms for hardware acceleration of h.264 and VC-1 decoding on PCs. They tested a few 1080i h.264-encoded movies from Japan and found neither solution was able reduce CPU load by more than 20-30% on their Core 2 Duo equipped test machine, with similar reductions on less CPU-intensive VC-1 discs. Overall they like the NVIDIA's PureVideo GeForce 7600 GT over the comparably priced ATI Radeon X1650 XT with Avivo, but check out the head to head for all the numbers before deciding which videocard goes in your next Media PC.

[Via MPEG4.net]

HP's hd100 HD DVD external USB drive is finally shipping and listed on sale at several retailers. Announced last fall, it was scheduled to ship in 2006 but didn't quite make it. We checked with HP when taking a look at a few other proucts (like it's evil twin, the bd135 Blu-ray burner also pictured above) and found out it is now shipping, a quick search on Froogle shows it can be bought for $449. What does $240 more than the price of an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on that also works on the PC buy you? A drive capable of 2.4x HD DVD / 5x DVD / 14x CD read speeds, USB 2.0 cable, power cord, assorted manuals and support software and a copy of Cyberlink's PowerDVD HD DVD edition. Unfortunately, at a price that buys two Microsoft-subsidized Xbox 360 drives and leaves $40 left over to put towards playback software and an HD upgrade we're not in that much of a hurry to add-to-cart, but for an officially supported HD DVD solution on the PC, this is about it.