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PowerDVD 9 with native Media Center UI goes live

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Mar 2nd 2009 at 8:43AM

PowerDVD 9
We've given up on waiting for Microsoft to natively support Blu-ray in Windows Media Center, but the good news is that the 3rd parties seem motivated to fill in the gap and the latest player from Cyberlink leap frogs ArcSoft's TotalMedia nicely. Although there are some additional under the hood enhancements -- still no HDMI 1.3 support, but seems to be coming with some sort of "Advanced Pack" -- that are welcomed, the big news in PowerDVD 9 is the Windows Media Center interface. Rather than just add a shortcut to the main menu that launches the application, Cyberlink has done some good work building a native MCML application. It pretty much looks exactly like it did when we filmed it at CES, and for the most part we like it, but we still think it could be a little more like the Media Center UI -- mostly we're referring to the scrub bar.

Gallery: Hands-on with PowerDVD 9

Continue reading PowerDVD 9 with native Media Center UI goes live

Engadget HD CES schwag giveaway: Blu-ray discs and more

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jan 19th 2009 at 11:40AM Featured Story

Blu-ray Disc giveaway
Although the announcements at CES weren't particularly wonderful this year, the schwag was pretty sweet. In fact at the Blu-ray Disc Association press event some of the best schwag of the entire show was dispensed -- assuming you like Blu-ray Discs, which we do. You'd expect that if discs were given away, the titles wouldn't be anything to write home about. But in this case, the BDA gave out six movies and a few of them were not only the hottest selling this year, but one of them (The Dark Knight) was the hottest of all time. So we're passing on the goods to our favorite people, which is of course our readers. Up for grabs is four sets of the following movies; The Dark Knight, Batman Begins (Limited Edition Gift Set), WALL-E, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Pineapple Express, and Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who! We're also including a Blu-ray branded bag to tote 'em in and one lucky winner will also receive some additional schwag. If you're interested, leave a comment below and we'll randomly pick four winners for the discs and one of those four will also get a TiVo doll, a Cyberlink wallet and a few other goodies -- see below.

The rules:
  • Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, though we'd prefer to hear about your favorite CES announcement.
  • You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
  • If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
  • Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  • Winners will be chosen randomly. Four winners will receive one (1) copy of each of the following movies on Blu-ray; The Dark Knight, Batman Begins (Limited Edition Gift Set), WALL-E, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Pineapple Express, Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who!, and a Blu-ray bag. Approximate value is $239.99. In addition one of those winners will also receive a TiVo doll, REALD 3D glasses, Cyberlink wallet, Samsung notebook and pen, and Rock & Roll beads from The Digital Experience. Approximate value is $5.
  • Entries can be submitted until Monday, January 26th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
  • Full rules can be found here.

Continue reading Engadget HD CES schwag giveaway: Blu-ray discs and more

CyberLink bundles Media Server 2 with JVC's NX-BD3 Blu-ray HTIB

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 14th 2009 at 11:05PM


You know, we're actually kind of shocked that more companies aren't doing this, but CyberLink and JVC may have just started something without even being aware of it. Rather than trying to push daunting Blu-ray HTIB systems and media server software separately, these two decided it'd be easier to sell a setup in which the consumer was assured that their media would integrate seamlessly right out of the box. The so-called digital home entertainment network solution bundles CyberLink Media Server 2 with JVC's NX-BD3, and given the DLNA certification, there's nothing holding you back from streaming in networked media for playback on the system. Windows Home Server baked into your next HTIB? It could happen, folks.

Video: Cyberlink's native Media Center Blu-ray player

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jan 9th 2009 at 9:16PM Featured Story

At this point most aren't happy with Microsoft's progress of adding new features to Windows Media Center, but lucky for Blu-ray fans there are other companies willing to pick up the slack. The first to create Blu-ray software that tried to focus on the Media Center crowd was ArcSoft with its TotalMedia Theater, but although it was better than anything else out there, it is far from seamless. Competition is good and at Microsoft's booth we got to see a demo of the new Cyberlink PowerDVD Media Center player. It was far and away more seamless than the older PowerDVD and although it was very Media Center like, it still wasn't the same -- the most obvious difference is the scrub bar, which looks nothing like the Media Center scrub bar. This is an early version and is far from snappy. You can see in the video there are some pretty long delays when loading the disc, but to be fair it was tested on a netbook. Ultimately we liked it more than TotalMedia Theater, but we still long for native Blu-ray playback.

CyberLink unveils PowerCinema 6 HTPC software

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 8:01PM

Most recently, CyberLink has been ensconced behind the DIRECTV2PC operation, but now it's stepping out again on its own to showcase the PowerCinema 6 software. Designed to give HTPC owners easy access to multimedia (photos, TV shows, music, etc.) as well as handle TV recordings / scheduling and channel management, the new piece now boasts support for high-definition TV -- an obvious requirement for you and your peers. Obviously, that means you'll also find MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) support, though it doesn't include a player for Blu-ray Discs. If that's not a bother, the software can be acquired right now for between $49.95 and $129.95 depending on the bundle you choose.

DIRECTV2PC actually goes live, for real this time

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 21st 2008 at 12:38PM


Heads-up, DirecTV users. That DIRECTV2PC software that you've been waiting so anxiously for is finally available for download. Like, for real this time. Just as a refresher, the CyberLink software enables PC users to stream HD recordings from their DirecTV Plus HD DVR receiver to a connected computer in the home, and if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, may we encourage you to hit the read link and follow the steps to downloading. Oddly enough, the direct URL to CyberLink's site only seems to work when you connect through DirecTV's site, but we're hoping a fix is in the works.

[Thanks, Albert]

DIRECTV2PC launches in beta form, brings HD recordings to your local PC

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 14th 2008 at 2:58PM


It's no HDPC-20 PC tuner, but it is a new way for DirecTV subscribers to enjoy content. As of now, the DIRECTV2PC beta has been opened, giving mettlesome souls the ability to stream HD recordings from their DirecTV Plus HD DVR receiver to a connected PC in the home. Unfortunately, this isn't a Slingbox-type application, as the programming can only be slung within your local (read: home) network, but thankfully, high-def recordings are transmitted as high-def. You'll need a potent PC to play things back smoothly, and you can watch shows on your PC while live or recorded shows are being viewed on the TV. Have any of you given this a go? If so, drop in your initial impressions below.

[Via SatelliteGuys, thanks Vanbrothers]

Update: Seems the link still isn't working -- c'mon DirecTV, what gives?

CyberLink PowerDVD: now cleared for BD-RE 2.1 / BD-R 1.1 playback

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 29th 2008 at 4:55AM


Calm down people, everything's okay now. CyberLink has just revealed that its PowerDVD application is now certified to play back BD-RE 2.1 and BD-R 1.1 Blu-ray Disc media. Granted, it's only certified to handle HD H.264 content on those discs, but we're going out on a limb and suggesting that most anything else you put on there will work, too. Existing PowerDVD 8 owners can upgrade their application gratis as we speak.

Your PC BD-Live ready? Cyberlink's latest Blu-ray Disc Advisor can check

by Richard Lawler, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 9:54AM


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.

CyberLink PowerDVD nets Profile 2.0 / AVCREC certifications

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 4:36AM

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.

CyberLink's PowerDVD wins certification for DTS-HD Master Audio

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 22nd 2008 at 9:12PM

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.

Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 HDMI sound card does bitstream output from your HTPC

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 11:33AM

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.

Cyberlink Live to add web access to any DLNA device

by Richard Lawler, posted Jun 6th 2008 at 8:23AM

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.

CyberLink's latest PowerDVD update smooths Blu-ray playback

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 5th 2008 at 7:09AM

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]

CyberLink's PowerDVD 8 pretends HD DVD never existed

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 2:53PM


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]




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