PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was not a fan of PDVD 9, it was IMO never out of Beta and not what you would call compatible with Vista. However, Cyberlink is moving in the right direction with Ultra 10 (this review is for Windows 7 only).
OK, first off there are only 3 Blu Ray media players on the market. 1) Cyberlink PowerDVD, 2) Corel WinDVD 2010, 3) Arcsoft TotalMedia Theater 3. All are available for download and all have trial periods. I can tell you right now not to bother wasting time with Corel's new implementation, its garbage and there's a reason its been on sale lately for as cheap as around $40, it just plain doesn't work. Arcsoft's player looks like its spec'd similarly to PDVD 10, but I haven't tried it. However, it is priced at around $90, about the same as Cyberlink's product so maybe you can tell a difference between the trial versions.
The first thing that impressed me about PowerDVD 10 Ultra, was that once I downloaded the fully licensed version, there was no 100Mb+ "patch" required to make the thing work. I mean it DID work right out of the box with Windows 7 but some features like 3D and the ability to add video files to a playlist were disabled. But the upconversion of regular DVD's to HD is the most impressive feature of this software. You can even split the screen to see the difference for yourself, its amazing, and works 5 times better than WinDVD. Also, its automatic. Or, if you want more control over playback you can switch to "hardware acceleration" using your video card settings but you'll soon forget about this feature, TruTheater is just that good.
PDVD 10 is allegedly compatible with most video formats, but I haven't found that to be the case. The only thing I can play since the upgrade are DVDs and Blu Rays, it wont play avi, divx, etc. although they claim to be compatible, I see a lot of complaints about this so I'm not the only one. It will play .VOB and MPEG2 files but crashes when you touch the controls. It also plays .MOV reliably but only from my iPhone, it wont play .MOV files you convert using Cyberlink's PowerDirector. Typical! DVD Audio is covered with a number of options for 2/4/6/8 speakers including Dolby Surround Downmix and TruTheater Surround. Other classic features like Slow Motion, Snapshot, Zoom 4x/9x make this the most versatile player on the market.
3D I cant speak too cause I don't have a 3D ready/HDCP compatible monitor so that feature is disabled in the player but I'm anxious to try that out. MaximumPC did an article recently on converting 2D video to 3D with a simple script change so I know its possible to convert normal DVD's to 3D, I just haven't seen it demonstrated. You will need a 3D monitor, compatible video card, and shutter glasses. After the latest update I can simulate this even though I don't have a compatible system but the player will produce a pseudo "3D" image, I just don't have any glasses so I don't know what it looks like.
Don't know if you're system is compatible with 3D, no problem. Just go to Cyberlink's website, click the Support link and download the BD Advisor, it will analyze your system and tell you exactly what you need to play 3D Blu Rays. There's also a forum worth checking out before you plunk down your hard earned cash for this feature.
Update 12/15/10 On the subject of "patches"..... there are a number of updates on the Cyberlink website that should improve performance and fix a few minor bugs, and as usual with Cyberlink it is a confusing process, and ALL these fixes are over 100Mb files. Autohiding the control panel during playback was my biggest issue, there's a fix for that. Most of the other patches are updates to incorporate optimization for video cards and 3D playback. After downloading all the updates, I can play AVI, MPG, MOV, VOB etc. files and create playlists without any problems.

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CyberLink's most advanced movie and media player to date, PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D delivers 3D and HD movies on the PC. PowerDVD 10 is a unique universal player that offers the best playback quality available. Whether it is 3D movie content, captured home videos, or your digital music files, PowerDVD 10 lets you access them all from the same convenient player software, enhancing your experience in all kinds of new ways.


The Universal Player for Upgrading Your Media Experience to 3D and HD
Brilliant Blu-ray
Experience Blu-ray movies the way that only PowerDVD 10 can offer: simply unbeatable quality. Optimized for the latest hardware acceleration technologies from Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD, PowerDVD ensures smoother movie performance. PowerDVD 10 launches your Blu-ray movies up to four times faster, too.

Blu-ray 3D*
Seeing is believing the kind of life-like imagery that Blu-ray 3D* can deliver, and PowerDVD 10 brings it to life on your PC. Offering the best-quality 3D movie experience possible, PowerDVD is compatible with the full range of 3D hardware on the market, including glasses, graphics cards, and monitors.
* Notice of Free Mark II Upgrade: Consumers who purchase PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D will receive a FREE UPGRADE that enables support of the Blu-ray 3D format and 2D to 3D conversion of video files. Available summer 2010.

Play DVDs in 3D
Give your existing movie collection a new look and feel. PowerDVD 10 makes it easy to convert regular DVD movies into a spectacular 3D experience thanks to its advanced TrueTheater 3D technology. It's easy, too. With the simple click of a button, PowerDVD 10 transforms your favorite 2D movies into 3D. You can also customize the 3D effect by adjusting the depth slider. PowerDVD 10 takes you to new heights of visual excellence for standard DVD content.

Upscale DVDs and Videos to HD
Enjoy better movie playback quality for both your DVDs and video files with TrueTheater HD upscaling technology. PowerDVD 10 lets you output to an HDTV in a quality that looks noticeably sharper and clearer. Optimization for hardware acceleration ensures even smoother results.
Browse Titles and Chapters by Touch
Make your DVD searches more exciting with FancyView, an animated browsing mode for your DVD titles. Enjoy a unique perspective when browsing for movie titles, chapters, and special features.
Get a preview of chapters for those DVDs you've watched with PowerDVD's "flashback" thumbnails. FancyView supports touch technology so you can flick through movie chapters with your fingertips too.

Better Video Playback
Enhance your home videos during real-time playback with PowerDVD 10's TrueTheater Noise Reduction and TrueTheater Stabilizer. Simply select TrueTheater Noise Reduction to remove any "visual noise" from grainy videos, to give a much clearer, artifact-free picture. Apply TrueTheater Stabilizer to fix the shakiness in videos that often occurs when you take handheld camcorder shots. As a universal player, PowerDVD now plays even more formats, gives you access to online movie trailers via MoovieLive, and lets you upload files to YouTube.
Home Theater Music
Supporting the latest music library features of Windows 7, PowerDVD 10 makes it even easier to listen to music from the player you use to enjoy your movies. Create playlists of favorite tunes. Use TrueTheater Surround technology to optimize your audio for home theater and PC hardware. Sounds great!
High-Definition Audio
PowerDVD 10 lets your ears enjoy the ultimate movie experience too, with support for high-definition audio formats from Dolby Digital and DTS. Support for HDMI 1.3a delivers the purity of lossless HD audio via a single convenient cable to your home theater system.

Movie Reviews & Live Comments
Create movie reviews that other users can read and play using PowerDVD 10. MovieMarks combine bookmarks and review comments and can be shared online via MoovieLive.com. Meanwhile, Live Comments let you post your opinions to Facebook, Twitter, and MoovieLive while your movie is playing.

Key Features:
Universal movie and media player delivers 3D and HD movies on the PC
Offers the best playback quality available for 3D movie content, captured home videos, digital music files, and more
Delivers the smoothest Blu-ray playback; optimized for leading CPU/GPU technologies from Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA
Experience Blu-ray movies; optimized for the latest hardware-acceleration technologies
TrueTheater technology transforms 2D movies into a spectacular 3D experience
Compatible with full range of 3D hardware, including glasses, graphics cards, and monitors
Upscale DVDs and video files to HD quality with TrueTheater HD technology
Browse DVD titles by touch with animated browsing mode
Enhance home videos during real-time playback with TrueTheater Noise Reduction and TrueTheater Stabilizer
TrueTheater Surround optimizes audio for home theater and PC hardware
Create movie reviews and live comments that can be shared with others

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Sony BDP-S1 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am, as a rule, not one to buy first generations of any kind of product. I have a long history of owning problem-free Sony products, so I was willing to risk it with the BDP-S1 once I caught it on sale. Big mistake! While the picture quality is amazingly better than anything I've seen so far in a digital video format, the machine is glitchy as can be. Here's my thoughts:
Pros:
1. Much better audio than with any player I've ever owned. The channels are clearly separate and not muddy sounding as with other players I've owned. Some of that is the Yamaha receiver, but there've been other players connected to it recently and none match the BDP-S1 sound output quality.
2. The picture delivers as advertised when played with the Blue Ray discs. The 1080i upconversion (my TV doesn't support 1080p...another wait-and-see attitude for me) is not remarkable with standard DVDs, but there is a difference.
Cons:
1. Does not play CD audio discs. Not a big thing to me since I never played CDs in any of my previous DVD players, but for the price (see #5 below), this machine should have zero problems handling any previous digital data formats.
2. The boot-up speed is, in a word, awful. It takes a LONG time for the player to get to the point where the tray can be opened to insert a disc.After I'd first bought the player, I pressed the open/close button and, once the player had finished it's boot-up process, it opened and then immediately closed the tray, scratching the disc. I learned to wait until I see the "CLOSE" indication on the player before pressing the open/close button. This con sounds a bit trivial, but after several foot-tapping delays, it becomes insane.
3. The menu access is hit-and-miss with standard DVD discs. Some discs will allow you to go back to the previous menu when the MENU button is pressed on the remote, others will display the message "This operation is prohibitied by this disc" and then you're forced to stop the disc and either restart it again for this power cycle or reboot the entire player (see #2!).
4. Following the argument in #3, if you are able to restart the disc without rebooting the player, this process sometimes hangs the play mode into scan mode. When this happens, it's back to rebooting the player and, you guessed it, see #2.
5. There is no resume function that bookmarks your progress after power is removed from the player. So, if you have to reboot because you tried to access the menu with a standard DVD, you'll have to find where you were at manually once you are able to return to the movie. The resume works only on the current power cycle.
6. Even on sale, this player is enormously expensive.
I broke my own rule of avoiding first generation products based on brand loyalty and performance history. It's why I don't own a 2005 Mustang while I absolutely loved the redesign and my mouth watered every time one drove past. But in this instance, I turned a deaf ear to my better judgment, so I deserve what I got for having ignored my own cardinal rule. Don't make the same mistake. Wait and see what's next. It's my understanding that the next generation of Sony Blue Ray players will play CD audio. Save your money and frustration budget and wait.


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Sony built quality, industrial design, and construction
1080p Full HD Video Output from Blu-ray Disc
DVD up-scaling to 1080p
World-class audio and video components/circuits
BD-Java interactive capability
Blu-ray Disc/DVD playback
Video Codec Format: MEPG2/MEG4-AVC/VC-1
Drive Bracket for stability of drive system
Individual Speaker setting
Off Center Insulator Feet
Pop Up Menu
Quick Setup
FL off/Dimmer Mode
Screen Saver
Mp3 & JPEG Playback
Parental Control
IR in
Multi Brand TV Control Remote
Hightly Tuned Audio Parts
Separated Audio Circuit Board
Multi Channel 192KHz/24bit Audio D/A Converters
Dolby Digital and dts 5.1 Channel Output
Picture Mode Settings
Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD, Dolby Digital, Digital Out and decoding capability.
HDMI Output x 1
Component Video Output - x 1
Optical Output x 1
Composite Output x 1

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