CyberLink’s PowerDVD stays the one official Blu-ray playback software program within the PC area. Over the previous few years, the corporate has been making an attempt so as to add worth to the software program with additional options similar to help for VR HMDs and 360° movies. PowerDVD 19 is being launched in the present day. It continues CyberLink’s custom of incremental enhancements to the playback software program.
The enhancements in PowerDVD 19 embody the flexibility to play 8K movies, video postprocessing enabled for higher-resolution movies in comparison with PowerDVD 18, and the transition to a 64-bit playback engine. The new model additionally brings help for the HEIC/HEIF picture format, and might play again HDR movies with out taking up unique management of the desktop’s HDR configuration. PowerDVD 19 additionally makes enchancment within the YouTube interface, permitting for the choice of the video high quality earlier than making a title out there for watching offline.
While 8K playback is trying extra into the long run, CyberLink’s developments in TrueTheater (their video and audio postprocessing options set) might be seen by customers immediately. While PowerDVD 18 centered on TrueTheater results primarily for HD movies, PowerDVD 19 brings 4K help for post-processing options associated to paint correction, distinction enhancement, and HDR.
PowerDVD 19 additionally brings enhancements to the VR HMD playback function, with the 360° video help getting complemented with new help for 360° spatial audio.
Similar to the earlier PowerDVD variations, CyberLink plans to supply 4 totally different flavors of PowerDVD 19 out there – the
Usage Impressions
CyberLink’s PowerDVD and UltraHD Blu-ray Advisor Tool are utilized in each HTPC evaluation revealed on AnandTech, as bodily disk playback analysis continues to be an oft-requested level in our reader suggestions. The firm provided us an early take a look at PowerDVD 19, and we took it out for a spin on a few totally different methods – on the Kaby Lake Beebox which performs UHD Blu-rays completely with PowerDVD 17, the newer model pressured us to replace our drivers. We additionally put in the software program on the Bean Canyon NUC. On each machines, making an attempt the playback of a UHD Blu-ray triggered the ‘Initiating parts for Ultra HD Blu-ray’ pop-up field and the progress bar ended up getting caught near completion (just like the problem reported right here for an older model. After 6 hours, I gave up making an attempt to make use of the software program on the Beebox. On the Bean Canyon NUC, I let the system idle with this system lively. Eventually, after greater than 24 hours, the pop-up field disappeared, and the playback began. All in all, it was not nice person expertise. But, as soon as previous that preliminary stage, UHD Blu-ray playback was comparatively painless. The TrueTheater results are taxing on each the GPU and the CPU, and it’s helpful to have for user-generated content material, quite than Blu-rays. PowerDVD’s TV mode, with a 10-foot UI, could be very intuitive to make use of, although not as versatile as Kodi’s.
Quite a lot of the UX points with PowerDVD are a results of the onerous content material safety schemes mandated by the Blu-ray Disc Association. As Netflix and lots of different OTT content material suppliers have proven, it’s doable to maintain customers comparatively glad whereas nonetheless defending the content material, and the BDA / CyberLink might study from them. That stated, for individuals who do not watch protected content material, it’s a bit tough to justify the price of a PowerDVD buy (on condition that open-source software program like Kodi, VLC, and MPC-HC with LAV Filters do a fantastic job for native media playback). The TrueTheater options go up in opposition to the capabilities provided by renderers similar to madVR. While PowerDVD 19 /…
