PowerDVD Reviewer's Comments

Our #1 ranked product and "TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award" is PowerDVD 8, CyberLink's latest DVD player software.

CyberLink has set the standard for home theater viewing. The difference? CyberLink playback simply looks and sounds superior.

The audio in version 8 converts 2-channel audio to multi-channel output. This means you'll hear more diverse sound, detail, and nuance, even with just two speakers or headphones (5.1 audio channels); this is called Virtual Surround-Sound. Or, if you have a high-definition sound system, the true Surround-Sound audio (a full 7.1 audio channels) will blow you away-you'll feel just like you're in the theater. You can optimize your sound on a system from two speakers to eight speakers, but it sounds fine on any system.

CyberLink's new video technology gives movies more intense, natural color and contrast, so you'll see more detail in those extra dark and extra light movie scenes. And the speedy video display rate means that your picture won't be clouded with flawed or blurred images when scenes change rapidly.

To top it off, CyberLink is simple to use. The program features intuitive menu choices, bookmarks and shortcuts throughout. You can find what you need fast.

If you want a DVD player that can read Blu-ray discs, upgrade to Power DVD 8 Ultra. You can find a copy of Power DVD 8 Ultra here. 

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Feature Set:  

We found PowerDVD 8 to be the most versatile program on the market. We've listed a few of our favorite feature perks below.

PowerDVD 8 automatically adapts the video to your specific monitor or screen size. This stretching technology means you'll have no more annoying black spaces, just optimal picture with the best ratio for your screen.

Unlike most DVD player software, PowerDVD 8 can play movies directly from your hard drive; simply select the movie folder and press OK. There is also a time-saving shortcut that lets you access video object files (VOB files) through Windows Explorer; just drag the VOB file directly into the screen to begin the movie automatically.

You can program your mouse or computer keyboard to perform common commands like chapter selection, volume control, fast reverse/forward and more.

PowerDVD 8 includes convenient mobile power settings for notebook computers When you watch a movie on a notebook computer in battery mode, PowerDVD 8 will balance your power usage to allow the movie to continue to play through to the end. Although you'll experience a slight loss of performance, your movie will not be interrupted by a dead battery. Or, you can preset your battery-saving settings; this allows you to automatically terminate the movie when the battery level reaches a certain percent so that you can preserve your battery power for other tasks.

Ease of Use:  

PowerDVD 8 is simple to use. The program has an uncluttered screen that makes selecting and navigating simple. The buttons and icons are easy to see and each option includes a footnote explanation. You can toggle the size of the control screen with the touch of a button, shrinking the control panel so it doesn't get in your way.

Ease of Installation:  

PowerDVD 8 is easy to install and set up. You enter your name, the CD key (number), select the default copy directory, download the program, then you're ready to play DVDs.

Video Quality:  

PowerDVD gives outstanding video quality. The software uses technology to analyze the video image and enhance brightness, contrast and saturation on the fly. This technology will adjust scenes that are too bright or screens that have a dark overlay (common in DVD movies). PowerDVD adds contrast to bright scenes and removes the dark overlay from night scenes, providing a crisp, clear picture.The program gives you optimal viewing for any system-TV screen, computer, or HiDTV (Hi Definition Television). This requires some specific technological tools. Why? Because most DVDs are interlaced-this means they were designed to play on televisions, not HiDefinition video systems and computer screens. Portions of your DVD picture must be deinterlaced, or displayed in a different, faster way to give you the sharp visual images you expect from HDTV or a computer monitor. PowerDVD takes extra steps to ensure that each frame of your video is clear, sharp and clean, as it was meant to be viewed. Without intellelligent, adaptive deinterlacing, some scenes in your movie will appear smeary, jagged, or blotchy. And you can even customize the deinterlacing settings if you want. In addition, PowerDVD 8 has some additional compatibility with high-definition file formats that PowerDVD 7 didn't support. Now PowerDVD 8 is even better capable of playing HD movies like they deserve to be seen.

Audio Quality:  

PowerDVD 8 offers superb audio quality to give you cinema sound quality at home. PowerDVD offers advanced control features so you can customize your sound to your home environment and desired output. For example, you can define your environment as noisy or quiet, pick between living room, theater, or stadium, and define your desired sound as movie, music, or even onstage music. Or you can avoid choices and have the program use default settings.You may also manually alter the speakers' Surround-Sound settings using DS3D Virtual Speaker Settings software (included). And you can easily play CDs and MP3 audio files with the sensation of Surround-Sound.

Help/Support:  

PowerDVD 8 is one of few DVD players that provide ample help documentation. The contents category is divided into specific subcategories so you can find subjects easily. If you need more help, you can access the index tab and search for a keyword. If you still have unanswered questions, online support is available.

Summary:  

If you want to experience the ambiance of the theater without leaving your home, PowerDVD 8 is the DVD software player for you.