Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra. the only viable option for watching Blu-ray or HD-DVDs on a computer, has been certified by the Blu-ray Disc Association to support playback of BD-Video Profile 1.1 specification. From the press release:

CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra featuring support for BD-Video Profile 1.1 format allows the playback of high-definition movie content with multiple video streams, providing users with real-time Picture-in-Picture viewing experience such as watching the movie and video commentaries simultaneously.

This upgrade will allow BonusView material to be viewed on a PC with a Blu-ray drive and compatible hardware. The updated version is expected to ship soon. One advantage to using a software-based player on a media center is that when new features are implemented, you can just update the software rather than having to buy a whole new Blu-ray player.

It is unfortunate that Blu-ray players have different “profiles.” Blu-ray was essentially not a finished spec when the first players were released. The Blu-ray Association has one more “profile” to add to make the specification complete (Blu-ray 2.0). Just another way to confuse the general public.