Cyberlink has announced the release of PowerDVD 8 Ultra, which is the only viable option right now to watch Blu-ray (or HD-DVDs) on a computer since Windows XP or Vista does not have a native ability to play Blu-ray movies.
PowerDVD Ultra has been a maturing piece of software. Version 7 lacked HD audio codecs for Blu-ray movies, which I always thought was an odd ommission. PowerDVD Ultra 8 rectifies this by adding in support for Dolby TrueHD audio codecs. One of the big differences between Blu-ray discs and DVDs is the inclusion of lossless audio for stunning surround sound quality. From Dolby’s website:
Dolby TrueHD delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master, unlocking the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. When coupled with high-definition video, Dolby TrueHD offers an unprecedented home theater experience that lets you enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture.
PowerDVD Ultra 8 supports the following home theater audio codecs:
- Dolby TrueHD (7.1-channel)
- Dolby Digital EX (7.1-channel)
- Dolby Digital Plus (7.1-channel)
- Dolby Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP)
- DTS-HD (7.1-channel)
- DTS (5.1 channel)
- DTS 96/24 decoding
- DTS-ES (Discrete and Matrix)
Only one roadblock remains with PowerDVD Ultra 8 in my opinion: seemless integration with Vista Media Center. Work arounds exist but it would be nice to have an easy to install and seemless integration with VMC.
April 8th, 2008 at 4:26 am
CyberLink PowerDVD 8 Ultra
May 1st, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Huge caveat on this, though: every single codec gets downmixed to 2-channel stereo over S/PDIF. The only way you get advanced audio codecs is via the analog outputs of your computer sound card.
This remains an enormous limitation of PowerDVD, and they have been promising a fix for too long.