CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra - Standard, Deluxe, and Max, All Rolled Up in One Package

CyberLink develops software solutions for DVD playback, so it's no surprise it's at the forefront of the high-definition format wars, but it's also pitting its very own players against each other. I have a slightly tainted view of CyberLink from having already reviewed the Standard and Deluxe versions of PowerDVD 7.0. My main issue is that the Standard and Deluxe versions seem to be trying to convince people to upgrade to the Ultra version, by charging high amounts for upgrades, or omitting features that probably have little value. However, with PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra, Cyberlink leaves the war behind by offering playback options for standard DVD movies as well as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. A comforting thought because the battle of formats has just begun and if you buy PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra, you won't be left hanging if one format ends up dying out.

Fortunately, since Ultra is the highest version of PowerDVD (Cyberlink actually has four different versions) there are no ploys within trying to convince you to buy a higher version. Furthermore, CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra is loaded with features. 

Having said all this, let's now look at the differences CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra  provides you over its competitors, including CyberLink itself, to see if the selling cost is justified.

What's Hot: 
The least expensive version of CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 is the Standard, which costs $49.95. For double the price, Ultra is easily justified. For that price, you not only get everything the Standard version offers, but also it is the only player CyberLink offers which provides support for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats of movies.

Besides the high quality discs you can now play, you also have a laundry list of high definition audio formats supported as well. Beginning with everything the Standard version offers, Ultra adds 6 high-definition formats, from Dolby Digital Plus to DTS-HD. Since I can't think of a format it doesn't play, you are fully prepared in case you need a feature in the future.


What's Not: 
The pricing is attractive when you consider that the Standard costs $49.95. If you combine all the add-on packs it would take to get to the features Ultra has, not even including HD-DVD/Blu-Ray, you're looking at $119.85. Clearly the Ultra is the best value, but it's definitely a designed value created by CyberLink. I don't think it's fair practice to make it possible to have your "standard" product cost more than the Ultra, without even the most critical HD features. I hope any customers out there read my reviews so they know the right product to get for themselves.

What's Hot: 
The user interface for CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra is pretty good. The buttons are clearly placed, and switching to full screen is as easy as a click on the top right, or simply double-clicking the movie playing.

The interface is a fairly standard beige design, but CyberLink offers a fairly neat feature in their downloadable skins. By default, you can select from three included skins, and I'm hoping there will be more to come down the line. It's a little odd that there are such few choices, with no instructions or methods for uploading your own. Still, it's a pretty nice addition which not many competitors have. Then again, users viewing in full screen mode will rarely ever notice the skin of the player.

In addition, even in full screen mode, by right-clicking, you have access to the full wealth of options. From subtitles, to audio selection, to the controls such as fast forward or skipping chapters, everything is easily accessible. There is one caveat, you only have the option of using your mouse for all these operations.

What's Not: 

The biggest disappointment with CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra (and all the other versions) is the lack of remote capabilities. As Imentioned earlier, I am a huge proponent of Home Theater PCs (HTPCs), which refers to hooking up computers to your home theater and your big screen television. This operation enables you to playback your movie files from your computer. This is the reason Windows Media Center has sold so many copies. It puzzles me that Cyberlink not only omits a plugin for Media Center, but they include no way to control the interface via remote.

Technically, if you have a remote with mouse controls, or basic playback controls, you can at least have the bare minimum playback abilities. I think that it's one very large omission for a commercial offering at a less-than-cheap price. Even competitors who refuse to design for Media Center have at least understood their customers' needs enough to design their own ten inch UI which is usable with a standard PC remote. If you don't mind using your mouse 100% of the time, it's a solid and fun interface to play around with.

What's Hot: 
CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra has some dedicated options for the improvement of video quality. As more users are connecting their PC's to a variety of higher quality and larger displays, the demands on the software players have grown. To deal with that, CyberLink uses their own decoder and image technology, called CyberLink Eagle Vision (CLEV). It is designed to brighten and enhance colors, as well as provide a smoother interface whether on a standard display, or on a stretched 16:9 (widescreen high definition) television set.

CyberLink PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra touts a number of other control and viewing features. The zoom and bookmark features are great, allowing you to go remember specific scenes.

In addition to the above, and all the features shared in previous versions, Ultra goes above and beyond. File support is as comprehensive as I've seen. It suppors both local and disc versions of virtually any standard or high-definition formats, from standard DivX to Blu-Ray and DVD-Audio discs.

In addition to the expansive list of video formats, the number of audio codecs supported is equally impressive. Ultra covers the full spectrum of sound, from standard Dolby, to sound expanders such as DTS Neo:6 which will emulate larger environments, all the way up to DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD. These are the highest tier of audio formats available.

Besides audio and video format support which will pretty much cover you for quite a while, Ultra also includes all the features of the add-on packs from lower versions; from the Notebook power saving modes, to the UPnP easy media sharing. It really is a comprehensive overall package at a very reasonable price.

What's Not: 
A glaring feature throughout their 7.0 product offering is a 10' Media solution. Neither a plugin for Media Center, nor a stand alone application are included with the $99.95 price, which continues to be a dissapointment. For this price, it's surprising to see them ignore such a large and growing market place of users with Home Theather PCs connected to their big screens.

Also, it should be noted that CyberLink does downsample their audio streams as part of the protection of AACS. To be fair to them, all software players must do this, but just keep this in mind if you are debating a stand-alone player or using your PC. Audiophiles would probably be the only ones to notice though.

I won't harp on the lack of a 10-inch interface any further, as I feel I've covered this substantially. But in my opinion, that's the absolute number one feature missing from this and all of CyberLink's PowerDVD offerings.

The other feature that CyberLink needs to include is a true high-definition audio signal. I understand that the high-definition discs are still new, but eventually CyberLink and the rest of the DVD software players are going to need to answer the cries of audiophiles around the world.

There's really not much you could miss by selecting the Ultra version of CyberLink's PowerDVD 7.0 HD-DVD & Blu-Ray software player. It is the elite in a fairly solid line of DVD players, and it offers a comprehensive list of features for an affordable price of $99.95. One of the best features in Ultra is that being the highest version, there's no decisions for customers to make, no upgrades needed, no add-on packs to buy. You pay the $99.95 one time, and there's no hidden or extra fees.

With that, you get the most comprehensive support of audio and video formats to meet your own home theater specifications. This fact makes the omission of a 10-inch interface that much more confusing, since most people with the high-end audio/video setups would not have those hooked up to their desk system and monitor.

But that is a minor quibble in an otherwise impressive package at an attractive price. If you're interested in converting to a high-definition format, PowerDVD 7.0 Ultra gives you the flexibility by offering support for all available formats.

Intervideo WinDVD, Arcsoft Total Media Extreme, Windows Media Center, Cyberlink PowerDVD Standard/Deluxe