Tech Spotlight : DVD software offers abundance of feature attractions for movie lovers
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/164918/
Today’s laptops offer more than just workspace. They provide entertainment as well.
I’ve used my laptop as a DVD player on more than one occasion. I put in a DVD disc, it plays, I watch. Seems simple enough. But I recently found some software that offered a lot more to my DVD playback than just a decent picture.
CyberLink PowerDVD 7 offers features that allow users to enjoy the high-tech audio and video capabilities found in today’s DVDs by utilizing the latest technology.
PowerDVD 7 comes in three versions: Standard, Max and Deluxe. I tested the Max version. This version offers more playback compatibility than the Standard version, such as being able to play DivX Pro and DVDAudio formats. However, it lacks some of the Dolby capabilities of the Deluxe version. (A comparison chart of the three versions is available at www. cyberlink. com / multi / products / compare _ 1 _ ENU. html. )
PowerDVD 7 appears to be just a DVD player, but it has a surprising number of features available. The extras are packed into the toolbar, which stretches across the bottom of the player window. The toolbar disappears in full-screen mode until the mouse is moved to it, allowing the user to see the movie without any clutter at the bottom.
It does all the basics, such as playing the movie in a window or full-screen mode. It also has some great controls for playback. A speed control bar on the right side of the toolbar allows the viewer to see the movie at normal speed or much faster or slower. A navigation bar at the bottom of the toolbar allows you to quickly move to different areas of the film without having to go back to the menu again and again to skip to a particular scene.
One of the cooler features of this software is the Say-It-Again button. Clicking this button will reverse the film by a few seconds, so you can catch that line you might have missed. One thing, though — you have to click the button a second time to stop it, or it will continue to loop that one line over and over again.
The software also allows viewers to see two subtitles at once, one at the top and the other along the bottom. There is another feature, Read-It-Clearly, which is supposed to move the subtitles from the movie screen, but I couldn’t get it to activate on the movies I tried. I’m not sure if the problem was in the movies or the hardware I used. The notebook computer I was using is among the latest technology, loaded with multimedia features, so it bothered me that I couldn’t use this feature.
There is another feature highlighted in PowerDVD, and I was able to use it. In fact, it may be my favorite. It’s the Capture Frame button, which grabs a picture from the screen. That’s a fun one to play with. The pictures can be captured as a file, saved to the clipboard or instantly turned into wallpaper.
The software provides excellent video playback, and the audio capabilities are equally impressive. It can simulate surround sound using the laptop’s speakers, or it can take advantage of any speaker system hooked to the computer and provide full Dolby Digital surround sound. It even has an equalizer, so you can adjust the sound just the way you like it.
PowerDVD lets users bookmark favorite scenes for easy access and pick up where the film was last stopped. The last one is a nice option to have — it keeps you from sitting through all those logos and menus. You can zoom the picture to four or nine times the normal size. You can even adjust the aspect ratio to stretch the movie to fit the screen or to simulate a wide screen.
The other big feature to PowerDVD is the ability to change the skins, or the appearance of the player. The Max version comes with only a couple of skins, though more can be purchased and downloaded from the Web site. Frankly, they’re cute to have but not all that necessary.
My only complaint about this software is in the navigation. There aren’t that many buttons on the toolbar, yet right-clicking in the player pulls up a menu that’s a mile long. I don’t see the harm in adding another button or two to the toolbar to make things easier. All those menus and submenus make navigation a little tougher than it should be. Still, this software is easier to use overall than other programs I’ve seen.
Movie lovers serious about their DVD playback will enjoy this software, but those who just want to stick a DVD in the drive and have it play may not be willing to spend the extra money. Those willing to invest in serious DVD playback software should take a look at this one.
A good DVD program can enhance the entertainment today’s laptops provide. Melissa L. Jones may be reached at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 515 Enterprise Drive, Suite 106, Lowell, Ark. 72745, or by e-mail at mjones@arkansasonline. com.
Where it’s @ CyberLink PowerDVD 7 requires Windows Me or later; 256 MB of memory and 90 MB of hard drive space. A DVD drive also is required, and a 2. 4 ghz or higher processor is recommended. There is no Macintosh version available. More information is available at www. cyberlink. com.