Hi there!
1) WinDVD V8 does NOT play backed-up blu-ray files from the Hard Drive?
2) WinDVD V8 does NOT work with graphic cards less than series 8xxx?
1 & 2: Nope and nope! The newly released WinDVD fon Nvidia is not the much aniticipated new full release of the prog, but just another OEM version simply to push Nvidia's 8xxx cards (Just as WinDVD BD for Vaio is nothing but a specialized OEM for Sony). A full fledged new release for both BD & HD from Intervideo is yet to come!
3) WinDVD for Vaio BD will only play back-up files if burned to a BD ROM?
Seems so. But so far (
and this applies only to Vaio PCs I guess) it is the only player-software that delivers splendid & stutter-free Blu-ray playback (from commercial discs).
4) PowerDVD Ultra stutters with Blu-ray but will play backed up Blu-ray files from the Hard drive?
Again
this might apply only to Sony Vaio notbooks, but yes, as for my (and some friends') experience, PowerDVD Ultra does everything it should do, but it suffers from stutters while playing back Blu-ray discs. The newer the version, the less is the stuttering experienced. With the newest 2911 version, the stuttering is almost gone (but it is still far from a smooth playback).
But bear in mind, that the whole PowerDVD issue might well just have to do with some weird (in)compatibility problem with the Vaio structure and the supplied cards.
My experience is, that I can't get WinDVD8 to reliably play BD / HD DVD at all. And no, it doesn't play BD / HD DVD files from harddisk.
PowerDVD Ultra plays from Harddisk, and it doesn't stutter at all.
This is the weirdest thing of all... and so I guess it must truly be a Sony Vaio thing. I don't know about HD DVDs, but on any BD-equipped Vaio I've seen, WinDVD BD for Vaio delivers the best Blu-ray playback. No stuttering, no sound issues... just smooth. (That's why I was trying to find ways to stick with it region-code wise). On each Vaio I've tried (both my VGN-AR31S and 3 others - a 21S and 2 31S from some friends), PowerDVD Ultra has playback problems and suffers from shaky Blu-ray playback full of stuttering. And that with all possible configurations.
The stuttering only occurs when the HDMI-out is being used to playback on HD-TV. As long as playback only happens on the notebook screen, PowerDVD is also smooth.
Go figure...!
Like I wrote above, I guess it has something to do with the nvidia cards used on these Vaios, and how they interact within the whole Sony structure. Nvidia also has a tough time to provide with reliable drivers that support the HDCP-enabled HDMI-output of the Vaios.
It is all just a mess!!!
Just letting the whole Blu-ray business die might indeed just be the easiest solution!! Maybe I'll just do that after all...
Best regards
Petros