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PowerDVD 8.0 Ultra Released!

As much as I hoped to find a better product with the 50% off offer, as much do I have to say that this product cannot match with PDVD8 superior PQ and SQ.

All in your HO of course, sorry but PQ is stunning on my Sony 55" SXRD as it also is with PDVD7. I just can't see a difference. But then again I guess it will take you lot a while to catch on :) I remember posting months before about ISO mounting/playing before it became popular here, the post was virtually ignored, Guess i'm way ahead of you guys ;)

huh? This is pretty much the only thing that worked. What VCD version?

The latest of course :) no problems with PDVD but when trying to play with TMT it crashes.

I have a feeling the registered vers of TMT is different to the trial. Any of you guys actually using the latest registered vers on TMT ? or are you basing your citicisms on the trial vers ? I also had issues with the trial version but so far the registered version is behaving superbly with Vista32.
 
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Sorry, but thats simply not possible with PDVD7!
PDVD7 has only a 6 channel decoding capability (click on about in the context menu to see that)
When I playback Herbert Grönemeyer HD-DVD DTS-HD MA 7.1 or The Ghost From Mae Nak DTS-HD MA 7.1 I only get 5.1 output.
You're right, it doesn't with Ghost of Mae Nak. But I am absolutely certain that PDVD7 decoded 8 channels with other discs I have. I'll check.
 
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The latest of course :) no problems with PDVD but when trying to play with TMT it crashes.
Can't reproduce this, but...

I have a feeling the registered vers of TMT is different to the trial. Any of you guys actually using the latest registered vers on TMT ? or are you basing your citicisms on the trial vers ? I also had issues with the trial version but so far the registered version is behaving superbly with Vista32.
... I have tried the registered version on XP. VCD worked fine, but the program is crap. Maybe it doesn't like XP so much.
 
Any of you guys actually using the latest registered vers on TMT ? or are you basing your citicisms on the trial vers ? I also had issues with the trial version but so far the registered version is behaving superbly with Vista32.

I am a registered user owning the full version. latest build.
Maybe you don't see the difference on your 55" Sony, but on my 3 meters wide screen I see the difference.

Regards
 
You're right, it doesn't with Ghost of Mae Nak. But I am absolutely certain that PDVD7 decoded 8 channels with other discs I have. I'll check.

I have seen about 4 movies with 7.1 Audio on PDVD7 and it only gave out 5.1 discrete channels. I even complained about that at the CL support and got the answer, that 8 channel decoding is currently not supported by PDVD7...

Let me know what titles you have that PDVD7 would decode in 8 channel.

Regards
 
I am a registered user owning the full version. latest build.
Maybe you don't see the difference on your 55" Sony, but on my 3 meters wide screen I see the difference.

Fair enough, but I find your insistance a little distburbing as if what you say is fact for everyone.

At the end of the day we all have different equipment so results will vary.

I guess my setup is very much TMT compliant having an ATI graphics card and using Vista32. There are now plenty of ppl over on AVS saying TMT is giving superior PQ over PDVD so I guess you pay your money and make your choice.

@James, I find it strange you don't have a Vista rig for testing purposes :confused:

I can see XP heading for the same fate as your beloved HD DVD :D it seems quite obvious that more and more applications will support XP less and less.
 
I can see XP heading for the same fate as your beloved HD DVD

I doubt that very much, especially since Microsoft plans to sell XP until 2010 for low cost PCs

Also, Vista did not get off to a good start (little wonder why some Microsoft employees stuck with XP).


And some suggest Vista has performed so poorly that Microsoft now has to, a in move some consider almost "unheard of", cut prices

Perhaps Vista's epic failure is another reason why Windows 7 may be released in 2009

Anything that's being sold as "Vista only" has to be viewed as having a low potential customer base and limited audience. The only reason I have Vista (64 bit Ultimate edition) in my household is for DirectX 10 gaming (and if anyone thinks I'm happy about having to buy Vista to take advantage of DirectX 10, think twice).
 
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Are you implying that the DTS MA tracks have three layers of audio? The "core", a DTS-HD layer, and top it off with a "MA" layer adding the lossless stuff? I don't see a reason for that, since the "core" is just for backward compatibility reasons, and DTS-HD and MA are same generation and come together in most equipment. From what I understood it was that the DTS-HD and MA both had a "core" DTS, which is 5.1 only.
DTS has indeed always been a "codec with layers".

On DVD, you have DTS 96/24.
Decoders that cannot read the 96/24 extension still can render the Core part.

With DTS-HD MA, it's the same: on PDVD 7.3 the DTS-HD extension is decoded, wich gives you a sound quality superior to regular Core DTS.

This is explained there:
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=851

Another point of interest to people is that they confirmed that PowerDVD Ultra does play DTS-HD soundtracks. This has been a point of confusion since the actual logo does not appear on the box or splash screen. They also confirmed that a DTS-HD Master Audio update is coming as well, but could not give a timetable. Until then, you can enjoy the HD extension of those soundtracks for higher quality sound than normal (core) DTS Digital Surround.
 
Let me know what titles you have that PDVD7 would decode in 8 channel.
maybe my memory is playing tricks on me (happened before), but I'll check. There aren't so many 7.1 channel discs, so it shouldn't be so hard to find it. IIRC it was SAW HD DVD, but I don't know if this was DTS HD or DTS HD MA.
Are there FOX titles with DTS HD MA and 7.1?
 
DTS has indeed always been a "codec with layers".

On DVD, you have DTS 96/24.
Decoders that cannot read the 96/24 extension still can render the Core part.

With DTS-HD MA, it's the same: on PDVD 7.3 the DTS-HD extension is decoded, wich gives you a sound quality superior to regular Core DTS.

This is explained there:
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=851

That article is still pretty ambiguous. Is there any other reference that is more specific? Articles about PowerDVD have known to be grossly inaccurate (i.e. the bit tech one linked at the AVS forums). I did think that PowerDVD 7.3 does DTS-HD. What I was asking is if the DTS-HD MA tracks are triple-layered (core+DTS-HD+MA extension), so if you take the MA, you still have the core+DTS-HD extension, instead of double-layered, with the core + the MA extension. I don't see a reason why they would do that, since the core is there just for backward compatibility, and DTS-HD and DTS-HD MA are the same generation. Since most if not all DTS-HD equipment can also do MA (if I'm not mistaken), I don't see why they would include the ability to play the DTS-HD MA tracks as only DTS-HD.

Just to be clear: What I understood was that the DTS-HD tracks have a DTS core. Also, the DTS-HD MA tracks have a DTS core. But the DTS-HD MA tracks don't have a normal DTS-HD layer.

Again, what poor naming from DTS. It is creating confusion even from people like us who are supposed to know better than average.
 
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maybe my memory is playing tricks on me (happened before), but I'll check. There aren't so many 7.1 channel discs, so it shouldn't be so hard to find it. IIRC it was SAW HD DVD, but I don't know if this was DTS HD or DTS HD MA.
Are there FOX titles with DTS HD MA and 7.1?

I am pretty sure that I've read in the info window 7.1 from LPCM tracks, but I don't have a 7.1 setup, only a 5.1 virtualized to 7.1 so I can't tell for sure. What I was sure of is that DTS-HD MA either 7.1 or 5.1 was not available, and we were only getting the DTS 5.1 (not HD) core, regardless of what the read info said. I didn't think there was a triple layered approach as I speculated in my other post and you seemed to imply. Are you sure DTS-HD MA is built that way?

I don't think I've ever seen a disc with DTS-HD 7.1 audio, so that may or may not be available. I do think I've seen one or two discs with TrueHD 7.1, though I am not sure. What I'm saying is that I think it depends on the format, I guess.
 
"Pan's Labyrinth" has DTS-HD MA 7.1. Plays fine in PDVD 7.3.3319a (probably, 'core').
 
Let me know what titles you have that PDVD7 would decode in 8 channel.
Just found an example, PDVD7 decodes all 8 channels of SAW HD DVD (Germany). But this is DTS-HD, not DTS-HD MA. So, PDVD *does* decode more than 6 channels, but probably only 6 from MA tracks...? Maybe I'll find more...
 
Just to be clear: What I understood was that the DTS-HD tracks have a DTS core. Also, the DTS-HD MA tracks have a DTS core. But the DTS-HD MA tracks don't have a normal DTS-HD layer.
Very good point. This would explain why PDVD7 can decode 8 channels from DTS-HD but only 6 from DTS-HD MA (as it only decodes the core, if no HD layer is present).
 
maybe my memory is playing tricks on me (happened before), but I'll check. There aren't so many 7.1 channel discs, so it shouldn't be so hard to find it. IIRC it was SAW HD DVD, but I don't know if this was DTS HD or DTS HD MA.
Are there FOX titles with DTS HD MA and 7.1?
I have SAW Bluray and it has "only" DTS-HD 7.1.
Its the same here, PDVD7 does only give out 5.1 without CLMEI2 enabled. Also the about window again only shows 6 channel decode capabilities.

PDVD8 gives out true discrete 7.1, holy shit what a sound! :rock:

Regards
 
PowerDVD says: "Audio: DTS-HD 5.1" and also shows bitrate ~6000Kbps when "Show Information" is enabled.

Yeah, I did notice that too, but I don't know how much trust you can put on that info window. I still am unsure that the DTS-HD MA tracks have a DTS core also embedded and a normal lossy DTS-HD track. I don't see any reason for them to do it, unless it is absolutely effortless and cost-less for them. It is this case of Pan's Labyrinth, actually, that made me realize that the DTS core is only 5.1 (although it's kind of a "duh" realization) and if the DTS-HD MA track also had a normal lossy DTS-HD embedded, then I see no reason for it not to be 7.1 as well.
 
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Just found an example, PDVD7 decodes all 8 channels of SAW HD DVD (Germany). But this is DTS-HD, not DTS-HD MA. So, PDVD *does* decode more than 6 channels, but probably only 6 from MA tracks...? Maybe I'll find more...

I really cant believe that this is possible. PDVD7 doesnt have a decoder for more than 6 channels. Please check if you have any kind of channel expander active, CLMEI2, DTS NEO, Dolby PLII etc. what does your "about" window tell about the audio channel decode capabilities while playing back SAW?

ALso make sure your sound card driver doesnt expand to 8 channels when getting a 6 channel input, some cards do that automatically.

As I said, CL themselves said to me that PDVD7 doesnt decode all 8 channels, only 6 max:

Dear ...,

Thank you for contacting CyberLink Online Customer Support.

We deeply apologize for replying late as we discussed your issue with our concerned department.

In regards to your issue, we regret to inform you that the current available version of PowerDVD Ultra does not support true discrete 7.1 audio.

We believe next version of PowerDVD may support such high-end audio technologies.
Regards
 
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