PowerDVD 8.0 Ultra Released!

[w1seman]

Again, I wouldn't get your hopes up. We need him to verify what the build number is first. Could be a beta that still had the HD DVD code enabled or it could be something else entirely. Until he posts the build number, we won't know. And if I see 3730a, well, someone's getting beat.

+1


Regards

 

[danielhu]

Again, I wouldn't get your hopes up. We need him to verify what the build number is first. Could be a beta that still had the HD DVD code enabled or it could be something else entirely. Until he posts the build number, we won't know. And if I see 3730a, well, someone's getting beat.

My PowerDVD 8.0 also plays HD-DVD fine

Version 8.0.3913.50
UI: 1513_Ultra
D Show: 1513_DailyBuild(8.0)
Setup: 5782
RC: 080305
Edit/Delete Message

 

[SamuriHL]

That's an older build than what we were given from our purchase.

 

[SuperGoof]

I figured it out the numbering scheme of Cyberlink products yesterday. E.g. what does 3319 mean? The first two digits are the release month's number. It starts from different month for different products. For PowerDVD 7 it's Jan 05 and it's Jan 07 for PowerDVD 8. And the second two digits is simply the day of that month. So 3319 means 19th Sep 07, 3730 - 30th Jan 08, and as for PDVD 8 1531 means 31st Mar 08, and the newly found 1513 means 13th Mar 08. So if there is any update in April, it will start from '16' for PDVD 8 and from '40' for PDVD 7.

 

[Rathbone80]

Please someone upload the files. CL ignores my support queries like usual.

 

[Humpa]

Please someone upload the files. CL ignores my support queries like usual.

We can't post that here.

 

[colinhunt]

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.

Right. Except, no. Maybe this issue is covered later in the thread (haven't read it all the way to the end yet), but in case it isn't...

DTS-HD MA soundtracks do *not* contain DTS-HD High Resolution data. MA and HR are two different codecs/extensions, and don't co-exist on top of a DTS core. If you play a MA track with something that can only decode HR, you will get DTS core only.

 

[Rathbone80]

Interview with Cyberlink, that explains a lot:

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1380/3/cyberlink_interview_for_the_htpc_hd_fans/index.html

 

[stinman>=]

I bought PDVD 8 Ultra today

I had 7.3.3516a oem version that came on my Gateway GM 5664 pc with a GGC-H20N multi-drive.I had registered my oem product and contacted their support a few times.I had looked on their site about upgrades and they wanted 79.99 to upgrade from 7 ultra/oem.I got a email today with a offer to upgrade to PDVD 8 Ultra for 54.96.I went for it because I could only get 2-ch DD thru HDMI with the OEM version.I was able to keep my other version 3516a I to have some HD-DVD titles.I use analog out to a Onkyo HT-R530 receiver but am going to buy the 605 Onkyo that will decode the new formats,but the Dolby Plus going analog out sounds way better than PDVD 7.3 that would not decode the HD formats.I will be able to tell better when I get the new AV receiver.They did send me a page explaining that until the pc market came up with audio protection standards that they had no choice but to down sample the audio and that they were working with other manufactures to remedy this and that updates will be available in the future when this happens.Didn't say when,but it seems like Hollywood has there hands tide.They also said that software like Anydvd (the only software listed) would interfere with the playing capabilities of PDVD 8 Ultra.I wonder what they meant by that?I have not got to try with anydvd anyway yet,I am HDCP compliant I only use AnydvdHD to back up titles I really care about.So we will see.

Mark

 

[andy o]

I had 7.3.3516a oem version that came on my Gateway GM 5664 pc with a GGC-H20N multi-drive.I had registered my oem product and contacted their support a few times.I had looked on their site about upgrades and they wanted 79.99 to upgrade from 7 ultra/oem.I got a email today with a offer to upgrade to PDVD 8 Ultra for 54.96.I went for it because I could only get 2-ch DD thru HDMI with the OEM version.I was able to keep my other version 3516a I to have some HD-DVD titles.I use analog out to a Onkyo HT-R530 receiver but am going to buy the 605 Onkyo that will decode the new formats,but the Dolby Plus going analog out sounds way better than PDVD 7.3 that would not decode the HD formats.I will be able to tell better when I get the new AV receiver.They did send me a page explaining that until the pc market came up with audio protection standards that they had no choice but to down sample the audio and that they were working with other manufactures to remedy this and that updates will be available in the future when this happens.Didn't say when,but it seems like Hollywood has there hands tide.They also said that software like Anydvd (the only software listed) would interfere with the playing capabilities of PDVD 8 Ultra.I wonder what they meant by that?I have not got to try with anydvd anyway yet,I am HDCP compliant I only use AnydvdHD to back up titles I really care about.So we will see.

Mark

I am also HDCP compliant and I have had more trouble than success even with 2 different computers running XP and Vista. AnyDVD HD just made it go away. I still after all these months of driver fixes and crap like that get random error messages about HDCP when I disable AnyDVD HD, so screw them. There is no evidence whatsoever that AnyDVD will interfere with PowerDVD, the whole of the evidence is to the contrary! But of course they will say what they said, no surprise there.

 

[roog]

They also said that software like Anydvd (the only software listed) would interfere with the playing capabilities of PDVD 8 Ultra.I wonder what they meant by that?

Yes, AnyDVD HD interferes with the PDVD 8 playing capabilities by allowing you to play Blu-ray movies from your hard drive.

 

[stinman>=]

I meant nothing bad about AnydvdHD

Yes, AnyDVD HD interferes with the PDVD 8 playing capabilities by allowing you to play Blu-ray movies from your hard drive.

I was just quoting what the page said,I felt it ironic that it was the only program mentioned,surely everybody that got the download read the same web page as I did,I was directed there right after I installed it on my pc.The only movie I watched was" No country for Old Men" that I had saved on my hard drive as a iso and it was better,less background noise in the picture actually gone!I put on Underworld/iso just for the audio for a few minutes and the pcm was a higher,like 4608 kbps,sounded better than the 640 kbps I was used to.

 

[roog]

I was just quoting what the page said,I felt it ironic that it was the only program mentioned,surely everybody that got the download read the same web page as I did,I was directed there right after I installed it on my pc.The only movie I watched was" No country for Old Men" that I had saved on my hard drive as a iso and it was better,less background noise in the picture actually gone!I put on Underworld/iso just for the audio for a few minutes and the pcm was a higher,like 4608 kbps,sounded better than the 640 kbps I was used to.

I was commenting about Cyberlink's comment not yours. No offense intended. Your info was much appreciated.

 

[kdssrugby]

I wa swondering if anyone had this experience, using the old cyberlink remote (not the new one with the 4 coloured buttons) the menu button does not work. Its not to bad for hi def stuff (b/c of the pop up menues) but its irritating when watching regular dvds.Thanks

 

[SamuriHL]

I have the new one and it doesn't always work, either, so, I'm guessing they changed something in their code.

 

[CaddyShack]

So to get the improved picture quality and sound quality...how is your system setup? I assume HDMI out for video, but how are you getting the
High Def audio as Cyberlink states they do not and can not output these via S/PDIF. Tweatktown interview excerpt:

CyberLink - S/PDIF could not output high-def multi-channel Linear PCM, TrueHD and DTS-HD MA by its nature, so we don't support these formats through S/PDIF out.

Cyberlink also states that currently no cards/motherboards send both video and audio throught the HDMI connection (from the PowerDVD 8 application).

CyberLink - Yes, we're working with Intel for G45 and AMD for 780G now, but it's for video only. It's scheduled to be done by the end of June for video support. The schedule of HDMI audio is not confirmed with Intel and AMD.

So what is the best setup at this time to get the best image and audio from PowerDVD to the Projector and Receiver?

Looking to setup a nice system and any experience you have to share would
be appreciated!

 

[Humpa]

So to get the improved picture quality and sound quality...how is your system setup? I assume HDMI out for video, but how are you getting the
High Def audio as Cyberlink states they do not and can not output these via S/PDIF. Tweatktown interview excerpt:

CyberLink - S/PDIF could not output high-def multi-channel Linear PCM, TrueHD and DTS-HD MA by its nature, so we don't support these formats through S/PDIF out.

Cyberlink also states that currently no cards/motherboards send both video and audio throught the HDMI connection (from the PowerDVD 8 application).

CyberLink - Yes, we're working with Intel for G45 and AMD for 780G now, but it's for video only. It's scheduled to be done by the end of June for video support. The schedule of HDMI audio is not confirmed with Intel and AMD.

So what is the best setup at this time to get the best image and audio from PowerDVD to the Projector and Receiver?

Looking to setup a nice system and any experience you have to share would
be appreciated!

For audio, 6 or 8 channel analog is currently the best we can get. Sure, it is downsampled by pdvd, but it is still better than digital audio out. Auzentech makes some great audio cards - that's what I use (and so does SamuriHL)

And hdmi or dvi is the best you can get for video.

 

[SamuriHL]

I don't have an Auzentech(wish I did but I'm waiting for the new gen of cards before I grab one), but, I AM using 6 channel analog out to my receiver, yes. While this is still down mixed slightly due to the non-existent secure audio path, it's *WAY* better than S/PDIF. The quality difference is unreal. I personally will be looking at the new Onkyo receivers coming out. The 605 will be replaced and I'm hoping they add another HDMI port. The 576 is coming out soon and should be the BEST low cost solution out there. It can upconvert 5.1 to 7.1(great for those of you that have a lot of DTS-HD MA 5.1 discs like I do) and it can accept 3 HDMI audio sources. It only can decode DD+ internally, so your player will have to decode the audio and send it via PCM, but, IMO this is the best situation anyway because of profile 1.1 and the need to mix audio channels together anyway. There's no quality loss vs using bitstream IMO. DD+ is also going to be the standard used by satellite and cable broadcasts at some point, so, we'll get the best of all worlds.

Anywhere, we're getting off track here. For PowerDVD, I have it set up for 8 channel analog. My internal sound card on the motherboard is a realtek HD audio solution and does a pretty darn good job for now. (And yes, it has bass assist so I can fix that minor problem) In the future, I would recommend getting an auzentech hdmi capable card and cranking that out to an hdmi 1.3 capable receiver and letting (the future version of) PowerDVD do the decoding. God I can't wait. That'll be so damn sweet!

As for video, yes, I have an 8800 GT using a DVI->HDMI adapter to my Sony SXRD 50" tv. Truly amazing video quality!

 

[mkanet]

SamuriHL... I'm using a 8800 GT using a DVI->HDMI adapter to my Sony Bravia 46"" tv.

I don't have an Auzentech(wish I did but I'm waiting for the new gen of cards before I grab one), but, I AM using 6 channel analog out to my receiver, yes. While this is still down mixed slightly due to the non-existent secure audio path, it's *WAY* better than S/PDIF. The quality difference is unreal. I personally will be looking at the new Onkyo receivers coming out. The 605 will be replaced and I'm hoping they add another HDMI port. The 576 is coming out soon and should be the BEST low cost solution out there. It can upconvert 5.1 to 7.1(great for those of you that have a lot of DTS-HD MA 5.1 discs like I do) and it can accept 3 HDMI audio sources. It only can decode DD+ internally, so your player will have to decode the audio and send it via PCM, but, IMO this is the best situation anyway because of profile 1.1 and the need to mix audio channels together anyway. There's no quality loss vs using bitstream IMO. DD+ is also going to be the standard used by satellite and cable broadcasts at some point, so, we'll get the best of all worlds.

Anywhere, we're getting off track here. For PowerDVD, I have it set up for 8 channel analog. My internal sound card on the motherboard is a realtek HD audio solution and does a pretty darn good job for now. (And yes, it has bass assist so I can fix that minor problem) In the future, I would recommend getting an auzentech hdmi capable card and cranking that out to an hdmi 1.3 capable receiver and letting (the future version of) PowerDVD do the decoding. God I can't wait. That'll be so damn sweet!

As for video, yes, I have an 8800 GT using a DVI->HDMI adapter to my Sony SXRD 50" tv. Truly amazing video quality!

 

[SamuriHL]

SamuriHL... I'm using a 8800 GT using a DVI->HDMI adapter to my Sony Bravia 46"" tv.

Nice, isn't it? That card is absolutely amazing. And whatever they did in PowerDVD 8, the PQ has definitely improved noticeably. Gotta love that. I'm thinking about the Panasonic 42" 1080p plasma for the bedroom. I found it for 1500 bucks which is amazing for that kind of screen. I should have that in a couple months. I can't wait!