Hey folks Valkor here with another CES report. I had the chance to sit with one of my favorite companies “CyberLink” to see what the future has in store. I was disappointed that PowerDVD wasn’t ready yet, but what was shown more than appeased my appetite for anything new.
Basically Cyberlink showed off some new technologies that will be incorporated into future products such as PowerDVD, all of which looks most impressive. First up is CyberLink’s support for both Hi-Def DVD formats. Right now the big push is towards Blu-Ray, however the HD-DVD format still thrives and there is a large user base who still own HD-DVD software. You’d be happy to know that as long as there are HD-DVD’s CyberLink has you covered on the playback front. And it’s not just playback but also editing, authoring, and data backup. I had the chance to watch some films in HD played back using PowerDVD and I was verily impressed. I think almost every company showing off a TV, DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player were showing off Transformers and CyberLink is no exception. Personally I can’t hate on it because I freaking love the movie and it looks so good in HD. If I could have gotten away with it, I would have tossed out the CL reps, ordered a pizza, sat back and enjoyed Transformers in all its HD glory. The new PowerDVD (Not 8) also supports the new BD-java, iHD, and HD PiP, 7.1 surround sound, DTS, and Dolby Digital Plus.
CyberLink is also looking to take over all of your digital media needs through “Digital Home Solution”. We’ve discussed CyberLink Live in our CES Unveiled 2007 report (Which you can read [HERE] but to recap, if you have a media server you can use CL Live to access your files from anywhere on the planet. Not only that but with a TV Tuner you can watch all your favorite shows, so no matter where you are in your own house or on the planet you won’t miss your favorite eps. Also with CL Digital Home solution, they look to bridge the gap between your gaming console, digital picture frame, media players, and more. It’s One company, one solution, satisfaction guaranteed.
Now for the movie enthusiast in me, CyberLink will incorporate some new technologies that will insure optimal, high quality playback. First up is TrueTheater Motion, which bumps up the frame-rate allowing for smoother playback. Next is TrueTheater HD, which is upscaling for your PC, giving standard DVD, hi-res polish. There’s also TrueTheater Stretch which stretches your film to fit that widescreen TV, keeping the aspect ratio of the film, without loss of detail. Finally there’s TrueTheater Lighting which improves color effects in your film. Most TV’s and DVD players have this effect (Vivid, Movie theater, etc modes) one ups this by “Intelligently adjusting video colors, contrast, and brightmess” (Taken from the press release).
We’ll have a full on review of CyberLink’s DVD Suite Ultra very soon and we’ll be monitoring the progress of PowerDVD 8, until then look forward to some great things from CyberLink.