Whether in 2D or 3D, videos can be viewed in a variety of formats. According to the specifications provided by CyberLink, these include MKV (H.264), FLV (H.264), WTV, 3GP and 3G2 files.
Home media is not all about video, of course. Among its audio capabilities, PowerDVD 11 has support for 7.1-channel surround sound in the Ultra version, 5.1-channel DTS audio across all three retail versions, and new Dolby Digital Plus support for MP4 files.
Aesthetically PowerDVD 11 doesn't differ much from PowerDVD 10. In the pre-retail build that CyberLink sent me for review, the front screen image was the same as on PowerDVD 10 (aside from the change from 10 to 11). The layout and appearance of the tabs used to access the different media format was also the same. In line with the addition of new features, however, PowerDVD 11 has two more tabs (Photos and Devices) than PowerDVD 10. The new version also has a neat spinning graphic that is briefly displayed as it accesses media.
This overview touches upon only a few of the features of PowerDVD 11. More details will be given in an upcoming review along with a comparison against other software programs capable of Blu-ray 3D playback: Corel WinDVD® Pro 2010, ArcSoft TotalMedia® Theatre 5 and Roxio CinePlayer® with 3D.
PowerDVD 11 is available from the CyberLink store in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Russian or Portuguese. A free trial download is also available from the CyberLink website. The software will be offered through other retail outlets in a few weeks.
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