3D Vision Blog

One of the cool new 3D-related features that was introduced in the new PowerDVD 11 player and surprisingly not even mentioned is the support for a stereoscopic 3D menu and navigation for playback of DVD and Blu-ray movies in the extra Cinema Mode. This special Cinema Mode is intended for use with a remote control when you are playing back 3D movies on your 3D HDTV in order to ensure more convenient playback. You can of course also use it on a PC with a 3D monitor and without a remote control, but then you will probably be Ok with the traditional menu of the PowerDVD player. To switch from the traditional interface to the Cinema Mode you need to click on the small TV-like icon situated in the upper right corner of the player. Then you need to activate the Stereo View or just hit CTRL + T or press the button on the IR emitter if you are using 3D Vision system for example.

In the Settings section of the Cinema View mode you can change the type of 3D display you have, the type of the 3D source video as well as if yo wan to use 2D or 3D playback. However these should normally be auto-detected and you should not need to change them. Aside from support for 3D Vision, you can use this 3D mode with HDMI 1.4 HDTVs, 3D DLP TVs using DLP Checkerboard pattern, passive polarized 3D displays as well as the most common anaglyph with red-cyan glasses. As I’ve already mentioned in this mode you can only play movies from discs, you cannot playback 3D video files for example. Unfortunately I could not take screenshot of the actual menu in 3D that you get overlayed when playing back a movie as no software was able to do a capture of the displayed image in either 2D or 3D format.

So if you get the new PowerDVD 11 you should try this function, especially if you are building an HTPC system that you want to be able to play back Blu-ray 3D movies very easily in a similar fashion to a standalone Blu-ray 3D video player – easier control and navigation with an additional remote, especially if you have autorun active for Blu-ray movies and the Cinema Mode activated by default. Don’t forget that if you want all the features including the Blu-ray 3D movie playback support you will need to get the PowerDVD 11 Ultra version.

– For more information about the new features in PowerDVD 11, including the 3D ones…

Today CyberLink officially released their new PowerDVD 11 media playback software for PC with the new version being announced as an universal player that is designed to be the only application you’ll need to view Blu-ray and DVD movies, videos, photos and listen to music. PowerDVD 11 comes with a lot of new features including support for playback and transfer of content from iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android phones and tablets to PC. In addition to support for media from smartphones and tablet devices, the new PowerDVD can also play from remote media sources such as DLNA servers and popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Furthermore PowerDVD 11 users owning an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android-based devices can download and install the PowerDVD Remote application that will turn their mobile device into a remote control for the PowerDVD playback functionality tight from the comfort of their sofa.

Among the interesting new 3D-related features you will get in the top version of PowerDVD 11 are for example: Playback of recorded 3D TV (ISDB-T Standard), 3D Photo support (MPO/JPS), TrueTheater 3D functionality for for photos including ones from Facebook and Flickr, and the ability to Upload 3D video to YouTube. I’ll be doing a review of the new functionality added in the PowerDVD 11 Universal Media Player in the next few days, so expect more information about the new version of the PowerDVD media player very soon.

Key Features in the new PowerDVD 11:

– Play any HD media: Whether it’s Blu-ray, upscaled DVDs, videos or photos, PowerDVD 11 can play them all flawlessly with optimized CPU/GPU hardware acceleration. And new ultra-fast Instant Seek lets you search for movie scenes in your DVDs in a flash.
– Play any 3D media: Experience the hottest new movie and video technology with Blu-ray 3D and native 3D video support. You can even convert your 2D DVDs, videos and photos and enjoy them in 3D.
– Play media from anywhere: From Apple and Android devices through to online media, DLNA server content, and Blu-ray and DVD discs, PowerDVD 11 plays it all.
– Play in upscaled quality: CyberLink’s unique TrueTheater enhancements allow you to upscale the image quality of your movies, videos, while TrueTheater Surround gives you a surround sound experience using only stereo speakers.
– Play social media: Watch TrueTheater-enhanced video from YouTube and view Facebook and Flickr photos and slideshows all from the one application. Easy, convenient and a great time-saver – no more searching!

The new PowerDVD 11 is already available online, supporting the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Russian and Portuguese. CyberLink offers OEM versions to PC and CE manufacturing customers, while a free trial download is also available from the CyberLink website. In order to get all the features available, including the Blu-ray 3D movie playback you will need to get the PowerDVD 11 Ultra that is available for $99.95 USD. The slightly more affordable PowerDVD 11 Deluxe version is $69.95 USD and while it still supports most 3D functions, you will not be able to play Blu-ray 3D movies with it. If you own a PowerDVD 10 Ultra license you can do an upgrade to the new 11 Ultra version for $59.95 USD.

– For more information about the new Cyberlink PowerDVD 11 Universal Media Player…