Maximum PC

Got the media pc set up, couldn't find anything to play bluray on it, so I ended up getting PowerDVD v8 in the winter for $100 (after reading about it in MaxPC). After getting the internal bluray player, and now this software, I'm in the hole a fair amount of cash. In retrospect I should have just gotten a bluray dvd player and been done with it.

Six months later Cyberlink is spamming me with BUY THE NEW POWERDVD v9! So I go to upgrade and guess what? The website doesn't load most of the time, but when I finally get it to, it doesn't offer any upgrade. I get to pay for it all over again. Bet my bluray hardware player wouldn't do this to me. I emailed Cyberlink about it and they said:

We understand your concern related with upgrading PowerDVD 8 ultra.

Please note that you can purchase PowerDVD 9 ultra upgrdae version at a lower/discounted price as you have purchased PowerDVD 8 ultra full version.

Also note that to add new features, we need to release a new version according to our customer's demand and needs, we release a new version with all the new features at regular interval.

We regret for the inconvenience.

Yeah, I regret for the inconvenience too. 60 bucks to upgrade something I bought half a year ago?

The moral of all this? Bluray on your media PC might seem like a good idea, but it isn't. Anything you save on initial hardware costs is immediately swallowed by having to buy (BUY?) software updates every six months.

Meh.

Can you explain why you had to have the latest version? Did v8 not play your movies properly?

It's very hit and miss with loading discs - sometimes you can wait a couple of minutes before they catch on. I have no trouble reading the disc in windows, so I'm assuming this is an issue with the software, not the hardware.

I was hoping an upgrade would take out that stickiness in loading (some dics kick off straight away, others don't).

The Cyberlink site: http://www.cyberlink.com/products/power ... en_US.html seems to imply that navigation and extras within bluray discs are much more accessible in the new version. I've yet to have v8 correctly support bluray extras.

I'm kicking myself for not getting the hardware player. I've seen friends flash theirs with new upgrades and support all bluray offers, but this thing I spent money on only months ago doesn't, and now they expect me to pay again.

I think I'll run this until it gets too frustrating then look around for a hardware player. They're cheaper now anyway, and they don't hit you up for $60 every year to stay current.

Fair enough .. sounds like you paid for a shitty product and that sucks. Thanks for the warning.

Pardon me for bumping up an older thread, but I have a contrary opinion on this.

I have used PowerDVD Ultra for playing Blu-Ray discs since version 7 and it has worked very well for me.



I upgraded to version 9 when it first came out and I had no problem finding the upgrade page here. Why didn't you email them first about the upgrade before buying a full version all over again? Don't blame Cyberlink because you were impatient.

Cyberlink isn't anal about your installations of their software either. Even with their product activation, I have PowerDVD Ultra 9 installed on three computers. Three Blu-Ray players for $100. That sounds like a good deal to me. I betcha three dedicated hardware players will set you back for a lot more than that.

The Blu-ray content providers change their copy-protection schemes on a regular basis, so Cyberlink updates their software to keep up with it. If you want to lag on upgrading, then get AnyDVD that removes the copy-protection. Whether or not the upgrade to version 9 is worth $60 is up to you. The company didn't put a gun to you head to make you buy it. The upgrade charge is worth it to me to keep Cyberlink in business and my player(s) software current.



Hardware players are just as bad. They are only a stripped-down computer dedicated to running one software program. It's usually a function of the disc content (software) for the slow loads, not the player itself. I have also had discs that were slow to load on my hardware player that PowerDVD loaded with no problems and vice-versa.



It sounds more like KoP has his panties in a knot to me. PowerDVD is a fine product.