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Cyberlink PowerDVD 15 for 3D

26K views 201 replies 28 participants last post by  GeoSpot 
#1 · (Edited)
Last week, I updated from PDVD14 to PDVD15 Ultra. I've now had a chance to mess with it a bit with 3D content. At this point, I'd say, if you already have PDVD14 and use it for watching 3D, don't bother updating unless you really want direct BD iso file play.

It appears to me that, at least with regard to 3D, this program is a GIANT step backwards. Forinstance, it will no longer play files that are 1080 sbs half frame in 3D. Today, I also discovered that it also will no longer play in 3D 720 60p files that have been rendered in its sister program, Power Director. For some reason, it will play in 3D 720p files that were rendered in Edius. As for its ability to play 3D iso files, that seems to be OK.

So, if you already have an earlier version of PDVD, and it's meeting your 3D needs, you may want to pass on this one or try it on a trial basis if possible to see if you like it. I've left PDVD14 installed on my computer and will continue to use that one for 3D. If you want it mainly for directly playing iso files, then it may be helpful for that purpose,

1ST Edit: I originally said that it wasn't playing 3D iso files correctly on my projector/HTPC. I now have solved this issue and it does seem to be playing these files well.
2nd Edit: It will play SBS but the interface is bizzarre. You first must start playing the file, then pause it. Then you right click over the playing area and a menu will pop up which will have a SBS option. Once set, it will play the SBS correctly. If you close the program, the next time you want to play an SBS file, you will have to do this setting again.
 
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#4 ·
I could not get a BD directory to work. Said it couldn't read the file. I did get MPO files to work, though. I tried them once before, and they wouldn't play, but now they do. You have to check the 3D box that says play 3D media in 3D. I tried SBS video, but they would only show SBS on the screen, no stereo. Bluray seems to play better and smoother in 3D using PDVD15 than PDVD14.
 
#6 ·
Unless there is something I'm missing, I can't get it to play them as 3D, only as 2D showing both halfs. In Bob's post above, he had the same experience. In PDVD14 and prior editions, there was always a menu option for 3D SBS. Now, that menu option is gone and auto won't work for playing SBS in 3D.
 
#8 ·
Hooray! I got SBS to play in PDVD15!! I visited the Cyberlink forum for PowerDVD15, and someone there got it to work by right-clicking the menu and selecting it. I tried right clicking everything and nothing worked, so I posted on the forum--but no one responded. So I tried playing several SBS videos again. As I was playing one, I inadvertently (yeah, just luck) right-clicked the screen image and up popped a window and I could select 3D Source Formats. It's the same format settings as in PowerDVD14, but it doesn't appear that it will save your selection from video to video.

So the process is: select your video and click play, then pause it, then right click the screen and select the format--it take several seconds to update the screen and switch to 3D. Then click play--a pain but it works!!!

There are also selections in the advanced video settings to increase the picture quality and sharpness.


In honor of this finding--please call your Mom and wish her Happy Mother's Day (or your wife):D.
 
#9 ·
WELL DONE, BOB!!
Last week, I saw that same blog post about "right clicking menu"
Try as I might, I found NO tab that said menu. I finally, abandoned the effort:)
 
#10 ·
What simple minded -------, came up with this sceme. I just tried it and yep, that's where it's hiding. But, even more ridiculous is that you have to start playing the video before you can right click it and get to that menu. If you launch the program and then select the video and right click it without starting to play it,, the menu will come up and PDVD will promptly crash. So, you must actually start playing the video before you can change the setting.

Bob, try it and see if your results are the same as mine:)
 
#13 ·
I just discovered how to play 3D video in PowerDVD15 without going through the start, pause, select format and play process. What you do is go into the Media Library view, select the 3D video file you want to play, then right click it and select the format. It will add a "3D" icon to the file and from then on it will "know" it's a 3D video and play it using the format you selected. Unbelievable lack of documentation with this release.
 
#16 ·
My graphics card is AMD Radeon HD 8650G + 8670M Dual Graphics. According to AMD it supports HD3D.

I ripped the 3D Blu Ray in MKV format. I downloaded TriDef and played the file in the TriDef mediaplayer (the player can't play blu rays in 3D) and I actually got the 3D file working. My TV automatically turned on its 3D mode as usual and I was able to use my active glasses.

So this would indicate that my laptop is 3D ready.

But for some reason, 3D BDs will not play in 3D in PowerDVD 14 Ultra.

It's really baffling.
 
#20 ·
Perhaps you could try a trial version of PDVD15 and see if that works. If so, then you could purchase it. I have 15 but also still have 14 installed as well.
 
#27 ·
At this point, it might just save you a lot of time and grief just to buy a stand alone BD player for your TV. For the $90. or so it would cost, it might just keep you from pulling your hair out while trying to deal with Cyberlink's mysteries :)
 
#28 ·
I use my PS4/3 for 3D BDs. However, I am actually quite impressed with the video quality when playing 2D BDs in PowerDVD. So I would have preferred if I could play 3D BDs in PowerDVD as well, especially since my laptop is 3D ready. But it doesn't look like that will be happening lol.
 
#29 ·
Unfortunately, nothing in 3D comes easy. Hell, that's why we have entire forum threads on issues we encounter with shooting and editing it. Often times, we have to use 2 software programs to do what we need to do. For all intents and purposes, 3D was launched half ass and then abandoned by those that screwed it up. We just don't get a lot of love :)
 
#32 · (Edited)
I'm using AMD HD Radeon 8650G + 8670M Dual Graphics. AMD's website says it supports HD3D technology and I am able to play 3D movies that I rip from 3D blu ray in MKV format (I play them in TriDef media player; Cyberlink won't play them.) Also, Cyberlink BD-3D Advisor says everything, including the graphics card, is 3D compatible. I even have the following settings available in the Screen Resolution Panel:



When I play 3D blu rays I change the extended display option to single display (my 3DTV.)

Yes, it says MVC as the codec when I play a 3D blu ray.

I bought the laptop in March 2014.
 
#34 ·
3D works for me in Stereoscopic Player as well using the Quad Buffered DirectX 3D setting.

So it looks like it's definitely PowerDVD that is the problem. Unfortunately, Cyberlink tech support has been useless so far.
Since you are sending the output to your TV, what is the crash symptom --what happens to the screen on the TV? I just got to thinking, that the signal going to your TV might not hdmi 1.4 compliant. It might be sending frame sequential instead of frame packed, which you TV needs. It's been a long time since I pushed video from a computer to my DLPlink projector, but I remember having to send it frame sequential, but the new TVs require frame packed--which they internally decode to frame sequential and send to the TV screen.
 
#39 ·
Just tried and still doesn't work.

Btw, I originally had PowerDVD 10 which came with my Pioneer external BD drive. I installed it from a disc. The PowerDVD version I'm using now is 14, which I purchased online. Could there be something left over from PowerDVD 10 that is causing the issue with POWERDVD 14?
 
#40 ·
Just tried and still doesn't work.

Btw, I originally had PowerDVD 10 which came with my Pioneer external BD drive. I installed it from a disc. The PowerDVD version I'm using now is 14, which I purchased online. Could there be something left over from PowerDVD 10 that is causing the issue with POWERDVD 14?

Could be, you'd have to uninstall all previous version (uninstall the latest first, etc.) if you have them installed, then go into your registry and delete anything left over from any previous installs. You would also have to look for left-over folders on your C: drive that have any content related to PDVD past or present and delete those--typically apps keep previous settings from previous versions in a program folder after an uninstall. If you don't know what you're doing with the registry, it can be a nightmare if you delete the wrong thing, so the first thing you need to do is make a copy of the registry to restore if anything goes wrong (you can search online for how to delete stuff from your registry). I had to do this recently when I had a screw up with Edius. A new version update would hang on opening. So I uninstalled it, deleted the leftover folder, and I found a leftover reference to a disk drive name in the registry that had changed since I first loaded Edius. Once I deleted that, it worked fine again after reinstalling the original version.


Good luck, but as others have said, the simple way to fix is get a 3D bluray player. My Sony 6200 is as sharp as anything I ever watched from my computer--plus it has built-in enhancement. I also have a Darbee hooked up between my 6200 and the projector, making the image even more pristine. https://sewelldirect.com/DarbeeVision-Darblet-HDMI-Video-Processor.asp
Yeah, they are expensive, but once you use one, you'll think a fuzzy veil is lifted from the image.
 
#42 ·
Well I finally got 3D blu ray to work in PowerDVD 14. I reverted back to the Omega (14.12) AMD drivers.

So for anyone else reading who is having the same issue, the Beta drivers do not work very well with PowerDVD.
Doh! I have to laugh. When I was using the computer to drive 3D bluray to my projector, I had to back off to old drivers to get it to work, also...:rolleyes:. Should have thought of that. Well, now you can live large with 3D!:D
 
#46 ·
They do work for 2D blu ray, actually. When you play a 2D blu ray it asks you if you want to turn off enhancements for HD video, but you can choose to leave them on. So long as you don't overdo them, they actually look really good on blu rays.
 
#47 ·
Good to know. I guess, since they didn't work for 3D bluray, I just assumed they didn't work for 2D. I just tried It, and it doesn't ask me to turn it off, but I can go into settings and mess with it for 2D, though. I also tried the 2D-3D conversion suggested on another thread, and wow, it's one of the best conversions I've seen-plus the enhancements work while in 3D conversion. Does a combo of the bottom up and contrast method as far as I can see. Now I wish I had my computer hooked up to my projector again.
 
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