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*Official* PowerDVD 12 Thread

post #1 of 254
1/31/12 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
A preview at Anandtech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5482/c...bile-lifestyle
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post #2 of 254
1/31/12 at 3:31pm
Ah, I thought I wanted to write a review

By the way, MissingRemote has a look at PDVD 12 from another angle here:

http://www.missingremote.com/review/...nk-powerdvd-12

Looks like there is a bug with bitstreaming on the Llanos.

Also, OP, maybe you can edit the title to *Official* PowerDVD 12 Thread ?
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post #3 of 254
1/31/12 at 3:57pm
Thread Starter 
Although Anand says preview, it is for sale now. I bought it
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post #4 of 254
1/31/12 at 4:32pm
Just upgraded to it myself. Good news, everyone. The bug where you couldn't select HD audio unless a Blu-ray was actually playing is fixed! WOO HOO!
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post #5 of 254
1/31/12 at 4:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

Ah, I thought I wanted to write a review

By the way, MissingRemote has a look at PDVD 12 from another angle here:

http://www.missingremote.com/review/...nk-powerdvd-12

Looks like there is a bug with bitstreaming on the Llanos.

Also, OP, maybe you can edit the title to *Official* PowerDVD 12 Thread ?

By all means please write a review here. I won't even start using it until some new cables come in!! I see that missing remote article ,they mention automatic refresh rate switching. Do you have any info on this? Maybe Anand should have let you write the review as this feature is not mentioned in their 's

OOps that was your review at Anand
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post #6 of 254
1/31/12 at 4:49pm
Well that's neat. I just got a runtime crash in the middle of watching Aliens. It's still playing but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this new build isn't entirely stable. AMD 5870 with the 12.2 preview driver. It stuttered just before the crash. Almost like a chapter change.

EDIT: The process crashing is vthumb.exe. I think it's trying to build my library in the background and having some issues.
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post #7 of 254
1/31/12 at 5:59pm
@rickcfer:

Whenever you try to play a 23.976 fps Blu-ray, PDVD 12 helpfully asks you whether you want to match the display refresh rate with the frame rate. Andrew @ MissingRemote indicated that it locked on to 24 Hz for a 23.976 fps movie.

Auto refresh rate is not available for video files or 25 / 50 fps content (on a suitable display currently in NTSC land). At present, it is not a fully baked feature.

@SamuriHL:

The library build process is pretty crazy. I just left it to build after first start-up and didn't try to do anything on the computer for like a hour (depends on size of library, I guess). Too much hard drive activity was what both me and my colleague, Jarred, noted.
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post #8 of 254
1/31/12 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

@SamuriHL:

The library build process is pretty crazy. I just left it to build after first start-up and didn't try to do anything on the computer for like a hour (depends on size of library, I guess). Too much hard drive activity was what both me and my colleague, Jarred, noted.

It kept crashing until eventually PDVD just locked up and that was the end. Also a HUGE note to those, like me, that religiously delete 2cmovie.dll. DON'T. You've been warned. For whatever reason it breaks blu-ray playback. I don't know if this is intentional or a bug but I could hear the audio in the background but no video. Once I restored it from the recycle bin, playback worked as normal. GOOD times.
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post #9 of 254
1/31/12 at 6:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SamuriHL View Post

It kept crashing until eventually PDVD just locked up and that was the end. Also a HUGE note to those, like me, that religiously delete 2cmovie.dll. DON'T. You've been warned. For whatever reason it breaks blu-ray playback. I don't know if this is intentional or a bug but I could hear the audio in the background but no video. Once I restored it from the recycle bin, playback worked as normal. GOOD times.

That is the MoovieLive DLL right? In PDVD12, it is possible to turn off all the MoovieLive features / skip installing it. (except for one case when you try to resume Blu-ray playback after completely stopping the previous playback session -- and that fetches new movie information, not really MoovieLive).
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post #10 of 254
1/31/12 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

That is the MoovieLive DLL right? In PDVD12, it is possible to turn off all the MoovieLive features / skip installing it. (except for one case when you try to resume Blu-ray playback after completely stopping the previous playback session -- and that fetches new movie information, not really MoovieLive).

It does a bit more than moovielive. Nonetheless, removing it breaks playback so that's bad. So, not recommended anymore. There are a few more observations...not all are by me or even verified by me but I trust the source:

1) Folder playback for Blu-rays...gone. I haven't tried myself.
2) When it was building the library and crashing, it was using CoreAVC. Um, WHAT THE??? Shouldn't it be, oh, I don't know, using its own codecs for that?? So that seems to be a problem. I uninstalled CoreAVC. It wasn't really happy about that, either.

Eventually after getting all those stupid errors the player hung and I had to kill it. I made it about 2/3rds through Aliens. So, while this isn't a bad player, and definitely an improvement over previous versions, it's not perfect yet. That's to be expected on a new version.
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post #11 of 254
1/31/12 at 7:06pm
Folder playback works!!

I tested it myself, and it worked for every Blu-ray folder structure I had except for Band of Brothers (Disc 1). Of course, our test suite is not extensive, but we do have a number of titles:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5129/2...he-boxee-box/4

I don't have CoreAVC on my system, maybe PDVD was trying to use the codec with the highest merit? I just left the library building process to resolve itself (but mine was a pretty fresh system, no extra codecs etc. installed).
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post #12 of 254
1/31/12 at 7:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

Folder playback works!!

To be fair, I DID say I hadn't tested that one! I'll have the person retest. I don't do folders myself.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

I tested it myself, and it worked for every Blu-ray folder structure I had except for Band of Brothers (Disc 1). Of course, our test suite is not extensive, but we do have a number of titles:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5129/2...he-boxee-box/4

I don't have CoreAVC on my system, maybe PDVD was trying to use the codec with the highest merit? I just left the library building process to resolve itself (but mine was a pretty fresh system, no extra codecs etc. installed).

Yea, I figured that was the deal with CoreAVC which is why I uninstalled it. Now I've only got LAV Filters on there. I'll mess with it more tomorrow.
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post #13 of 254
1/31/12 at 7:54pm
So the person who was having issues with folder playback said this:

EDIT: He updated his post:

Quote:


Drag a Blu-Ray folder onto the PowerDVD 12 UI. You'll be informed that folder playback isn't supported. Try it. It worked with PowerDVD 11. Hmmm... Oh... and if you dig down and happen to notice some ridiculous unmarked icons in the UI you might be able to manually navigate to a folder with an explorer type interface and it'll play but... wait, didn't I already note that PowerDVD 12 told me that folder playback isn't supported. Oh yeah, and dragging a DVD onto the UI plays a DVD folder just fine...

Interesting... two possible answers: (1) CyberLink again proves they can't even do enough testing and quality control to catch a blatant issue that took me like 2 seconds to discover after installing PowerDVD 12 or (2) they want to make folder playback annoying.

Regardless, PowerDVD 12, itself, told me folder playback wasn't supported.

Again, I've not tried it. I don't have folders so I'll have to make one before I can try it.
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post #14 of 254
1/31/12 at 8:14pm
Yes, there is a small icon on the bottom left, clicking which helps you choose a disc or folder structure to open. Choosing the latter opens up a explorer type drop down tree. Choosing the folder with the BDMV subfolder starts the folder playback.
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post #15 of 254
1/31/12 at 8:16pm
Sure but it looks like pdvd11 used to let you drop a blu-ray folder on the ui. Pdvd12 still lets you drop a DVD folder on the ui but not a blu-ray folder. Seems like a bug to me.
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post #16 of 254
1/31/12 at 8:19pm
Pretty sure the studios are not happy with that type of support (Oppo had to remove ISO support from their BDP-93 recently).

Btw, I think it is pretty evident why the launch was on Jan 31st and not Feb 1st... Won't talk about the reason just here yet, but I am sure, as the days go by, it is going to be definitely a talking point..
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post #17 of 254
1/31/12 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

Pretty sure the studios are not happy with that type of support (Oppo had to remove ISO support from their BDP-93 recently).

Btw, I think it is pretty evident why the launch was on Jan 31st and not Feb 1st... Won't talk about the reason just here yet, but I am sure, as the days go by, it is going to be definitely a talking point..

The studios need to focus their attention on making a good product and selling it at a reasonable price rather than trying to ram an antiquated business model down consumer's throats and forcing companies that are doing their best to cater to their customer's needs to remove useful features. Uh anyway...

As for the date of release, yes I was going to test that theory myself tomorrow as I'm quite curious. If I understand correctly I'll be pleasantly surprised with my testing.
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post #18 of 254
1/31/12 at 10:36pm
Yes, no issues with the version currently available for download.

A patch (non-compulsory) sometime in the near future will be the bearer of bad tidings, though.
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post #19 of 254
2/1/12 at 12:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

Pretty sure the studios are not happy with that type of support (Oppo had to remove ISO support from their BDP-93 recently).

Btw, I think it is pretty evident why the launch was on Jan 31st and not Feb 1st... Won't talk about the reason just here yet, but I am sure, as the days go by, it is going to be definitely a talking point..

Oooh, now I have to subscribe, even though I'm not giving another nickel to CL any time soon. Cinavia maybe? Anyway, fixing bugs shouldn't cost an upgrade to the newest full version. Some of the commenters at Anandtech have it right about this.

Also, not sure about the value anymore, when PDVD 7.3 and 8 and TMT 2 started out, the cheapest blu-ray player was still the PS3 AFAIR. These SW players' value is going to rest pretty much exclusively on their ability to play decrypted content from hard drive IMO, which CL has been notoriously shaky about (and that's being generous).
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post #20 of 254
2/1/12 at 5:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

Yes, no issues with the version currently available for download.

A patch (non-compulsory) sometime in the near future will be the bearer of bad tidings, though.

Good to know. And yes, fully understood. Thanks!
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post #21 of 254
2/1/12 at 5:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

@rickcfer:

Whenever you try to play a 23.976 fps Blu-ray, PDVD 12 helpfully asks you whether you want to match the display refresh rate with the frame rate. Andrew @ MissingRemote indicated that it locked on to 24 Hz for a 23.976 fps movie.

Auto refresh rate is not available for video files or 25 / 50 fps content (on a suitable display currently in NTSC land). At present, it is not a fully baked feature.

@SamuriHL:

The library build process is pretty crazy. I just left it to build after first start-up and didn't try to do anything on the computer for like a hour (depends on size of library, I guess). Too much hard drive activity was what both me and my colleague, Jarred, noted.

I wonder if there is a tweak to get 23.976 fps? I remember for TMT 5 there was an .ini file line added ( Refresh23HZ=1) to make it work.
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post #22 of 254
2/1/12 at 7:31am
http://www.cyberlink.com/products/po...d10_en_GB.html

Could it be true? DTS-HD MA 7.1 decoding for people with 8 channel PAP sound cards, without need to use bit streaming to an A/V system. I.E on-board decoding rather than having to shove it to and a/v for decoding. If this is true they have got my money. Anyone confirm this is now working for more than the 5.1 channels only that previous version could do?
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post #23 of 254
2/1/12 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by harvey13matt View Post

http://www.cyberlink.com/products/po...d10_en_GB.html

Could it be true? DTS-HD MA 7.1 decoding for people with 8 channel PAP sound cards, without need to use bit streaming to an A/V system. I.E on-board decoding rather than having to shove it to and a/v for decoding. If this is true they have got my money. Anyone confirm this is now working for more than the 5.1 channels only that previous version could do?

Confirmed working.
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post #24 of 254
2/1/12 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

Confirmed working.

does this only apply to their listed sound cards?


HD Audio Compatible Sound Card and Codec List

Realtek ALC679X (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-6 channels)
Realtek ALC898 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-8 channels)
Realtek ALC899 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-8 channels)
Realtek ALC672 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-6 channels)
Realtek ALC885 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-channels or 96kHz/24bit 4-8 channels)
Realtek ALC889 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-channels or 96kHz/24bit 4-8 channels)
Realtek ALC669 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 6 channels)
Realtek ALC670 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 6 channels)
Realtek ALC892 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8 channels)
VIA EnvyHD Vinyl VT1818S codec (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8-channels)
VIA EnvyHD Vinyl VT1828S codec (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8-channels)
VIA EnvyHD Vinyl VT2020 codec (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8-channels)
Auzentech X-Fi HomeTheater HD (supports HDMI 1.3a bit-stream lossless pass-through)
AMD Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 Series graphics cards supporting lossless pass-through
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 400 Series graphics cards supporting lossless pass-through
Intel Core i3/i5/i7 with integrated audio and graphics
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post #25 of 254
2/1/12 at 2:36pm
Yup. To get unmolested 7.1 audio, you need to have a PAP capable chipset and driver. Those are the ones.
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post #26 of 254
2/1/12 at 2:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcantu1 View Post

does this only apply to their listed sound cards?


HD Audio Compatible Sound Card and Codec List

Realtek ALC679X (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-6 channels)
Realtek ALC898 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-8 channels)
Realtek ALC899 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-8 channels)
Realtek ALC672 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-6 channels)
Realtek ALC885 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-channels or 96kHz/24bit 4-8 channels)
Realtek ALC889 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 2-channels or 96kHz/24bit 4-8 channels)
Realtek ALC669 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 6 channels)
Realtek ALC670 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 6 channels)
Realtek ALC892 (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8 channels)
VIA EnvyHD Vinyl VT1818S codec (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8-channels)
VIA EnvyHD Vinyl VT1828S codec (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8-channels)
VIA EnvyHD Vinyl VT2020 codec (support up to 192kHz/24bit 8-channels)
Auzentech X-Fi HomeTheater HD (supports HDMI 1.3a bit-stream lossless pass-through)
AMD Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 Series graphics cards supporting lossless pass-through
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 400 Series graphics cards supporting lossless pass-through
Intel Core i3/i5/i7 with integrated audio and graphics


I think the last three cover a very big majority of the setups out there!
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post #27 of 254
2/1/12 at 2:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

I think the last three cover a very big majority of the setups out there!

Yea, but those are also the ones that don't really NEED it. They can just bitstream.
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post #28 of 254
2/1/12 at 4:00pm
WOA!!!!!!! They added bitstreaming HD audio to MKV playback. Well that's impressive. Granted, another company has already added that feature a while ago, but, still it's an improvement.
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post #29 of 254
2/1/12 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SamuriHL View Post

Just upgraded to it myself. Good news, everyone. The bug where you couldn't select HD audio unless a Blu-ray was actually playing is fixed! WOO HOO!

The beta I had still doesn't remember that setting though
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post #30 of 254
2/1/12 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by harvey13matt View Post

http://www.cyberlink.com/products/po...d10_en_GB.html

Could it be true? DTS-HD MA 7.1 decoding for people with 8 channel PAP sound cards, without need to use bit streaming to an A/V system. I.E on-board decoding rather than having to shove it to and a/v for decoding. If this is true they have got my money. Anyone confirm this is now working for more than the 5.1 channels only that previous version could do?

I can confirm this works as well (I tested with Realtek ALC892). You do need to have an approved PAP audio solution.
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