Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra (build 3319)
Cyberlink's PowerDVD Ultra is one of a very small handful of software video players that can play back protected HD content from HD DVD and Blu-ray sources. While we had some trouble with older builds, the new build provided us with smooth operation.
Last but not least, here are the specs of the test system:
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| System Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core Duo e4300, 1.8 GHz, 1400 FSB, 2 MB Cache |
| Motherboard | ASUS P5B, BIOS: 1604 |
| RAM | Patriot PC2-6400, 1x 1024 MB, CAS 5.0-5-5-16 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar WD2500JS250 GB, 7200 RPM, 8 MB Cache, SATA 300 |
| Networking | Realtec onboard RTL8168/8111 Gigabit Ethernet NIC |
| Graphics Cards | EVGA GeForce 8600 GTS, 256 MB RAMEVGA GeForce 8400 GS, 256 MB RAMSapphire Radeon HD 2600 XT, 256 MB RAMVisionTek Radeon HD 2400 PRO, 256 MB RAM |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake Toughpower 1200w |
| System Software & Drivers | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows XP Pro, Microsoft Vista Home |
| Graphics Driver | Nvidia ForceWare 163.69 (Vista), 163.71 (XP), ATI Catalyst 7.10 |
We used the lowest-end Core 2 Duo we had on hand with a single gigabyte of RAM, to move as much video decoding stress to the video card as possible. Although even the e4300 appeared to be powerful enough to play back 1080p video with processor-intensive H.264 codec, it was certainly pushing itself to do so at about 75% CPU usage.
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