HomePage 3 of 24: Archive: What's new in version 2.5.1115
Note : This is an archived review for an older version of PowerDVD. For the latest review, please refer to this page.
NEW in 2.5.1115
To see a complete review of the latest version of PowerDVD, please refer to this page.This retail release adds 1 more (cool purple - see right) skin and several other neat touches. And as if they've read my review, they've added the much needed RGB color controls - now it is just as good as WinDVD 2000. The only missing feature is still the much needed fast rewind button, but other than that, this player is perfect !! The rest of the review is still valid, except for points dealing with the lack of RGB control.
NEW in 2.5.1028
To put is simply - this is the best version of PowerDVD ever, in fact I even consider it as the best software DVD player in the current bunch!! This player has all the feature you need, improved quality and decoder efficiency - a very high quality piece of software.
Decoding Efficiency
Although not as efficient as soft-Cinemaster, it is as good, if not better than InterVideo's WinDVD, the current best overall player. You'll still need a fast CPU, at least a PII-350, to get 30fps playback. Good, but not the best.
Video Quality
While older versions of PowerDVD was always considered to be a poorer quality decoder compared to the rest, PowerDVD 2.5 is a whole different story.
The picture quality is clear, and no longer suffers from the slight dithering problems of earlier releases. But on playing certain discs, I did notice the distinct lack of green, and an excess of red and blue. This could have been avoided if a RGB control was added (now available in 2.5.1115)- WinDVD still wins out here.
