Note : This is an archived review for an older version of WinDVD. For the latest review, please refer to this page.
New in WinDVD 5.0
Click here to read the official WinDVD 5.0's What's New page.
This page tries to list all the significant new features of WinDVD 5.0 (as compared to WinDVD Platinum 1.0) - if you want to see a complete review of the latest version of WinDVD, please refer to this page.
WinDVD 5.0 is available in two main versions : Gold and Platinum. Gold is the "cut-down" version of Platinum, and the features that are unique to the Platinum version are :
More explanation for some of the above features later on.
New in 5.0 is the notion of add-on packs. There are two available add-ons, the "Audio Booster Pack" and the "Mobile Technology Pack". More details about these packs later on, but note that some of the features previously included with the top-of-the-range WinDVD version (like DTS decoding, SRS audio support) has been moved to these packs, while some of the new features are only available by purchasing one of the add-on packs. These add-on packs can be applied to both the Gold and Platinum versions.
New Video Features
New in the Platinum version of WinDVD is "Progressive De-interlacing". This is a new de-interlacing technology for interlaced content, which aims to minimize interlacing artifacts on progressive screens, such as PC monitors.
"Video Effects" was introduced in the previous version of WinDVD, and the new version of WinDVD (both Platinum and Gold) builds upon this by adding "Stackable Video Effects". This effectively means that you can apply multiple video effects to the picture at the same time (eg. Sharpness + Cinema Enhancement + Negative).
WinDVD Platinum 5.0 also features "Preset Optimized Settings". These are basically a set of preset brightness/contrast/color settings optimized for use with different display devices, such as CRT, LCD, TV and Projector.
Gamma control has been improved as well.
New Audio Features
All of the following new audio features are in the separately purchased "Audio Booster Pack" add-on.
First up is the ability to adjust each speaker/channel's volume and delay.
The Audio Booster Pack also adds in an equalizer.
And just like the stackable Video Effects, Audio Effects are now stackable as well.
New Interface Features
Apart from the new skin, the first thing you notice are the controls on the top of the main playback screen. These controls allow you to select the source of playback, and access Zoom, Audio Booster, Capture Browser, Bookmark Browser and the Playlist.
Other enhancements include a new playlist editor, which is now integrated with the capture and bookmark browsers. All consoles can be docked or undocked with the main playback screen.
New Internet Features
A new internet based feature in WinDVD 5.0 is the "Movie Encyclopedia" feature. This feature allows you to search the movie database and retrieve information about the currently playing movie, or any movie you specify in the search function.
New Mobile Features
All of the following new mobile features are in the separately purchased "Mobile Technology Pack" add-on.
The "Mobile Technology Pack" adds several functions are are designed for mobile devices, such as notebooks.
All these settings are designed to increase battery life by minimizing power usage.
OS Support
The previous version of WinDVD, WinDVD Platinum, only supports Windows 2000 and XP. The new WinDVD 5.0 has been released for all versions of Windows, including Windows 98SE, Me, 2000 and XP.
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