New PowerDVD version has VR and UHD support, but you'll need a seriously beefy PC to take full advantage
Image/Photo Credit: Cyberlink
Whether it's VR or 4K, the latest version of PowerDVD promises to have something for you - but it all comes at a cost!
While the price of the fully featured Ultra version of PowerDVD, now in version 17, has stayed the same (at $99.95), the hardware cost needed to get the best out of it is significant, to say the least.
To play back the latest 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, you'll need at least the latest generation (Kaby Lake) Intel Core i processor that has added support for Intel Software Guard Extensions (for, you guessed it, copy protection), and a motherboard to match.
You'll also need a GPU that supports HDCP 2.2, which integrated Kaby Lake CPUs with Intel HD Graphics 630 or Intel Iris Graphics 640, may offer (and this is probably the cheapest option - the other option means you'll need something like the Nvidia GTX 970, which will set you back a couple of hundred bucks).
And of course, you'll need an Ultra HD Blu-ray reader drive, which is going for about USD$270 on eBay at the moment.
That's all not including the 4K monitor with HDCP 2.2 that you'll need, and if you want HDR, you'll have to get that supported too on both your GPU and monitor.
PowerDVD 17 also features support for the latest VR devices from Oculus Rift and HTC, allowing you to watch your favourite flicks in a virtual environment, or watch 3D-360 immersive videos.
The requirements for VR are lighter (only slightly), and you'll still need a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 or equivalent according to PowerDVD's specs page.
But if you've got all of this already, maybe because you won the lottery recently, then you're in for a truly next-gen viewing experience. So what are you waiting for? Buy PowerDVD 17 today, using this link so this author can make a bit of cash and build his own Ultra HD Blu-ray/VR capable PC!
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