REVIEW: DVD for Your PC: WinDVD and PowerDVD

Znews.com --
About 70% of new computers are packaged with DVD software so you can play DVDs on your computer. If you don't have DVD software, or if yours is outdated or doesn't support the supercharged DVD features you need, below you'll find the top-rated DVD software for PCs.

PowerDVD
[PURCHASE INFORMATION]
PowerDVD is one of the most popular PC software packages that lets you playback video and audio on your PC. PowerDVD is top-rated for its audio It comes complete with numerous customizable video/audio controls and delivers a high quality viewing and listening experience. It also offers feature-rich navigation controls, and a wide variety of sound options (e.g., Dolby Headphone, A3D for Vortex soundcards, SP-DIF output to AC3 surround-sound amplifier, or multi-speaker PC).

The control panel is very adjustable -- you can add skinz to change the look and feel, or modify the controls to use a jog wheel instead of buttons if you prefer. And the bookmark features includes image icons to remind you of what scene you bookmarked. The current 4.0 version supports OS: Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98, 98SE, 95, OSR2 or NT4.0 SP5+. Features include:

i-Power: Gateway to the Web
Enhanced On Screen Display (OSD)
Dual Subtitles & Closed Caption Decoder
Dolby Headphone Technology
Dolby Digital Decoder
AB Repeat
Digital Zoom
Region Code Settings
Advanced Video Decoder
Multiple Navigation Controls
Express Menu
Dual Playback Modes for Widescreen Titles
DTS Digital Surround Decoder New
Dolby Pro Logic II Decoder New
SRS TruSurround XT New
Virtual Speakers Setting New
Enhanced Screen Capture New
Auto Resume Playback New
Adjustable Color Cast Controls New
Bookmark with Import/Export Option New
Customizable Toolbar Navigator New
Video Always on Top Option New
Mouse Scroll Settings New
New Skins with Minimize Feature New
Compatible with All DVD/CD Media & Drives New
MP3, CD, VCD, SVCD Multi-channel Playback New
Windows XP & DirectX VA WHQL Certified New

WinDVD 4
[PURCHASE INFORMATION]
WinDVD 4.0 provides high-quality DVD playback and comes with an excellent user interface -- a "remote" that lets you control picture and audio variables (such as dialog clarity) as well as navigation and language options. WinDVD 4.0 is much more robust that the DVD player that may have come pre-packaged with your PC, and supports a wide variety of audio options (see below).

We really like the scene bookmark option, which is tied to the user profile so that your bookmarked scenes load along with your profile the next time you watch the same movie.

Another fun and useful feature for those on the go, or those who have limited laptop battery life is the "time stretch" feature. Stretch-time allows you to set a pre-determined movie length or end time, so you can watch a two-hour movie in one hour (or 3) if you have to. The voice audio is adjusted so you don't feel like you're watching the chipmunks.

Also available, WinDVD Plus. Supports: Windows 95 / 98 / NT

Video Features:

Video On Desktop
Full Range Color Adjustment
Display Gamma Correction
Pan & Scan Option
Advanced De-interlacing

Audio Features:

DTS Digital Surround
Dolby Digital Decoder
Dolby Headphone
Dolby EX
Dolby Pro Logic II
SRS TruSurround XT
SRS TruBass
SRS Dialog Clarity
Multi-Channel MP3 Playback
LFE Mixer
Environment (Dynamic Range Compression)
InterVideo Channel Expansion
DSP Audio Effects
Pitch Shift and Vocal Supression

More information
For more about how to buy a DVD Player, see Znews.com's DVD Player Buyer's Guide. Or see our reviews of Top DVD Players by category:

See All DVD Players at Amazon.com.