PowerDVD is a media player for Windows that combines DVD and Blu-ray playback with a library for video files, music and photos. It can play a movie from a disc, retain your place in a local video and send media to a television. Its picture and sound controls process media during playback, while separate conversion tools produce files for other devices.
PowerDVD editions differ in coverage and licensing:
| Edition | What it covers | License |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | DVDs and local media | One-time license |
| Ultra | Adds Blu-ray playback, advanced audio formats, karaoke, casting and cloud functions | One-time license |
| PowerDVD 365 | The fuller feature set | Annual subscription |
| Free download | Basic playback after an initial premium preview | Free; premium functions need a paid license |
What PowerDVD plays
PowerDVD handles DVD menus and chapters, with Blu-ray menus and BD-Live available in Ultra and PowerDVD 365. These editions also open DVD and Blu-ray ISO images from local storage, allowing a disc image to be played without first writing it to a physical disc.
Chapter and bookmark thumbnails provide visual points to return to, and automatic resume continues from the last viewing position. Local video support includes MP4, MKV and AVI, with HEVC and high-resolution playback among the additions in Ultra and 365. Their 4K and 8K video-file capabilities are separate from the types of physical discs they play.
External subtitle files, including SRT and ASS, can accompany a video. PowerDVD also reads supported subtitle tracks stored within MKV and MP4 files, so subtitles can come from either a separate file or the movie itself.
TrueTheater
TrueTheater changes the picture as a video plays. Its HD processing enlarges lower-resolution material, while Motion creates intermediate frames to make movement appear smoother. Color and lighting controls adjust the image, and stabilization reduces visible movement from handheld recordings. Ultra and 365 extend these tools with HDR processing and supported hardware-based video enhancement.
Sound processing and audio formats
PowerDVD also processes sound during playback. Surround processing creates a wider listening effect on stereo headphones. In Ultra and 365, audio denoising reduces persistent background noise, and voice isolation separates speech from surrounding sound. These playback adjustments do not replace the source file with an edited copy.
For home cinema soundtracks, Ultra and 365 support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, including multichannel playback. Music support includes lossless FLAC, ALAC and APE, with DSD added in the fuller editions. An equalizer adjusts frequency balance, and WASAPI exclusive mode gives the player exclusive use of the selected audio device during playback.
Media library
PowerDVD imports videos, music and photos into a browsable collection, with separate movie and TV-show libraries. A small, always-on-top video view lets playback continue alongside other desktop work. Photo slideshows cover common image files and camera RAW formats; Ultra and 365 also support HEIF/HEIC pictures and facial recognition within the photo library.
Music tools extend beyond playing individual tracks. Audio CDs can be ripped into files, and batch tag editing changes music information across several items. Playback speed controls adjust how quickly audio plays without requiring a new exported file.
Karaoke
Ultra and PowerDVD 365 can remove vocals from audio, video and YouTube playback to create a backing track. Separate music and vocal levels let the original singer remain audible as a guide or be reduced, while pitch shifting changes the musical key.
The karaoke tools can record microphone input together with system audio. A synchronization adjustment aligns the recorded voice with the music, after which audio mixing and export produce a saved performance.
Media conversion
PowerDVD can trim a video and convert it to MP4, or produce AAC and MP3 audio for use on other devices. Ultra and 365 additionally extract non-protected DVD and Blu-ray content to MP4. Disc extraction is limited to unprotected content; licensed playback of a commercial movie does not make that disc eligible for conversion.
The fuller editions also extract audio from supported video files, including several files in a batch. This operation takes the first audio track when a video contains more than one. A multichannel source is reduced to two channels in the extracted result, which matters when the original includes surround sound or alternate-language tracks.
TV casting
Ultra and PowerDVD 365 send video, photos and music to Chromecast, Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku devices. TV Mode supplies an interface intended for a large screen, and TrueTheater adjustments can remain active while casting. Casting supports video up to 4K.
PowerDVD can transcode media as it sends it when the original format or bitrate exceeds the receiving device’s capabilities, or when video enhancements need to be applied. The casting stream uses H.264 video and AAC audio when conversion is required. External text subtitles can be used, but embedded subtitle tracks are not supported for casting.
Cloud playback
Ultra and 365 can share a media library over a home network and upload files to CyberLink Cloud for access elsewhere. Cloud collections can be shared through a link, and the PowerPlayer companion app provides another route to the media on mobile devices. Ultra includes cloud storage for a year; the subscription includes it for as long as the subscription continues.
Cloud streaming accepts formats including MP4, MKV and MPEG transport streams. Other file types must be downloaded before playback, or converted into a suitable format before upload.
YouTube playback
In Ultra and PowerDVD 365, PowerDVD plays YouTube videos, live streams and supported subtitles within the player. It also downloads videos for later offline viewing. Support extends to high-resolution, HDR and 360-degree YouTube material, with available playback quality depending on the video.
360-degree video and VR headsets
Ultra and 365 display 360-degree video and photographs with controls for viewing different angles. Supported panoramic video uses an equirectangular image in an H.264 or HEVC MP4 file, up to 4K. Spatial audio accompanies compatible 360-degree content, and VR mode supports Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets and controllers.
