Enjoy 2D content in 3D with CyberLink's PowerDVD 10!

The tenth edition of PowerDVD marks a major turning point for this movie and media player, as the brand new version is not only 3D-compatible, but can also convert 2D content to 3D.

The well-known audio and video playback software PowerDVD has just released an updated tenth edition with a whole range of new functions. It’s available for purchase and download on the CyberLink website and is set to hit the shops soon.

Total 3D compatibility

The most eagerly awaited new function is, of course, 3D compatibility, and it’s certainly the most interesting of all the new features. It allows you to play discs encoded in the new AVC-MVC format used to produce 3D Blu-ray discs (sequential encoding), as well as other encoding systems sometimes found on 3D demos (top & bottom, side-by-side or checkerboard encoding). To watch content in 3D, you’ll need a pair of Nvidia 3D Vision glasses as well as an Nvidia graphics card. Don’t forget you’ll also need a screen or video projector with a video entry that’s compatible with 120 Hz technology.

2D-to-3D conversion

Another interesting feature is TrueTheater 3D technology, which converts 2D content such as DVDs and video files to 3D. This, however, is only possible for standard definition content due to computational power issues with high definition media. We weren’t really expecting much of this feature, but, even though it won’t blow you away, it does actually create the appearance of a real depth of field. Some minor defects and difficult-to-decipher details do sometimes appear in the picture, but these are rare enough to keep most PowerDVD 10 users sufficiently impressed with the results. It’s more a question of personal taste.


The software is compatible with most of the latest media formats, including AVCHD, VC1 and DivX, and, more importantly, the MKV container. It’s even possible to use several audio tracks or subtitles files with MKVs. Plus, PowerDVD integrates just as effectively into Windows Media Center, adding a very welcome Blu-ray player or 3D Blu-ray player function.

Compatibility with various CPU/GPU acceleration technologies helps get the best out of your graphics card and give your computer’s processor a helping hand. Plus, different filters (TrueTheater HD, TrueTheater Motion etc.) allow you to upscale SD films to HD, make the image flow more smoothly or enhance picture quality.

Finally, Cyberlink has included a function for adding comments to different scenes in a film or video, and it’s even possible to share your comments on Facebook, Twitter and MoovieLive. Although this may be useful to help you quickly find your favourite parts of a home movie, it’s difficult to see how you'd use it in commercial movies.

Three versions, but just one for Blu-ray!

As usual, PowerDVD 10 is available in three different versions: Ultra 3D (£79.99), Deluxe (£49.99) and Standard (£39.99). Note that only the Ultra 3D version can play Blu-ray discs. Click here to view a comparison table for the different versions.