Customer Reviews

PowerDVD 8 Ultra [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have been a Cyberlink PowerDVD user for many years. However, PowerDVD 8 Ultra and PowerDVD 9 Ultra are just plain bad for blu-ray. Don't take my word for it - just check all the user complaints on their website forum! These problems are not new. Update after update does not fix the multitude of problems. If you ever do get a response from tech support to your email, what you get is a script of "solutions" - like uninstall and re-install - that don't "solve" the problem! Of course you can always PAY for live tech support - that's a good revenue source for Cyberlink too. Just don't expect a real solution, because they know they're selling something that doesn't work for blu-ray.

It's also clear from the complaints on Cyberlink's website forum that they are less than responsive to these problems. Their answer to the many problems with PowerDVD 8 Ultra blu-ray playback was to release another version (PowerDVD 9 Ultra) that doesn't solve any of the problems of the prior version, plus adding some new ones as well. It serves admirably to generate new revenue for Cyberlink - just don't make the mistake of assuming it will do anything for you in return.

Summary: If you just want to playback regular DVDs on your computer, don't pay the premium price for the Ultra versions. You can buy the cheaper Deluxe versions. Playback of regular DVDs is excellent. If you actually want to playback blu-ray discs, you're going to have problems.

I've used this version for a few months and I am very impressed. It plays all dvd and blue-ray movie titles without any glitches or freezing. Easy video and sound configuration. The only thing it's missing is the cyberlink remote. It would be nice of them to give it for free, at least for those people who bought the Ultra version!

I decided to change video editing software and responded to an email offer for Cyberlink's DVD Suite 7 Ultra. I paid over 100 dollars, and as soon as I started using it, kept getting pop-ups to upgrade. Upgrade? I thought "Ultra" meant the best. I tried to capture HD video, but it was "jerky". Then I saw that I needed at least two megs of ram. (I only have one) So I tried to edit regular video. It still jerked. Then, less than 90 days later, got an email offering the latest version. I contacted Cyberlink and asked about their upgrade policy. To quote them, (pasted from their response)
"We would like to inform you that as per website DVD Suite 7 is latest Suite available. DVD suite contains many softwares. These softwares has limited features and in case you want the full version of the software then you have to purchase the upgrade for that respective software."
Shame on me. Ultra wasn't the top of the line. I have gone back to Pinnacle, and have sent PC World an email telling them that their review, which motivated me to by the Cyberlink software, is misleading, and makes me question their credibility in the future.

PowerDVD 8 and 9 both refused to play a Blu-ray movie(Taken), except for previews, due to "unsupported format"? Updates did not help. Version 8 is fair quality and the newer version 9 is crystal clear with non-Blu-ray DVDs; best I have seen yet. All the features are very good. They should get their act together and fix the format problem. Want to speak with anyone at cyberlink? Have your $$wallet$$ ready.

I have had the unfortionate expeiriance of having to deal with their customer service. What they don't tell everyone is that their programs arent good for life. I have had to uninstall and reinstall their program about 5 to 8 time most due to the program itself and their patches. Plus I had to reinstal windows. When I installed it again and entered the key it sais this key has been used to many times and I need to contact custome support and purchase a new key. This is for a program I paid a hundred dollars for. Well I contacted customer service not to pay enouther penny but to get me program working again for free I already paid enough. Now I am registerd at their site where you can go check out your order and it displays your reciept. Still they ask me for proof I own the program then they send me bogus links and keys that do not work. ( I tried them using differant computers and the links dont work ) I told them I have the program I paid for already just generate a new key. The only key they sent sais use by 12:00am it wont work after that. ? So if I ever need to use it again it wont work for my life long program. Its been for weeks now they are trying to make my program work no luck. I cant even count the amount of times they had me reinstall and uninstall it plus download a cyberlink cleaner. Ya thats right you need a special cleaner from them to get rid of all their program. Plus they had me reinstall windows. Even then they still sent me a link to clean the computer. They are doing everything they can to waste my time and run me away. Finaly I said why dont you just download the file from your links and send it to me with a new key. No luck thy said they cant. Ok I said then just give me a program that by updating would cost me 26 dollors and I would be done with them. I'm still waiting for an answer. So for 4 weeks plus 50 hours of my time. Still I am stiffed out of a program I paid $100 for. They have very very poor customer service and no way to call them. Since I needed a program like that I had to by Nero 10 plat. But I still want what I paid for from them. I must say there are better program out there for less and they dont hog your whole system up and way better customer service avoid this company if you expect to use a program for life. Becuase they will do whatever they can to steal your money.

This product costs an arm and a leg, and consistently fails in its only job. I wanted to play blu-ray dvds on my computer, so I buy this and a blu-ray drive.

Now, it won't play dvds and crashes so hard Vista won't even open task manager. Find something else.