Cyberlink PowerDVD 9 Ultra

While all modern computers can play both DVD and Blu-ray movies, given a suitable disc drive, it’s necessary to have some software to make it work. Windows Vista comes with DVD playback software built in but can’t work with Blu-ray as standard, while XP users need software for all discs.

If you buy a DVD or Blu-ray reader it’s likely to come with playback software, so what can PowerDVD 9 Ultra add? It has a couple of nice features such as the ability to make a normal DVD look a little like it’s playing in high definition, useful if you have a big screen. True Theatre Lighting enhances picture quality in dark scenes and it can also improve action scene playback on flat-panel screens.

The version we looked at had problems and crashes in 64-bit Vista, although it worked fine in the 32-bit version, and Cyberlink assures us that a patch is on the way to correct the problems we saw.

Overall, this is a pricey piece of software, but if you want Blu-ray playback or are finding DVD playback unsatisfactory on your computer, it may be the answer.