The number of options for movie and TV watching these days can be dizzying: You've got Netflix, Blu-ray, YouTube, DVD, and downloaded files just to name a few. Add to this any video of your own, whether you shoot using an HD GoPro Hero ($179.99 at Amazon) , a DSLR, or even a smart phone. To fully enjoy all of this video content, you'll want the optimal playback experience you get from good video-playback software.
For Windows users, the products included here offer just that. Most of them started life as players of DVDs, as the names WinDVD and PowerDVD suggest. Earlier versions of Windows couldn't play DVDs, but after Windows changed that, the playback software evolved with support for not only more disc media formats, but for Web- and file-based video as well.
Keep in mind that Windows still doesn't support Blu-ray playback natively, so you'll need some third-party software if you intend to play that disc format. Blu-ray encompasses more than just one format, too: along with standard HD video, you've also got Blu-ray 3D and BD Live (for accessing Internet content during playback) to think about.
Not only do most of these applications support a raft of different media file formats—including 3D formats—but the better ones can even make your video look better, with upscaling, sharpening, lighting corrections, and anti-shake (aka stabilization) features. A couple can even convert your 2D video to 3D, with surprising levels of success.
Another HD disc format that deserves consideration is AVCHD, with its sub-formats, AVCHDREC, AVCHD 2.0 Progressive (60fps), and AVCHD 3D. AVCHD allows video creators to write HD video to DVD media, saving them the investment in a Blu-ray burner. And don't forget: Cinema 4K is coming, with quadruple the resolution of 1080p. Surprisingly, some of the software below can already play 4K video content.
A couple of the applications here also include online features, such as movie databases, Web video search, and community features like ratings and forums or comments. PowerDVD even lets you play back and download Facebook and Flickr videos, with comments and likes preserved between the program and the site.
Another thing you need when your intention is serious couch-potatoing is a remote control. Most of the software in this genre now offers iPhone or Android apps that let you use your smart phone or tablet as a remote control, and one product, PowerDVD, even lets you display content stored on your PC on the mobile devices screen and vice versa.
To find out which application best suits your video-watching needs, dig into the detailed, tested reviews below.
FEATURED IN THIS ROUNDUP
ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 6
$99.99
( at Amazon)
Sure, it's expensive, but ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre 6 is just about the easiest video disc playing software to set up and use. Sporting a modern Windows 8-style interface, the software can improve the look of your DVD video image, and handles Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D content with no fuss. A simple, again easy to configure mobile app makes an excellent remote control for the playback software.
Read the full review ››
Corel WinDVD Pro 11
$49.99
( at Amazon)
First the good: Corel's venerable disc-playing software can make your DVDs look more like Blu-rays, can apply effective anti-shake, and could even play 4K video in my testing. But there are several "buts": It wouldn't play Blu-ray unless the PC had separate graphics hardware—integrated Intel graphics processing wasn't supported. It also had trouble with an Nvidia 3D Vision system—probably the most common 3D system. There's no companion mobile app for use as a remote control. And the program stopped responding occasionally. There is hope, however: Corel tells me an updated version should be hitting the market in a few weeks.
Read the full review ››
CyberLink PowerDVD 13 Ultra
$94.95
($59.95 at CyberLink)
Though it's a bit more complicated to set up and use than ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre 6, CyberLink's PowerDVD 13 Ultra has the ultimate in bells and whistles. Along with all the latest Blu-ray formats, it already can play 4K video, like that you might shoot with your GoPro Hero. You get surprisingly good SD-to-HD and 2D-to-3D simulations with PowerDVD, as well as stabilization and rotation. The software can send video to DLNA devices, and can stream video to or from mobile apps. Another mobile app works as an effective remote control. The whole package is topped off with leading Web capabilities, including the MoovieLive Web user community.
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VLC Media Player
Free
It can't play commercial Blu-rays, but the free VLC media player can handle DVDs, VCDs, and just about any other video file format you throw at it—MPEG 2, DivX, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, and lots more. Though it lacks the upscaling, stabilization, and 3D capabilities of some of the paid applications here, VLC can adjust, crop, and rotate video images, and includes an audio equalizer. An open plug-in ecosystem offers interface customizations (skins) and added capabilities, but don't look for a mobile app remote control.
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Further Reading
- As Photoshop Turns 30, Adobe Rolls Out Some Feature Tweaks
- Lightroom Gets Support for Huge Images
- Google Photos Tests Auto-Printing Subscription Service
- YouTube Cracks Down on Videos With Veiled Threats, Insults
- More in Photo & Design