dvd

Don't let its archaic name fool you; Cyberlink PowerDVD may sound like a name that's rooted in history, but it's actually an innovative media player and library manager that goes beyond just standard disc playback. In fact, PowerDVD 13 aims to distinguish itself from the premium media player crowd with features like "TrueTheater" enhancements, presentable media browsing, and customizable playback tools. To wrap it all up, PowerDVD also aims to rope all your media devices into one connected experience.

The installation process is standard: Cyberlink takes about 360MB of space and leaves a light footprint. … Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about last year.

Mother's Day is about six weeks away, leaving you ample time to do something really special. Forget the flowers, the chocolates, and all the usual stuff; this time, give her something personal, something unique, something homemade.

For example, you know all those photos in Mom's phone, the ones she's been collecting for years but never bothers to download or print? Why not turn them into a slideshow, one you can burn to a DVD and show during the Mother's Day festivities?

Ah, right, you … Read more

If your laptop shopping list includes a touch screen, SSD storage, or even NFC, finding a new system shouldn't be hard. But if you're still tied to your optical discs and need a DVD or Blu-ray drive, that's another story. This once-ubiquitous feature is hard to find in new Windows 8 laptops, largely restricted to older models that have had Win 8 slapped onto them and to a handful of larger desktop replacements.

As laptops continue to get thinner, a charge led by ultrabooks and the MacBook Air (and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display), I suspect we'll see fewer and fewer optical drives.

Slot-loading drives are easier to fit into a small chassis than tray-loading ones, but like Ethernet ports, optical drives may become an added cost that PC makers feel most shoppers can live without, thanks to online gaming, music, and movie services, and the growth of cloud computing.

Since the launch of Windows 8, we've reviewed only a handful of laptops that include optical drives. The list below gives our favorites, and a few that weren't quite as warmly received.… Read more

For those who need custom disc labels, native programs may not have enough options. Fortunately, there are plenty of other programs to chose from. While functional, CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac's price tag may not be justifiable for all but the heaviest users.

The free trial version of CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac adds a mark to every disc printed while the full, unrestricted version requires a $29.99 payment. The program is nearly 100MB and has no native installer. While the program loaded quickly, the user is immediately prompted to enter, register, and pay … Read more

There are many programs, both free and paid, that can be used to manage files for CDs, DVDs, and data discs. Express Burn for Mac, while functional, may not justify the price required for the full version.

Express Burn for Mac is available as a free trial version with an upgrade for $69.95. The limitations on the trial version aren't apparent from either the program itself or the developer's Web site. The download was fairly quick, but the installation required careful attention to avoid downloading additional, nonadvertised programs set to be downloaded by default. These included a … Read more

It sounds ideal. Take all those DVDs and Blu-rays you own and, from the comfort of your own home, effortlessly gain digital copies for a low price. That's the promise of Vudu's new "In-Home Disc to Digital" service. Vudu delivers on that promise in some cases but disappoints in other ways.

Last year, Walmart-owned Vudu launched its Disc to Digital service that required people to go into Walmart stores for the conversion. Who wants to do that? This is where the "In-Home" version of Disc to Digital comes … Read more

If you watch commercial DVDs on your Mac, you may encounter a rare bug that causes the video to appear corrupted, with a blocklike pattern covering its output. This can occur regardless of whether you're using Apple's provided DVD Player application or a third-party player such as the popular cross-platform VLC media player.

When this bug occurs, even though you may hear audio and see movement, the garbled output makes the video for all intents and purposes unwatchable. Generally when such corruption occurs it indicates a problem with processing the data stream, which can indicate an issue with … Read more

Trying to capture decent photo stills when taking screenshots from DVDs is almost impossible. Fortunately, DVD Snap for Mac allows you to quickly and easily snap usable still photos from DVD video footage.

DVD Snap for Mac is a quick and efficient way to take usable screen captures from video but is limited to files located on DVD discs. The program's interface is uncluttered and easy to use. It even includes start and pause buttons for the video footage so you don't have to keep switching to the DVD player program. You can choose between taking individual captures … Read more

Years ago, long before the dawn of the DVD or Blu-ray formats, consumer video was strictly all-analog, from the very first broadcasts right up to the introduction of the LaserDisc. The 12-inch, double-sided LaserDisc looked like a giant CD, but the video was analog encoded on two single-sided aluminum discs layered in plastic. The discs that debuted in 1978 had analog audio soundtracks, but later discs featured stereo digital sound. Millions of players were sold in the U.S., but LaserDisc was, even during the height of its popularity, a niche format that appealed mostly to videophiles. It had much … Read more