My early impressions of Windvd 11

[lesterf1020]

Early impressions of Corel WinDVD 11

Here are some of my early thoughts regarding the new Windvd 11.

1. I love the new interface. I have been using Windvd since version 3 and I think this is the best interface I have seen from WinDVD.

2. They still have not found a way to incorporate the zoom properly into the interface. It is not present here at all. I suspect you have to use the keyboard.

3. It is less stable than Windvd 2010 where upscaling/all2hd is concerned. I had to deal with several crashes with DVD’s that have static menus. I had no problems working around them because I am used to how WINDVD crashes and how to work around it but someone new to WINDVD is likely to get frustrated.

4. The motion compensation/ frame rate upscaling /digital natural motion is clearly inferior to Windvd 2010 and WinDVD 9. However it is not bad and comparable to PowerDVD’s version. (This unfortunately is a deal breaker for me.)

5. The upscaling is different in Windvd 11 than Windvd 2010 or WinDVD 9. It uses a lot more sharpening and contrast enhancement. I found the default setting of 50 to produce all kinds of aliasing (jaggies) issues and so I toned it down to around 40 which is a lot better for me. I still find the contrast enhancement too high for my taste. (another deal breaker for me)

6. WIndvd 11 plays blu-rays no differently than Windvd 2010 and doesn’t provide any motion compensation or video enhancement options but it supports Blu-rays that Windvd 2010 had some issues with.

Overall this is a bust for me. It is not bad and I love the new interface but since I am not interested in 3D right now most of those new features and enhancements mean nothing to me. I can’t upgrade to this guy yet.


I am running this on Windows 7 x64.

[gillsmith]

Unfortunately I must agree entirely. I have enjoyed using WinDVD Pro 2010 for some time now but the new WinDVD 11 simply does not match the video quality of its predecessor. Like you lesterf1020, I do prefer the interface, however, I will also not be upgrading either.

Best wishes to all,
Ron

Also Windows 7 x64.

[nordsam]

I'm on the edge of buying WinDVD Pro 11, because I really like the new sleek and clean interface (this unlike a certain competing player that has become a real eyesore to look at with all the bloat and ugly colors). However I'm also disappointed with the new upscaling. But the actual dealbreaker for me is that the application window size and position is not saved, and also that Aero snap support has been dropped. This may sound like a petty thing, but that is major for me because I pretty much always multitask while watching videos (that's the beauty with a 1600p 30" monitor, half screen for leisure, other for business ).

Also I have to wonder if Corel ever listens to user feedback, I mean I know the competition has an active dialogue with it's user-base. While Corel is the faceless company, where I had to google to even find the forums

[BigJaze]

FYI,
Since installing WinDVD11 on my HP EliteBook I'm unable to play any DVD's, I continually get a message "Media Not Supported" on standard and BluRay DVD's. If I close WinDVD11 and open WinDVD8 on the same laptop I can play most of the same DVD's with the exception of the newest Blu-Ray. Being that I wasn't able to update the AACS key for WInDVD8 I decided to upgrade to WinDVD11 to avoid the headache, now I'm unable to play anything with WInDVD11.
I've opened case and waiting to hear back from Corel support...

[gillsmith]

Hi all,
I'm revising my earlier impressions, I think I was a bit hasty. HDMI from ATI 5870 to 58" Plasma is giving me a stable, detailed, sharp image from DVD. Win DVDPro 11 Upscaler just behind midway on the scale. All Video settings in CCC turned off except Dynamic Range which is set to 16-235, and latest driver 11.11. Very impressive. Yes, it is different to Win DVDPro 2010 but I really liked what I saw.
Cheers,
Ron