WinDVD Pro 11 Update?

[dashadow]

Is there ever going to be another title compatibility update for WinDVD Pro 11? It has been 14 months since the last update. I have acquired 2 recently released blu-rays, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Taken 2, that will not play on the latest version of the software. It shows the splash screen and then goes to a black screen on both and never progresses beyond that. Trying an old copy of PowerDVD 10, it states that it needs to be upgraded to play these disks, so I am assuming that it is a software player issue and not an issue with my Pioneer drive's firmware, which is the latest available. I would rather not switch to a current version of PowerDVD, as it does not handle high definition audio as cleanly on my hardware as WinDVD does.

[flynn428]

HI,

Not wanting to hijack the thread, just to add some weight to it really. I have the same issues with regard to bluray playback. Had some new discs for Christmas, but WinDVD Pro11 just will not play Ice Age Continental Drift (4). I get 7 seconds of the intro screen, then nothing. WinDVD is upto date, with no updates available.(version 11.0.0.342). I made a decision to buy legit software and discs, hoping to get decent support and useability, starting to think this was a mistake as the updates appear few and far between. Already experienced this with other discs, which now work (Prometheus) COME ON COREL GET THIS SORTED EH.

[flynn428]

All appears quiet out there in WinDVD land. I must be the only one with an issue like this. Strange................

[AeroWB]

It appears WinDVD 11 is end-of-life but Corel is just trying to make more money by still selling it as long as they can. (Which reminds me of Pinnacle and the DC-30 but thats another story)
I also bought the program and on my computer it just stoppped working one day and I cannot get it working again. I tried ArcSoft TotalMediaTheather and Cyberlinks PowerDVD and both work, though TotalMediaTheater doesn't work great. My PowerDVD trial works great, but I don't like the fact that I have to pay again because Corel is not supporting WinDVD anymore and Cyberlink is charging so much for this program its ridiculous, You can buy a hardware Blu-ray player for that amount of money. They slap in all kind of extra software which I am not interested in. And when you check the forums for PowerDVD it appears that you will have to pay again when they release a new version and the previous one is not updated anymore. At this moment though they do support the product which cannot be said for Corel's WinDVD.

[dashadow]

Well, I have a third disk to add to my list - Skyfall also fails to play in exactly the same manner as the previous two of mine. I guess I will have to wait for PowerDVD 13 trial to come out so that I will at least be able to determine if it is a player problem or a drive problem.

[dashadow]

I found a temporary 3rd party solution to the problem. I installed a trial version of another blu-ray software player and found that it has two different modes for launching a blu-ray disc. The Advanced mode fails to load and playback these problematical discs in the same manner as WinDVD, but the Simplified mode succeeds in loading and then allows playback. It appears that the Advanced mode simply tries to run the discs' Java menus while the Simplified mode completely bypasses them and presents thumbnails to select and launch. It would seem that the whole problem WinDVD has with these discs is simply to do with the menus and not to do with any keys or copy protection. I don't intend to purchase the other player because it is otherwise somewhat buggy and unpolished and doesn't properly support my sound setup, since I have a BD-content protected audio path and output directly to my Pro-media audio system rather than pass through to an AVR via HDMI. With my setup and WinDVD (or PowerDVD) I can decode and output 24-bit audio to the speakers. I don't believe any other software player is certified to, or even capable of, recognizing and working with a BD-content protected audio path this way. It is impossible to know for sure with this one since it does not tell you the details of what it is outputting.

In any case I was hoping that there was some option in WinDVD to allow bypassing the menus in a similar manner, in order to be able to play these problematic discs, but I have been unable to find any such feature.

[cvpsmith]

I have the same problem. I JUST bought WinDVD Pro 11 for Bluray playback, and Skyfall refuses to play. I think that we should seriously consider filing a class-action against Corel, given the circumstances. I mean, I JUST BOUGHT this software one month ago! If anyone is interested, contact me So far, I'm not too impressed with BD on PC. The DRM is absolutely KILLING our ability to watch movies. This is some serious BS, IMO.


mod note - live e-mail address removed - use link in profile box on the right.

[earnolmartin]

I have the same problem. I cannot fathom how Corel thinks it can get away with not supporting its products. For the price I paid for WinDVD Pro, I could have purchased an actual blu-ray player for my TV that would have played these movies without any issues. I'm greatly upset and dissatisfied with the way Corel is handling this. Please release an update soon. I don't think I'll buy any more Corel products until this program receives an update. It's a shame because I really like a lot of Corel products, but I cannot tolerate this neglect.

I couldn't play Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter either in WinDVD Pro 11, so I had to send it back to BlockBuster. Waste of a rental. Thanks Corel! Please release an update or continue to anger customers. The second choice only hurts you.

I can't even contact support, as they want us to PAY for their GARBAGE support. Get out! I used to be able to contact them for FREE, which is my right since I paid for your garbage! Fix or fire!

[canuck]

This is not Corel but simply a users forum. If you have a complaint take it up with Corel

[earnolmartin]

This is not Corel but simply a users forum. If you have a complaint take it up with Corel

Where can you get "non-paid support"? Instead, they redirect you here. It's the perfect place to complain. Anyone else experiencing this issue should also post in this thread.

[dashadow]

It turns out that my WinDVD Pro 11 was never registered. I assumed it was automatically registered during the online purchase but it wasn't, so I was able to register it now and receive a 90 day support code which I used to report this problem. It's kind of silly that you have to have a support code, which costs money after the initial 90 days, just to report a problem that is clearly a bug in their product. Hey Corel - I have 25 years experience with software QA, software engineering and sustaining engineering in the "shrink wrap" sector and I can assure you that that kind of policy will result in stale, mediocre products and zero goodwill, which is an intangible, but professionally quantifiable item that adds actual value to a product and a company. In any case, I imagine they must have already been aware of the problem as it has been around for some time, but at least now I know that it is officially reported. Their response to the report was:

"After reviewing this support inquiry regarding WinDVD Pro 11 and not having the ability to play new releases BluRay movie, like your Skyfall, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Taken 2 and Red Dawn movies. It's shows the known limitation in the program which is also experienced by other users of this program.

You may receive the message 'Error R09', once a Blu - ray disc in inserted in your tray and after manufacturer's logo appears. The request to update the AACS key for the program, is a common happenstance when new titles are released. Each BluRay disc has a folder called CERTIFICATE on it that contains disc instructions to be allowed to play with software players.

Unlike stand-alone BluRay players which are universally unlocked for playback, applications, such as our own WinDVD must jump through proverbial hoops to allow access to the discs.

The reason you are getting this message is that the current version of WinDVD does not know how to read these newer Certificates. We have submitted the request to our engineering team supply us with the necessary updates for our customers and are still waiting for this patch to be released."

There is some boilerplate there that is not entirely relevant and it says that this problem has been submitted to engineering, which implies that it has not been submitted before - assuming that they are able to track issues in their system - but I really doubt that they were previously unaware of the issue. I guess we will have to wait and see if an update is forthcoming, but I have no real expectations at this point.

[Wickless]

I just purchased WinDvD Pro 11 today and installed it.

Whenever I play a Blu-Ray, it will do so fine for about 20 minutes, then the application becomes non-responsive. I terminate the application and process in Task Manager. However, after doing so, I am unable to launch the application again. I have to reboot the computer to get the application to run again. If I play the Blu_ray again and skip forward a few chapters, it will again become non-responsive after approximately 20 minutes.

This behavior occurs with all Blu-Rays I attempt to play. By way of comparison, I am able to play DvDs with no issue at all.

Here is my application information:

Corel WinDvD Pro 11

Version: 11.0.0.289

Here are my system specs:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 BE 965

Memory: 8 GB DDR2 1066 (PC2-8500)

Storage: 2 WD Veliciprator 300 GD HHDs in RAID 0

Video card: 2 MSI Lightning Radeon 6970's in x16/x16 xfire mode

Sound card: ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 PCI

Optical Drive: LG HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH16NS40

I submitted a trouble ticket but thought I'd see if anyone here has suggestions.

I thank you in advance for your assistance in resolving this issue.

Edit - I updated to version 11.0.0.342 and still experience the same issue

[Stein495]

My thanks to the posts relating to unplayable blu-ray. This thread reflects exactly the problem I experience.
I too have WinDVD Pro 11 version 11.0.0.342.
Skyfall blu-ray was rented from Redbox on 3/16/2013 and 4/13/2013. Both times the player stopped at exactly the same point after the brief banner clip finishes.
Argo blu-ray was rented 4/13/2013 and played correctly.
I have nothing further to add, except that my next blu-ray software won't be from Corel

[stevecramertoo]

This is not Corel but simply a users forum. If you have a complaint take it up with Corel

Where can you get "non-paid support"? Instead, they redirect you here. It's the perfect place to complain. Anyone else experiencing this issue should also post in this thread.

Corel will not support this software. This software never worked in windows 8 Pro x64 for me. Corel Windvd pro 2011 doesn't work (with or without the patches and updates), we need a class-action lawsuit to settle this mess.

[Raptor22]

Corel is supporting this software. The new patch is available here.

It patches the old one plus allows playback under Windows 8.