Installed on: Win7x64, Radeon HD 5850, 6GB RAM, i7-920 PC

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/PowerDVD-9-Standard/dp/B001UP241M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">PowerDVD 9 Standard</a>&nbsp;was included with the Blu-Ray drive in my PC.  800MB of hard drive space, installed desktop gadgets, and six different programs loading at every startup screamed bloatware but it did do a decent job of playing DVD's and Blu-Rays after some tweaking so I decided to see if v. 11 was any better.  It's not, by a long shot.

While installing, I encountered some of the annoyances that should not be in 21st century software.  This includes a requirement that we enter a "Company Name" in addition to our own name, installation of services like "CLHNService" and "Spark Media Server" that run even when you're not using the software, and an insistence on connecting to the Internet immediately after installation.  When I allowed the program to connect it crashed.

I reboot the computer, start the program a second time and it connects to the Internet to download what appears to be commercials and movie trailers.  I turn off all the "connect to Internet" options but it continues to connect anyway.  So basically you're buying a program that bombards you with movie trailers without your permission.  This is unacceptable to me.

I try to play a music CD and it crashes.  Try to play a DVD and a large grey box obscured the screen so you couldn't see the movie. Did anyone at Cyberlink beta test this program?

Download a 100MB patch dated 9/1/11 from Cyberlink.  The patch installed properly, but I was worried it wouldn't because it acted like a regular installation and provided no indication it recognized the previous installation.  Post-patch it still attempts to connect to the Internet every time I start the program; including accessing their "Mooovies" service that I specifically told it not to install.

Here's the laughable part.  I still can't play CD's.  Why?  Because prior to installation of PowerDVD 11 I uninstalled all previous media players and codecs on my system.  I wanted to give it the ability to do a clean install so I even removed Windows Media Player.  Turns out that was a mistake because every time I try to play a CD it says it requires Windows Media Player to function properly.

I tested out their photo slideshow and the picture quality looks nice but their toolbar keeps getting obscured by the Windows toolbar as they fight one another for the top of the page.  Cyberlink throws in a few gimmicky options like a sliding motion as it moves from one photo to the next.  This started to give me motion sickness so I tried turning this option off in the settings. It ignored me and continued to do it anyway.  No editing options whatsoever; I can't even delete a photo.

So that's PowerDVD in a nutshell.  It boasts cool features like 3D, ATI Streaming, Tru Theater Mode and more but it can't get even basic functions to work properly.  Worst of all it takes up resources even when it's not being used and it connects to the Internet without providing a reason why or asking your permission before doing so.

I uninstalled the program and it left garbage in "My Documents" and "Public Documents" and the system registry.  Plus my system started generating errors and crashing uncontrollably to the point where I had to revert to a hard drive backup.
Installed on: Win7x64, Radeon HD 5850, 6GB RAM, i7-920 PC

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/PowerDVD-9-Standard/dp/B001UP241M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt? ie=UTF8">PowerDVD 9 Standard</a>&nbsp;was included with the Blu-Ray drive in my PC. 800MB of hard drive space, installed desktop gadgets, and six different programs loading at every startup screamed bloatware but it did do a decent job of playing DVD's and Blu-Rays after some tweaking so I decided to see if v. 11 was any better. It's not, by a long shot. While installing, I encountered some of the annoyances that should not be in 21st century software. This includes a requirement that we enter a "Company Name" in addition to our own name, installation of services like "CLHNService" and "Spark Media Server" that run even when you're not using the software, and an insistence on connecting to the Internet immediately after installation. When I allowed the program to connect it crashed. I reboot the computer, start the program a second time and it connects to the Internet to download what appears to be commercials and movie trailers. I turn off all the "connect to Internet" options but it continues to connect anyway. So basically you're buying a program that bombards you with movie trailers without your permission. This is unacceptable to me. I try to play a music CD and it crashes. Try to play a DVD and a large grey box obscured the screen so you couldn't see the movie. Did anyone at Cyberlink beta test this program? Download a 100MB patch dated 9/1/11 from Cyberlink. The patch installed properly, but I was worried it wouldn't because it acted like a regular installation and provided no indication it recognized the previous installation. Post-patch it still attempts to connect to the Internet every time I start the program; including accessing their "Mooovies" service that I specifically told it not to install. Here's the laughable part. I still can't play CD's. Why? Because prior to installation of PowerDVD 11 I uninstalled all previous media players and codecs on my system. I wanted to give it the ability to do a clean install so I even removed Windows Media Player. Turns out that was a mistake because every time I try to play a CD it says it requires Windows Media Player to function properly. I tested out their photo slideshow and the picture quality looks nice but their toolbar keeps getting obscured by the Windows toolbar as they fight one another for the top of the page. Cyberlink throws in a few gimmicky options like a sliding motion as it moves from one photo to the next. This started to give me motion sickness so I tried turning this option off in the settings. It ignored me and continued to do it anyway. No editing options whatsoever; I can't even delete a photo. So that's PowerDVD in a nutshell. It boasts cool features like 3D, ATI Streaming, Tru Theater Mode and more but it can't get even basic functions to work properly. Worst of all it takes up resources even when it's not being used and it connects to the Internet without providing a reason why or asking your permission before doing so. I uninstalled the program and it left garbage in "My Documents" and "Public Documents" and the system registry. Plus my system started generating errors and crashing uncontrollably to the point where I had to revert to a hard drive backup.