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CyberLink special report part 2

by on26 December 2007

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Upcoming products and features


Yesterday we gave you a look into what CyberLink is working on when it comes to digital TV and some information about the company. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at its software and what it has lined up for the next few months. CyberLink is a video company, and it’s what they will continue to focus on, although it doesn’t mean that they’re sitting idly by waiting to release a new DVD playback application with some tweaks just because it’s another year end and they need a new product.

However, they’ve updated PowerDVD 7 and the deluxe version now comes with support for both Blu-ray and HD DVD playback, and we should see a new version being demoed at CES, which will be out sometime in 2008. There will also be an updated version of PowerCinema on display, which looks like a very competitive alternative to going down the Windows Media Center Edition route, although you’d really want to get the optional remote with it to make the most out of it.

Rather interestingly, CyberLink has sort of stepped away from its traditional products with CyberLink Live, which is a media streaming application. The great news here is that currently CyberLink Live is free to download and it allows you to stream media not only over your home network, but also over the Internet; and all you need to watch the streaming media is a Web browser. It’s not a unique solution by any means, but it seems like CyberLink has managed to get around some of more awkward setup steps that we’ve come across on competing solutions. It is also compatible with Home DNLA devices, which means that you can stream video and music to any such device in your network.

CyberLink is also looking at ways to enable streaming of HD media over your home network, and again they should be demoing this at CES 2008. Furthermore, with PowerCinema Mobile, CyberLink is stepping up the game on the handheld market with the ability to stream video and audio to your mobile phone. Although this is, of course, limited by the connection speed available, it will be interesting to see how well this works. The downside would be price if you’re using a 3G connection, but this is depends on where you live and how much you’re paying for your 3G data.

But CyberLink isn’t just a consumer software company, as it has a range of business solutions as well, such as the recently launched StreamAuthor 4 application which is targeting e-learning. Next year we should see an application that is similar to CyberLink Live, but again it is targeting the business user and in this instance it’ll give you access to files on your office computer and it will allow you to run PowerPoint presentations via a Web interface, which means that you don’t have to worry about leaving those PowerPoints behind. It also incorporates a Web conferencing interface that allows for one-on-one interactive presentations over the Web.

Although this might not be unique in itself, we bet that CyberLink will be offering these applications at a far more affordable price than the currently available solutions from the professional video conferencing companies.  You’ll have to wait until CES 2008 to find out all the nitty gritty details, but it looks like we can expect a lot of new products from CyberLink in the coming year. So, please be sure to check back with us during CES when Fudo will be reporting live from the show, to find out exactly what CyberLink and everyone else will be up to.

Last modified on 27 December 2007
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