CyberLink Shifts PowerDVD Towards Subscription Model

If you’re a yearly CyberLink PowerDVD upgrader, they have just the thing for you – a subscription plan that runs $44.99/year, or 4x $14.99 if you prefer a quarterly payment schedule. For this persistent outlay you get the latest rev of PowerDVD and 10GB of online, er… Cloud, storage which, if you also have a Android or iOS device with PowerDVD mobile, could be a good way to maintain access to photos, music, and video files when you’re not at home.

We had a chance to talk with CyberLink about their fresh new service, details and the full PR after the click.

First off, to allay concerns for those not bought into renting software – the current model will continue with the top of the line “Ultra” version of PowerDVD retailing for $99. This is a new feature targeted at mobile users, and those who re-up yearly for the newest version of PowerDVD. For those users, $45 is a pretty good deal, to always have the latest-and-greatest on tap.  Currently only iOS and Android are supported, but there are plans for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 applications as well – just no hard timeline for when. The software ecosystem is still a bit rough, with options for automating or throttling uploads on the PC not yet implemented.

Personally I’m interested to see where CyberLink takes this. If they can keep up the current, annual, march towards featuredom – this could be a really great way to manage and consume content across devices. I still have some questions around security (both in transport and at rest) requiring an answer. We’ll keep you updated on what they come back with, and how the experience works in practice.

CyberLink Introduces Subscription-based PowerDVD Live with Integrated Cloud Storage Solution

 

The World’s best-selling media player, now offered both in perpetual and subscription license, integrates comprehensive cloud services to store and access digital content

Taipei, Taiwan—October 8, 2013—CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), the world’s leading consumer multimedia software company, today launched PowerDVD Live, the first subscription-based multimedia player with integrated cloud storage service. Users always get the most up-to-date version of PowerDVD, plus 10GB of cloud storage with the CyberLink Drive cloud storage service to sync media between PC and mobile devices.

PowerDVD Live is available via annual and quarterly subscription, starting at $14.99. Subscribers get the latest versions of PowerDVD Ultra during their subscription period, offering complete universal playback and DLNA features.

With the integration of CyberLink Drive, PowerDVD Live subscribers receive 10GB online storage space to sync music, photos and videos between PowerDVD Live on PC and PowerDVD Mobile on Android and iOS devices. Users can easily expand storage space by an additional 100GB.

“With the rapid emergence of mobile technology, users are demanding instant access to all their media. A single hard drive on home PC is no longer enough. People want access to create, edit and view their photos, music and videos. They don’t care about platform limitations—they just want it to work, period. We are pleased to announce both our cloud and Live initiatives and this first offering, PowerDVD Live, in order to make this a reality,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “PowerDVD Live, in combination with our CyberLink Drive cloud storage service, solves the issue of connectivity, allowing users immediate access to their media for playback on the world’s top selling media player.”

While existing multimedia cloud and subscription solutions in the market are limited with platform compatibility and functionality—CyberLink offers a complete, cross platform solution to sync videos, photos and music between Windows PC, iOS and Android devices, providing a hassle-free media entertainment experience on all sizes of screens, anytime and anywhere. CyberLink will continue to offer a perpetual license of its software products.  Customers will have the choice between subscription-based service or perpetual license.

PowerDVD Live Feature Highlights:

• All the award-winning features of the PowerDVD Ultra version, including enhanced Blu-ray playback, plus
• Full integration with the CyberLink Drive cloud service with 10GB of free cloud storage  for instant syncing and content access anywhere;
• Guaranteed updates to the latest editions of PowerDVD Ultra with an active subscription;
• Users can then sync their music, photos and videos across all their PCs and mobile devices, regardless of the platform

PowerDVDcontinues to evolve its reputation with powerful and universal playback for Blu-ray, DVD, 3D and HD, video files, photos and music. Quality of media can be enhanced, even beyond HD, with CyberLink’s TrueTheater® Technology and can be streamed across all devices connected within the home network. Subscribers will enjoy instant updates to all the newest PowerDVD Ultra versions, ensuring compatibility with the latest Blu-ray releases.

Availability
PowerDVD Live with CyberLink Drive cloud storage is available today from the CyberLink online store in US and UK. Future “Live” versions of CyberLink’s other award-winning multimedia software, as well as new CyberLink Cloud services in addition to the CyberLink Drive, will be available in the coming months.

Subscription Pricing for PowerDVD Live
Quarterly option: US$14.99/quarter
Annual option: US$44.99/year

Includes PowerDVD 13 Ultra (instantly upgradable with latest version releases), PowerDVD Mobile, PowerDVD Remote, and 10GB cloud storage on the CyberLink Drive system

CyberLink Drive Cloud Storage Service
2GB – 30 days free for PowerDVD Live trial users
10GB – Free for PowerDVD Live subscribers
Additional 20GB –US$19.99/year
Additional 50GB –US$49.99/year
Additional 100GB –US$99.99/year

PowerDVD Mobile and PowerDVD Remote can be found immediately on the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
PowerDVD Mobile for Windows 8 is available immediately from the Windows Store.

For more information, please visit www.cyberlink.com.

About CyberLink
Founded in 1996, CyberLink Corp. is the world’s leading multimedia software company. With over 100 patented technologies that provide a solid foundation on which to continuously revolutionize the way multimedia is experienced, CyberLink’s visionary outlook has allowed the company to grow rapidly. This ultimately led to a record-breaking IPO on the Taiwan Over-the-Counter Exchange (OTC: 5203) in 2000. CyberLink is currently listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: 5203.TW).

CyberLink’s broad portfolio of multimedia applications can be categorized into two main areas: Media Entertainment – PowerDVD being the flagship product in this category, provides the latest in media playback on PCs, across devices in the home network, and on-the-go with portable smart devices; and Media Creation – offers a series of software to create enticing videos & photos, author Blu-ray & DVD discs and more. CyberLink has built strategic partnerships with leading CPU and GPU providers and a solid reputation for delivering high-quality, interoperable, and fast time-to-market solutions that keep our OEM partners from top PC brands on the leading edge. CyberLink’s worldwide headquarters are located in Taipei, Taiwan, with regional operations offices in North America, Japan, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company has 700 employees worldwide, with more than 500 engineers in product design and development.

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