WinDVD was first released in 1999 and since then has reached a milestone 175 million installtions. Now in its seventh version, WinDVD can be used to playbacknot only DVDs, VCDs and Audio CDs, but also all of the next-generation high-definition video formats, including H.264 MPEG-4/AVC, HDTV, and WMV-HD (Windows Media Video High Definition). This is inaddition to playing back formats like Real, QuickTime, and DivX®, as well as 3GPP/3GPP2. On the audio side, WinDVD includes support for DVD-Audio, Intel High Definition Audio, and of courseDolby Digital, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker, DTS Digital Surround Sound, and SRS TruSurround XT.
With UPnP support, WinDVD 7 has also found its place in the digital home – playing back video from Universal Plug & Play CE devices. This means it can play almost any multimedia content sharedover a UPnP network. Users can also share content using a mobile device such as an iPod, PDA, PMP, or mobile phone. “We feel that 175 million units is a very important milestone,” Steve Ro,president and CEO of InterVideo, noted. “With each version of WinDVD, we have added features that further enhance our customers” digital lifestyle, and they have responded enthusiastically. Thenumbers speak for themselves.” What’s impressive is that they are counting installations, not just copies sold.
