CinePlayer Surround Reviewer's Comments
CinePlayer Surround, produced by Sonic, is an excellent DVD player software program. One of the most outstanding features of CinePlayer Surround is its low CPU usage. Most DVD players hog about 33% of your CPU usage, but CinePlayer Surround steadily performs at only 23% CPU usage. This conservative range is ideal for playback on slower (or older) computers since less CPU usage means the player can play movies on slower processors without clipping and hopping.
CinePlayer Surround lacks the abundant feature set included in most DVD software products. However, this product does provide popular parental controls (to allow adults to block youth from viewing inappropriate movies). Also, CinePlayer software captures high quality images using a simple and intuitive camera button icon. CinePlayer Surround is excellent at playing AVI files on the hard drive and directly from a CD, all convenient perks. The program also automatically adjusts the viewing screen to match the format, eliminating any discrepancies in size.
Ease of Use:
CinePlayer Surround uses a simple navigation system. Its screens are uncomplicated and the program is self-explanatory. CinePlayer Surround is designed to make all options easy to navigate, including image capture, audio language selection and subtitle selection.
Ease of Installation:
CinePlayer Surround offers a simple installation process; you enter your name and serial number for verification purposes, then you are free to play movies.
Video Quality:
Although CinePlayer Surround is limited in its ability to adjust the video display, it does deliver a quality video picture. CinePlayer offers basic customization options, such as the ability to adjust brightness, contrast and color saturation. However, the program lacks the ability to sharpen the video picture, a feature included in higher-ranked DVD players.
Audio Quality:
CinePlayer's audio quality is the main weakness of the package. It does not offer SRS TruSurround XT or the ability to decode DTS (Dolby Theater Sound). These features enhance the Surround Sound to make you feel as though you are actually at the cinema. CinePlayer Surround does decode Dolby Surround Sound, and this allows your 2-channel speaker system to deliver a simplified version of the Surround Sound system.
Help/Support:
CinePlayer Surround includes documentation that will answer most questions. They have a knowledgeable, friendly support staff available by phone or email.
Summary:
Although CinePlayer Surround lacks the bells and whistles offered by other players, the program does include the standard capabilities essential to a good DVD player program. And the CPU-friendly player works well for those with older or slower computer systems. With improvements to the audio quality, CinePlayer would be a more competitive software package.
