CyberLink Media Suite 16 ULTRA

Review summary

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Our verdict

CyberLink Media Suite 16 ULTRA packs together what must be nearly all of the company’s digital media tools in one, reasonably small, location. Whatever digital media task you need to complete, you can do it with this bundle – playback, video editing, photo editing, authoring, social media share, and more. Certainly a comprehensive collection of software. We take a closer look at what you get.

Full review

CyberLink has an excellent reputation in multimedia. Founded in 1996, the company developed a solid portfolio of multimedia applications that are bundled together in this digital media suite package. If you're looking for creative solutions, CyberLink is the place to start. But do all these tools successfully gel together?

Organize media

Organization comes first with the PowerStarter launch menu where you click the media you want to deal with, or the action you want to perform, and you are taken to the place to carry out the task. The Media Library puts all shows and movies in the same place, even making sure that you continue watching your show where you left off. Photos are well-organized and you can use the face tagging technology to create groups of photos without having to look through them all.

Disc Burning

CyberLink has a number of useful tools for making disc burning simpler and your files easier to access. Power2Go 10 is an all-in-one solution for disc burning, providing a quick and simple solution – a drag and drop mechanism - for getting your data onto a disc. Advanced-level encryption keeps information safe once it has burned with encrypted file names.

Mount an ISO file on your PC so you can easily access the contents on demand – you are also able to grab files as if they were taken from a disc. InstantBurn 5 is another handy tool that allows you to use the optical burner as a hard drive. It operates in the background without the need for additional disc burning software. Organizational tools are good, too, with all the discs you burn automatically added to the Disc Manager so you can find files by running a quick search.

Video Editing

With one of the most respected video editing packages, PowerDirector 15, within this media suite you have excellent options for creating professional-quality video. The interface is pretty simple to navigate, with a timeline and multitrack editing providing good amounts of control to easily add video effects and transitions, and a full-screen editor. A new addition to the package, the Transition Designer, provides a simple option for automatically customizing transition effects from an image in your video.

Editing has always been quick with this software and it’s even been improved with this version; with TrueVelocity 4 technology, CPU and GPU optimization and native 64-bit support for a faster result.

Photo Editing

While PowerDirector 15 is the solution for videos, PhotoDirector 8 is CyberLink’s powerful photo editing device. A variety of photo adjustment tools include one-click effects to add interest to your shots, panorama creation tools, HDR adjustments, and unwanted object removal. Group shots and portraits look more impressive once you’ve made a few beautifications including skin tone, smile, and facial feature touch-ups. And all the editing you do is non-destructive, safeguarding the original image intact.

Music Editing

Turn your favorite tracks into mobile ringtones with the audio editing tool, WaveEditor 2. Or if you’ve got work to do, use the WaveEditor cutting and mixing tools to create professional-quality audio files. Reduce noise and boost audio with effects. Once finished you can save tracks in a variety of formats including m4a, wav, and mp3. DVD (and Blu-ray) Authoring. i.e. Creating a menu interface for your video. CyberLink doesn’t leave out the means of putting that vital finishing touch to your discs. We like the authoring instrument PowerProducer 6, which creates Hollywood-style menus and effects for a finished disc to be proud of. Author Blu-ray discs without having to upgrade – not all the media suites allow you to do this.

Converting Media

It’s very easy to transfer files from your PC to your mobile device with the MediaEspresso 7 component to the CyberLink Media Suite 15 package. The tool automatically converts to the correct file type, due to the 100s of pre-configured profiles for smartphones, and also cleans up any pixilation, improves image quality in videos, and adjusts the lighting on photos so you can more easily view them on a mobile or tablet. Also, when you plug in a device to the PC, the system notices what it is and sets up the optimal formatting for conversion – so whatever device you view a movie or photo on, you should be able to see it at its best.

Playing & Streaming Videos

With such a broad range of formats supported by CyberLink Media Suite you are almost guaranteed to be able to view your movie or images, no matter what. PowerDVD 15 plays CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, 4K video, Ultra HD and 3D, plus views images and plays audio files. The TrueTheater enhancements, as explained above in the conversion section, enhance the playback experience by subtly changing the settings for optimal viewing or listening.

Sharing Media Online

Plenty of chances to share, here. CyberLink has a DirectorZone where members upload their creations – videos, photos, and effects. And there’s the ImageChef for creating and sharing memes, remixed photos and word mosaics. Or upload videos direct to Facebook and YouTube with the smart MediaShow 6 tool - no problems with remembering how to do it, it’s simple as a direct click from the PowerStarter menu.

Upgrade (What you get in the premium version)

CyberLink has another, pricier, version of its media suite. What’s the difference between CyberLink Media Suite Ultra and Ultimate? The main difference between these two closely related packages is the addition of mobile apps to Ultimate. PowerDirector Mobile and PhotoDirector Mobile make video editing and photo editing on the move a piece of cake. Plus, play media on mobile devices with the Power Media Player. A few other additions make the Ultimate a well-rounded software bundle, including some photo editing extras like panorama creation, and direct video download from social media to your devices. Ultimate also includes three content packs – Holidays, Weddings, and Travel – to customize your videos with PiP effects and objects.

Help & support

CyberLink has a support section on the website with links to product guides and FAQs for the Media Suite – not much information, but the main issues are covered. If you want the User Guide you need to download the guide to each separate tool, MediaShow, PhotoDirector etc., separately. By becoming a CyberLink member you can email your technical questions to the support team. Calling isn't encouraged although there are phone lines open Monday to Friday during the day. For priority phone support you can buy a two-month phone support package.

Overall

CyberLink delivers probably the best-rounded, comprehensive, and efficient package of digital media tools you could want from a suite. The software is extremely well organized and the inclusion of powerful video and photo editing programs, plus complete Blu-ray support, makes this a must-buy for handling your digital life.

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