WinDVD gets Profile 1.1 certification from Blu-ray

Corel said Thursday that its WinDVD playback software had received certification from the Blu-ray Disc Association to playback discs that use the Profile 1.1 standard.

With the certification, WinDVD would become the first non-hardware playback option available on the market capable of supporting the updated standard. The first discs based on 1.1 are expected to hit the market in early 2008, as will the version of WinDVD with the capability.

Profile 1.1 allows Blu-ray publishers to use the picture-in-picture functionality that has been a standard on HD DVD discs since the beginning. Also added in 1.1 is mandatory internet connectivity support, among other enhancements. Many of the changes to the Blu-ray standard are likely in response to criticisms of the format by analysts, who say it lacks many of the next-generation features than HD DVD already had.