I did some experimenting and reimaging my Windows 8.1 system back to after December 2017 Windows Updates restores all functionality to, it works great again. However, the moment you apply January 2018 Windows Update, it no longer starts.
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Since this program is no longer developed, the only way to use it appears to be.not. to apply Windows Updates in 2018. Just posting this to see if anyone else using this program can replicate this.
I was able to replicate this on both versions 5 and latest build of version 6. EDIT: It's confirmed, January 2018 Windows Update 100% kills Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre. Since we cannot selectively uninstall updates, the entire 2018-01 Security Monthly Quality Rollup needs to be uninstalled for Arcsoft software to work again. Obviously,.all. 2018 onward monthly rollups need to be removed, not just January 2018.
Is there more than one alternative in 2018? There used be only one software which can play Blu-rays discs in full Blu-ray video and HD audio: software.
There was no alternative since both Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre and are no longer developed and will never be updated. It would be interesting to at least know if the 'fix' must be done on the software side? In other words, is it a certainty that a future Windows Update itself will not correct this problem?
One way to find out is to find an affected software THAT IS being updated. What is Catalyst Media Center? You're saying that's also affected, what is the link to that software, are they still developing it and if so, they would be able to tell you if the fix will involve them or Microsoft.
Sadly, is really the only viable licensed DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD playback option these days, IMO. With respect to fixing Arcsoft. As it stood there were already driver issues with Windows 10 and TMT functioning properly. Those are never going to be fixed. The issue with the Windows update to handle Meltdown is the changes to the kernel.
Arcsoft made use of Themida to protect the software from tampering. Since the mechanism plays around with the kernel I suspect that is the problem. If my suspicion is correct then the solution would be for Arcsoft to update TMT to remove the use of Themida or re-release it with an updated version of the protection. This just isn't going to happen. On top of that Microsoft isn't going to tweak such a serious update that mitigates such a huge issue just to play nice with an older version of a protection mechanism found in an out-dated, obsolete, and abandoned piece of software.
This is a sad reality. With respect to Arcsoft TMT, I used it for a number of years and preferred it over PowerDVD but somewhere along the line I felt it went off the rails and became even more buggy than PowerDVD. I switched back to using PowerDVD after I dumped TMT. CyberLink has actually made some improvements. PowerDVD isn't perfect but it's not as bad as it once was. I can't comment on Catalyst Media Center since I don't believe I've ever used it or if I have it was so long ago I can't recall. I did some experimenting and reimaging my Windows 8.1 system back to after December 2017 Windows Updates restores all functionality to, it works great again.
However, the moment you apply January 2018 Windows Update, it no longer starts. Since this program is no longer developed, the only way to use it appears to be.not. to apply Windows Updates in 2018. Just posting this to see if anyone else using this program can replicate this. I was able to replicate this on both versions 5 and latest build of version 6.
EDIT: It's confirmed, January 2018 Windows Update 100% kills Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre. Since we cannot selectively uninstall updates, the entire 2018-01 Security Monthly Quality Rollup needs to be uninstalled for Arcsoft software to work again. Try using the windows 10 compatibility mode option.
Catalyst Media Center is also no longer updated AMD player I believe that came with video capture cards. It's very old and has not been updated in a very long time. What's the current status of inserting what seemed like half a dozen things to run at startup, taking over as the default media player for all extensions without asking, have they stopped doing that in 2018? I have chosen not to install the 2018 Windows Update but it does sound like you are correct and that this is the end of Arcsoft. A lot of people paid a lot of money for it, but I agree with you that it is unlikely that anyone will fix this. We're yet again facing the same choice. Never upgrade or give up what you used for a decade or two.
First Firefox browser, now the Blu-ray player too. What's the current status of inserting what seemed like half a dozen things to run at startup, taking over as the default media player for all extensions without asking, have they stopped doing that in 2018? PowerDVD 17 is the newest version available. (Cyberlink has been launching new PowerDVD versions in April.) I have PowerDVD 16. PowerDVD still wants to load several things at startup which run in the background. As I recall, PowerDVD wants to take over playback of all types of media files by default, however, I somehow limited it to be the default player for a select few.
I don't remember if PowerDVD asked me to select what I wanted it to play or if I used Control PanelProgramsDefault Programs 'Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program' to change the default player from PowerDVD to something else. In spite of its drawbacks, I tend to agree that Power DVD is the best of the licensed Blu-ray players still under development. Also, PowerDVD 17 Ultra is the only software one can buy which is able to play original UHD Blu-ray discs although that requires Windows 10, a UHD Blu-ray drive, the right kind of CPU and one of a select group of motherboards.
There are a couple of unlicensed Blu-ray players that work for some people, 5 and, but I think Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra is probably better than either of them. Thanks for posting. A while ago, there was some talk about certain motherboards with Skylake CPUs working, I guess that has changed to Skylake not working under any circumstances? Kaby Lake can work on my motherboard and I do see motherboards in the same family being compatible with updated BIOSes but this would be a finding out the hard way scenario if I tried.
What do you play 4K discs on, is the only way? I am assuming 4K discs cannot be played by Arcsoft's Blu-ray software is that correct? What is the cheapest you've seen drives go for that can play 4K discs? Thanks for posting. A while ago, there was some talk about certain motherboards with Skylake CPUs working, I guess that has changed to Skylake not working under any circumstances? Kaby Lake can work on my motherboard and I do see motherboards in the same family being compatible with updated BIOSes but this would be a finding out the hard way scenario if I tried.
What do you play 4K discs on, is the only way? I am assuming 4K discs cannot be played by Arcsoft's Blu-ray software is that correct? What is the cheapest you've seen drives go for that can play 4K discs? For UHD Blu-ray playback the CPU must support SGX (SGX support is spotty on Skylake) and be able to provide HDCP 2.2 keys (I don't know if this is true for Skylake) plus it is nice to have HDR 10 support, which Skylake doesn't provide. The motherboard needs to have an HDMI 2.0a connection or a DisplayPort 1.2 connection for HDR-10 and 2160p60 output, and it must be possible to enable SGX manually in the BIOS (using the software control option isn't good enough).
This is a good thread about UHD Blu-ray playback on a PC: is the only way around the need to use Cyberlink PowerDVD 17 for UHD Blu-ray playback, but deUHD is expensive, AACS 2 keys are not available for all movies, and deUHD's future is uncertain. I doubt that Arcsoft would work well for UHD Blu-ray playback with deUHD. Player 5 Ultra probably works.
DeUHD also allows using certain 'friendly' LG Blu-ray drives for UHD Blu-ray playback but that loophole is being closed by LG. The Pioneer BDR-211UBK and LG WH16NS60 are the only official UHD Blu-ray desktop drives. The difference in price is negligible. There are a couple of laptop drives, from LG, the LG BU40N and LG BU50N, which cost a little less than the desktop models. I can't recall if Pioneer sells any laptop drives in the USA.
Hi, I found something interesting. I have 3 laptops: Laptop 1 - Vaio - Windows 7, Intel i7, Nvidia GPU, TMT 3 Laptop 2 - Vaio - Windows 7, Intel i7, AMD GPU, TMT 3 Laptop 3 - ASUS - Windows 7, Intel i7, Nvidia GPU, TMT 3 On laptop 1 and laptop 3 after the January updates when I launch TMT3, Windows crashes (before January updates TMT3 was working fine). On laptop 2 after the January updates TMT3 works fine, January updates did not affect laptop 2. It means that January updates affect only the PCs with Nvidia GPU. PCs that have AMD GPU are not affected.
I prefer to use TMT3 because you can change the Bluray Zone unlimited number of times. I have also CyberLink PWRDVD 17, but this program is having problem to playback Bluray Audio discs and also a lot of 1080p Blurays are not playing.
I really do not understand why Arcsoft dropped TMT when they have such a weak competitor like CyberLink. I really do not understand why Arcsoft dropped when they have such a weak competitor like CyberLink. Thanks Arcsoft decided to specialize in imaging software and dropped all their video products, not just TMT.
Edit Maybe Arcsoft had a better product, but Cyberlink wasn't exactly a weak competitor. Cyberlink bundled OEM versions and trial versions of their software with a lot of PCs and some optical drives as a way of attracting customers. As far as I know, Arcsoft did not do that.
What is important in my post is this: January updates do not affect TMT on PCs with AMD GPU. January updates are breaking the functionality of TMT on PCs with Nvidia GPU. Thanks for posting that. The Security Monthly Quality Rollup with any date from 2018 is the Arcsoft killer. I am concerned that your screen shot shows the last Security Monthly Quality Rollup being from 2017-12.
It may be that is not affected but we are in March 2018 so it may be that any Security Monthly Quality Rollup of the three: 2018-01 or 2018-02 or 2018-03 would end up killing Arcosft on your AMD system if applied? Your nVidia Laptops, do they show Security Monthly Quality Rollups from 2018? If yes, then sadly maybe that's why they don't have working Arcsoft programs. I checked and each of Nvidia laptops have all 3 Security Monthly Quality Rollups from 2018, Jan, Feb and March.
Maybe AMD laptop has a problem that prevents to get these SMQR? But is is very strange that the laptop still receives updates but not the SMQRs. I found this possible explanation here for January SMQR: 'Microsoft has reports of some customers on a small subset of older AMD processors getting into an unbootable state after installing this KB. To prevent this issue, Microsoft will temporarily pause Windows OS updates to devices with impacted AMD processors at this time.'
It does not say what kind of 'AMD Processor' so it may be (also) GPU. I presume that after this they forgot to repair it and the AMD laptop is not going to receive any longer the SMQRs. Is there any (better) method to uninstall the SMQRs apart from Windows restore to an earlier point of time?
Are the SMQRs incremental? I mean the Feb SMQR is the Jan SMQR plus something? In other words Jan SMQR contains the TMT poison so all the following SMQRs (Feb, Mar, Ap,r June, and so on) will contain the TMT poison?
I think Windows will stop at some point to include in the future SMQRs the Jan 2018 TMT poison so we can start again to install SMQRs. Otherwise the future SMQRs will become bigger and bigger.
So we just have to check every month, install the SMQR and if it breaks the TMT, then to restore to an earlier point of time.