BR Drive

[lupi]

DVD drive in my machine has had a mechanical failure, so thought I'd get a bluray player to replace it. Plan on looking at units including a software package allowing for br movie playback, so what do i need to be looking for when shopping?

 

[DesiPower]

I doubt any OEM BRD drive would come with BRD player. PowerDVD is pretty much the only software that can play all BRD movies without 3rd party/beforehand decryption.

 

[JeffMD]

Yea, bluray drives tend to come with no software. Just buy a good OEM drive and then buy what ever software you want.

 

[Binky]

It's cheaper and less hassle to play BR on a dedicated BR player.

 

[DesiPower]

It's cheaper and less hassle to play BR on a dedicated BR player.

I second that. Unless you have a media server you want to play it through, stand alone player is a much less hassle. They are cheaper then BRD drive if are willing to get refurbished

 

[lupi]

Dedicated player seems to eschew the entire premise that this will be installed into a computer chassis.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Dedicated player seems to eschew the entire premise that this will be installed into a computer chassis.

Depends on what the goal is.

If the goal is to upgrade the PC with a Blu Ray player for say the purpose of ripping the disks then any model would work.

But you clearly state in OP you want the Blu Ray player to PLAY the discs, not rip them, which is different. In that case it would be cheaper and would give a better experience to just get another DVD drive for the PC, and get a stand alone player for watching disks. It would cost $100 to get a Blu Ray drive and Blu Ray player software, while you could get a DVD replacement drive and a stand alone Blu Ray player for around $60.

Basically the economic argument for playing discs on a PC sucks.

 

[cbn]

Depends on what the goal is.

If the goal is to upgrade the PC with a Blu Ray player for say the purpose of ripping the disks then any model would work.

But you clearly state in OP you want the Blu Ray player to PLAY the discs, not rip them, which is different. In that case it would be cheaper and would give a better experience to just get another DVD drive for the PC, and get a stand alone player for watching disks. It would cost $100 to get a Blu Ray drive and Blu Ray player software, while you could get a DVD replacement drive and a stand alone Blu Ray player for around $60.

Basically the economic argument for playing discs on a PC sucks.

Any theories on why Microsoft isn't rolling out a PC version of the following Xbox One Blu-ray player :

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/apps/dvd-blu-ray-setup

(Notice the publisher of the Blu-ray player app in the link above is Microsoft)

 

[cbn]

For Cyberlink, does anyone happen to know if they update the AACS keys on the older versions of PowerDVD Pro and Ultra? Or does a person have to upgrade to the newest version in order to play the newest Blu-ray titles.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Any theories on why Microsoft isn't rolling out a PC version of the following Xbox One Blu-ray player :

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/apps/dvd-blu-ray-setup

(Notice the publisher of the Blu-ray player app in the link above is Microsoft)

Probably the same reason they pulled DVD support and WMC from Windows. That's what the Xbone is for now.

And I agree, BR player isn't worth it for HTPC just to play the discs.

 

[cbn]

Probably the same reason they pulled DVD support and WMC from Windows. That's what the Xbone is for now.

According to the following article, MS pulled the DVD player from Windows 8.1 because of its cost coupled to the fact they were shipping too many tablets and ultra books (which, of course, don't have optical drives).

http://www.slashgear.com/microsoft-defends-windows-8-dvd-drop-we-did-it-for-you-08226732/

But with that noted, is there any reason why MS couldn't offer (Blu-ray) as paid app?

And I agree, BR player isn't worth it for HTPC just to play the discs.

With 4K Blu-ray players from Sony and Samsung starting at $400, maybe there is a chance PC could be an exception for 4K Blu-ray? (re: PowerDVD 16 Pro is $80 and I have read some current models of SATA Blu-Ray drives are capable of playing 4K Blu-ray titles....but I am still investigating)

 

[poofyhairguy]

With 4K Blu-ray players from Sony and Samsung starting at $400, maybe there is a chance PC could be an exception for 4K Blu-ray?

Not when the cheapest GPU that can play a 4k HEVC disk is the $120 GTX 950.

 

[bradly1101]

For Cyberlink, does anyone happen to know if they update the AACS keys on the older versions of PowerDVD Pro and Ultra? Or does a person have to upgrade to the newest version in order to play the newest Blu-ray titles.

I have PowerDVD 14 (they're up to 16 now), and mine plays the latest titles. I don't have room in my setup for a stand-alone player.

 

[jkauff]

I've been happy with my Pioneer BDR-208M. They're one of the last companies that still does R&D in optical.

 

[cbn]

Not when the cheapest GPU that can play a 4k HEVC disk is the $120 GTX 950.

Yes, the PC would have to start off as a decent gaming PC.

 

[cbn]

On these standalone players like the $60 Samsung BD-J5100/ZA does anyone know if these get software updates?

I am guessing these would for the AACS keys, but how about the Opera TV operating system?

 

[lupi]

Tried a newer BR in my laptop and it had problems. Not sure if I can get an update for it or not.

Did get an asus br drive for the pc though to try out, wasn't that much more AR than a DVD drive so went for it. Will have to look into playback software after I get it installed.

 

[poofyhairguy]

On these standalone players like the $60 Samsung BD-J5100/ZA does anyone know if these get software updates?

I am guessing these would for the AACS keys, but how about the Opera TV operating system?

Yes and no.

 

[cbn]

Yes and no.

I ended buying that drive after I posted that question and did find there is way to update the firmware.

From the main menu go to "settings" then go to "support" and then "software upgrade". At that point the device will let the user update via the internet or usb the software found under downloads on the following page:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/BD-J5100