Finally a free Blu-Ray player!

[jkauff]

And AnyDVD HD isn't cheap, let alone free.

A Criterion Blu-ray disc costs about $35. A lifetime subscription to AnyDVD HD, the highest priced option, is $89 if you've ever subscribed. Well worth it to be able to back up all my expensive Blu-rays, now and in the future.

 

[Ichinisan]

Super pleased with AnyDVD HD. Functions perfectly. I bought it with the lifetime updates one of the many, many, many times they said the option was going away forever.

I just wish they'd streamline the updates so I don't have CONSTANT update notifications and constantly have to click through the installer manually...

 

[BarkingGhostar]

A Criterion Blu-ray disc costs about $35. A lifetime subscription to AnyDVD HD, the highest priced option, is $89 if you've ever subscribed. Well worth it to be able to back up all my expensive Blu-rays, now and in the future.

I must be going to the wrong website, then. Yes, you can buy it [for lifetime] for 79 Euros, but no updates after two years. This isn't saying much if you want the update two years and a month later. Heck, if M$ pulled that scheme people would be raising hell.

And I still hold by my response on 'it ain't free'. I never said it wasn't inexpensive.

 

[jkauff]

I must be going to the wrong website, then. Yes, you can buy it [for lifetime] for 79 Euros, but no updates after two years. This isn't saying much if you want the update two years and a month later. Heck, if M$ pulled that scheme people would be raising hell.

And I still hold by my response on 'it ain't free'. I never said it wasn't inexpensive.

The lifetime license has no limit on updates. The listed price is 119 Euros, but if you've bought any license in the past they usually offer an upgrade for considerably less than that. The prices have indeed gone up since I bought mine, but that's probably because they have to keep paying lawyers to protect themselves.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

So... has anyone here (aside from motsm) actually tried this Leawo player?

I mean, really used it to watch a couple of Blu-rays from start to finish?

 

[motsm]

So... has anyone here (aside from motsm) actually tried this Leawo player?

I mean, really used it to watch a couple of Blu-rays from start to finish?

The only tricky part about playing a Blu Ray on PC is getting past the copy protection, beyond that, many free players work just fine. So I would say that if the disc starts playing, there shouldn't be any problems finishing it. The only exception may be if the disc uses Cinavia, but for that to affect anything the player would have to participate, and I can't imagine Leawo has it implemented.

Any reason you can't see if it works for your needs?

 

[Engr62]

I gave up on BD.

Even bought a PowerDVD program. This had to update itself before every use, or else it would not play certain discs. One day i wanted to continue a movie I left the night before, but after an update, PowerDVD refused to play it. I was told to purchase the latest PowerDVD release to ensure compatibility.

Steve Jobs was right when he called it a 'bag of hurt'.

Ironically it is easier to rip, re-encode and stream BDs than it is to watch them legally.

No truer statements were ever made.

 

[motsm]

No truer statements were ever made.

I don't know why you guys are having so many problems, because I can put any of my 60 or so Blu Rays in my PC drive and all of them play perfectly. Obviously I can't speak for your experience, but it sounds like you're doing something wrong.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I had no problems playing BD's in a PC BD drive, but I don't watch BD movies sitting at a PC. I do, however, have about eight BD players about the house (including some region free units).

 

[Engr62]

I don't know why you guys are having so many problems, because I can put any of my 60 or so Blu Rays in my PC drive and all of them play perfectly. Obviously I can't speak for your experience, but it sounds like you're doing something wrong.

Are you saying that you can play ALL of your blu rays with something like PowerDVD without circumventing the copy protection?

I gave up on BD.
Ironically it is easier to rip, re-encode and stream BDs than it is to watch them legally.

 

[motsm]

Are you saying that you can play ALL of your blu rays with something like PowerDVD without circumventing the copy protection?

I use AnyDVD along with MPC-BE, so no, I'm not using anything like PowerDVD. It's still much easier than ripping and re-encoding though, which is all I was saying. Also, re-encoding will result in loss of quality, so at that point it seems like buying it digitally would be the easy solution. Really no matter though, everyone has their preference.

 

[jkauff]

Are you saying that you can play ALL of your blu rays with something like PowerDVD without circumventing the copy protection?

Cyberlink, which makes PowerDVD, pays Hollywood for the right to play copy-protected discs, just like Blu-ray player manufacturers do. The problem is that hackers (such as the AnyDVD HD developers) manage to get past all the copy protection schemes, so the studios keep changing them. That's why you often have to download new firmware for your Blu-ray player or update your PowerDVD to play a new release.

 

[lucia]

I'll give it a shot on my Windows 8.1.

Actually VLC can play blu-ray, but not the commercial, copy protected kind.

VLC can play blu ray movie, I have used for several discs. But in the same boat... crashed when I played some protected BD movies. There's also DAPlayer (freeware), compatible with BD+ and AACS protected Bluray. It works like a charm. So I keep both VLC and DAPlayer on my PC.

 

[Kerry56]

So... has anyone here (aside from motsm) actually tried this Leawo player?

I mean, really used it to watch a couple of Blu-rays from start to finish?

I did some tests with this player some time back. http://club.myce.com/f32/leawo-blu-ray-player-review-second-look-335170/

Not a serious contender with PowerDVD for menu playback. Too bad Arcsoft discontinued TotalMedia Theater. It was easily the best of the commercial Blu-ray software players.