Blu Ray on PC

[sherbz]

I know this is a slightly suspect topic as it verges on the fringes of piracy, but i dont think it is per say because im not looking to break the law, all im looking for is a way of playing Blu Ray on my PC with a video player that is either cheap, or even better, free. I have tried the VLC workaround and it doesnt work. Even the paid options have mixed success. I have found a couple of Blu Ray players that are free and do work, but they cost about £40-£50 and i cant see that its justified.

Anyone have any suggestions as to cheaper alternatives, or even better, a free version/adapted player that works?

 

[Zelig]

I've found blu-ray on PC to be a huge pain, one of the biggest disappointments from HD-DVD not coming out ahead.

I'd probably look at AnyDVD HD. As per wiki, the legal status seems to be fine as long as you're not in Germany.

 

[sherbz]

I've found blu-ray on PC to be a huge pain, one of the biggest disappointments from HD-DVD not coming out ahead.

I'd probably look at AnyDVD HD. As per wiki, the legal status seems to be fine as long as you're not in Germany.

Me too - a HUGE pain

Thanks, ill give it a look. Im used to things just working on PC's. Blu Ray seems to buck the trend. Asking people to part with approx £30 for the hardware, and then a massive £50 for the software is never going to fly. You can buy a full standalone player for your TV for that price. Its more than a bit ridiculous. I guess this is what happens when you let one company and one company only dominate the market. Capitalism sucks.

 

[timtofly]

You could always produce your own software and give it away for free, since capitalism has let you down.

I found that watching Blu-ray on PC is limited to the screen size not the software. I am definitely not seeing the issue, unless you just hate paying an upfront fee for something that is upgradeable and you will use for the rest of your life, unless of course you get it from a company that goes out of business a few days after taking your money.

If you are just streaming Blu-ray from the internet, why are those sites not offering free software to allow you to have the experience you are looking for? They should be bending over backwards to keep your business. Most software that allows you to dabble in everything related to video and video capture will also give you the means to watch that video or they are not worth purchasing.

Even smart TV's these days will give you PC "control" over watching Blu-ray content.

 

[sherbz]

You could always produce your own software and give it away for free, since capitalism has let you down.

I found that watching Blu-ray on PC is limited to the screen size not the software. I am definitely not seeing the issue, unless you just hate paying an upfront fee for something that is upgradeable and you will use for the rest of your life, unless of course you get it from a company that goes out of business a few days after taking your money.

If you are just streaming Blu-ray from the internet, why are those sites not offering free software to allow you to have the experience you are looking for? They should be bending over backwards to keep your business. Most software that allows you to dabble in everything related to video and video capture will also give you the means to watch that video or they are not worth purchasing.

Even smart TV's these days will give you PC "control" over watching Blu-ray content.

Im not moaning about the software developers charging a fee, im moaning about Sony owning the licensing of Blu Ray - to which they have exclusive rights. If anything im defending them because they are forced to pay a premium to Sony which makes their product uncompetitive. Sony should be forced to open it up IMHO.

 

[sherbz]

Went with this in the end:

Aurora Blu-ray Media Player

Was much cheaper than other alternatives and works perfectly fine. I did manage to get VLC working in the end with AnyDVD running as well, but the quality was terrible, so i bit the bullet and paid up. Seriously though, what a pain.