Why doesn't apple support blu ray playback?

[Arkaign]

Not so basic, heck Windows 8 won't support DVD playback *rimshot*

Windows 8 is an unfunny joke imho. If ever there was a time to short microsoft, it'd be before that pile of shit gets released to the general public.

Its interface is specifically designed for mobile devices + touch. Sorry Microsoft, but you're far too late for that party, Apple and Android own that market hands down and that's the end of that story.

For desktops it's just a disaster. A sheer, irritating, pathetic pile of crap that manages to do absolutely everything worse than Windows 7. I'd rather use XP, and that's saying something at this point in time. It will drive more people to Mac and a few to Linux, and like Vista, will have many (probably a lot in the business world) to take new systems and get Win8 removed in favor of Windows 7 for work use. At least Ballmer will finally get thrown out on his ass when this failure becomes too big for someone not to get axed over.

Windows ME and Vista? Windows 8 will make Microsoft BOB look like a hit.

 

[mmntech]

From what I've seen, Windows 8 is not a desktop OS. It was designed for embedded systems and shoehorned onto desktop and laptop PCs. Will it do well? It'll get shipped on every single new computer coming out for the foreseeable future, so yes. Businesses won't buy into it though. It's not well suited for a workstation environment. I'll keep using 7 for the time being. It just works. Windows 8's problems will get inevitably fixed in SP1, as all Windows versions.

 

[Oyeve]

http://www.macblurayplayer.com/

 

[AliceWonder]

Well, he was right. Bluray isn't flying off the shelves anymore. Especially since Blockbuster went belly up. Also, who was and still is the leader for downloadable HD video content? It couldn't be iTunes, could it? :sneaky:

Playing Bluray on Mac is pointless. It's a enough of a nightmare to get it working properly on PC, if you don't have AnyDVD HD.

It is not pointless. If you are always in a situation where you have good bandwidth that you do not have to pay for, streaming may be the best way.

Many of us are not in that situation. Especially now that SSDs are becoming the norm, with their smaller capacity, storing a library of high definition content on a laptop just isn't practical. So while traveling (say by bus or train), having a binder of bluray discs allows me to watch what I want when I want without needing a good wifi connection to stream it.

The single reason why I chose an IBM Thinkpad T520 over a MacBook Pro was because I wanted to be able to watch Bluray movies on it. I rarely do, but when I want that capability I have it. (note - Lenovo did not officially offer Bluray as an option for T520, but the hot swap UltraBay let me buy a Bluray drive intended for another model with compatible version of UltraBay and it just works)

As far as difficulty in setting up Windows to play Bluray, I'm sorry but your statement is a little ignorant.

Corel WinDVD Pro. It's fairly cheap and has excellent Bluray support. I have not had a disc it has had trouble with yet, and I tried every disc in my collection because I know that PowerDVD had a lot of complaints from users. I did not see any complaints with the Corel product hence why I bought Corel, but I wanted to make sure. As far as I can tell, it simply works with everything. Corel did a good job.

I do not and never have worked for Corel in any capacity. Just a user of that one specific product.

 

[Eug]

Heh. "uncompressed 1080i". LOLers.

Anyhoo, I have a Windows PC next to my iMac and play Blu-ray on the thing. Lame solution, but hey.

The ironic part is that Apple already had non-DRM'd HD DVD support years ago in DVD Player and DVD Studio Pro before they axed it because of the death of HD DVD. You could actually burn an HD DVD (on DVD media) and it'd play perfectly on high powered Macs in DVD Player, and it'd play perfectly on standalone HD DVD players too.

 

[micrometers]

Used blu ray discs are a godsend.

You can get movies for like 4 bucks.

While a SD movie from itunes is 10 bucks and the hd version is like 17 bucks.

And the quality is better too.

 

[Tyranicus]

This is why I just download uncompressed 1080i MPEG-TS stuff from a special place online... believe it or not, the PQ is better than typical blu-ray titles...

Not everyone has AnyDVD.... Not everyone is willing to purchase AnyDVD either.

I'm not sure if I can handle this much irony.

 

[Theshawty]

Because it's Apple.

 

[KeithP]

http://www.macblurayplayer.com/

tuaw.com just did a post about this software. Apparently originally it was a bit flakey but works great now.

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/08/16/mac-blu-ray-player-software-plays-hd-movies-on-your-mac/

-KeithP

 

[cheez]

I'm not sure if I can handle this much irony.

On top of that, for average Joe users like my Dad, would have no clue how to use AnyDVD to rip the movie outta the blu-ray disc. It takes too many steps and too much time. All that process could take several hours, maybe an entire day trying to figure it out and get what you want.

With uncompressed MPEG2-TS download I can watch them directly, simply by "double-clicking" on the file. It plays. That's upto 2 seconds right there. 24 hrs Vs. 2 seconds, which is better? Oh, and it doesn't require "updates" for the playback.

 

[Eug]

I guess you still don't understand how foolish "uncompressed MPEG2-TS" sounds.

Either that, or you're seriously trolling us.

 

[cheez]

I guess you still don't understand how foolish "uncompressed MPEG2-TS" sounds.

Either that, or you're seriously trolling us.

What I meant was it's an uncompressed video file. I should have included a "COMMA" between "uncompressed" and "MPEG2-TS", meaning "uncompressed, MPEG2-TS file. There is nothing wrong with my data really. If you don't know what uncompressed is, you might want to look it up.

And the stuff I have, the MPEG2-TS 1080i files, do have better PQ than the ones from typical blu-ray movies. I am fine, just that you are trying to troll.

 

[cheez]

Blu-ray movies means squat when recorded poorly. They don't always give you better picture. Recording technique plays a large role... Cameras make difference too.

1080i MPEG2-TS can be just as good if not better if the recording is done well.

And I said the word "uncompressed" because it is the original recording from the HD camera. We are not talking ripped videos from the encoders.

Look, I really do have some finest tv dramas original recording, and no, it's not some off the web via torrent or some pay sites that carry "ripped" stuff like from blu-ray or broadcast contents. I am one of only 30 members in the world that have access to the finest stuff (no, not American stuff). Some of them are beyond "typical" blu-ray video quality.

So think about it.... Why should I spend days or months trying to figure out how to watch blu-ray movie? or rip the stupid thing via AnyDVD and then watch it? I do not have that much have time to waste. If I have that much time I would use it for something else that more useful, or productive.

Even if you figure out how to watch blu-ray why should I waste my time downloading "updates"?? and what if some of the updates go wrong? Oh great! Now more headache. I explained all this to my Dad and he is like NO BLU-RAY EVER, PERIOD. He is now serious anti-blu-ray. It's about time to build him a little HTPC to replace his old one. The FIRST THING he told me was "NO BLU-RAY DRIVE". He want's a DVD writable drive. I said "Good!!!!!" Now we are talking.

I really hope blu-ray business goes down...

 

[JackBurton]

Blu-ray movies means squat when recorded poorly. They don't always give you better picture. Recording technique plays a large role... Cameras make difference too.

1080i MPEG2-TS can be just as good if not better if the recording is done well.

And I said the word "uncompressed" because it is the original recording from the HD camera. We are not talking ripped videos from the encoders.

Look, I really do have some finest tv dramas original recording, and no, it's not some off the web via torrent or some pay sites that carry "ripped" stuff like from blu-ray or broadcast contents. I am one of only 30 members in the world that have access to the finest stuff (no, not American stuff). Some of them are beyond "typical" blu-ray video quality.

Well, that's really the only stuff that counts, right?

So think about it.... Why should I spend days or months trying to figure out how to watch blu-ray movie? or rip the stupid thing via AnyDVD and then watch it? I do not have that much have time to waste. If I have that much time I would use it for something else that more useful, or productive.

Even if you figure out how to watch blu-ray why should I waste my time downloading "updates"?? and what if some of the updates go wrong? Oh great! Now more headache. I explained all this to my Dad and he is like NO BLU-RAY EVER, PERIOD. He is now serious anti-blu-ray. It's about time to build him a little HTPC to replace his old one. The FIRST THING he told me was "NO BLU-RAY DRIVE". He want's a DVD writable drive. I said "Good!!!!!" Now we are talking.

I really hope blu-ray business goes down...

BD is made to watch on a large screen with a nice sound system. PQ is only half of what BD offers. AQ is the other part of the equation and is equally as important as the PQ. It wasn't intended to watch on a PC. If you are concerned about "updates," get a PS3. It will update the player automatically, so every time you insert a BD, you are 99.99% guaranteed that it will play flawlessly.

And quit with this uncompressed MPEG2 files BS. It is not a standard available to consumers, so quit pretending it's an option. ESPECIALLY if you can't even watch American movies. So what are your options, some "foreign" (non-American) movie OR some shitty DVD? Wow, fantastic. Those sound like horrible options.

The facts are, BD IS the highest quality consumer standard for movies available today. If uncompressed 8K transfers become available in the future, I'll pick that up too. But for now, BD is it. And none of your little 2 man protests (you and your dad) will change that. The only thing you're doing is denying yourself some fantastic experiences with BD movies.

Oh, and BD is alive and well. Sorry.

 

[Eug]

Hmmm.... He has to be trolling us.

 

[cheez]

Well, that's really the only stuff that counts, right?

Not "European stuff" either.

Daddy,

BD is made to watch on a large screen with a nice sound system. PQ is only half of what BD offers. AQ is the other part of the equation and is equally as important as the PQ.

Good post. Yes, AQ from the blu-ray is very good. Don't they call it high definition audio? But even without it you can get good sound out of good speaker system, like off 1080i files. The audio bit rate is around 256kbps or higher IIRC.

It wasn't intended to watch on a PC.

You mean the PC blu-ray drive?
So you mean watch off the standalone external blu-ray player?? I heard horrid stories of having users to download firmware to get certain blu-ray movies to play or work right. This updates and firmware crap must put to end.... it's ridiculous.

If you are concerned about "updates," get a PS3. It will update the player automatically, so every time you insert a BD, you are 99.99% guaranteed that it will play flawlessly.

Thanks for the heads up, but I don't play PS3 games or any other console games. I am grown up adult. No I don't play computer games either.

And quit with this uncompressed MPEG2 files BS. It is not a standard available to consumers, so quit pretending it's an option.

It's not a BS. It's real, and we use them everyday. This is original broadcast 1080i recording from top-end HD stationary cameras, not a handheld cameras you like using. The resulting PQ is a blast, right there with descent class blu-ray titles, and close to to reference quality blu-ray titles. Just because you can't get access to the stuff I shouldn't call BS.

ESPECIALLY if you can't even watch American movies.

You made a mistake in your sentence. It's not "can't". It's "don't". Huge difference.D:

So what are your options, some "foreign" (non-American) movie OR some shitty DVD? Wow, fantastic. Those sound like horrible options.

I rarely watch movies. I might watch one in a month or two. That's 6- 12 times a year. No, this is not an exaggeration. It's accurate. I watch TV dramas and music performance.

The facts are, BD IS the highest quality consumer standard for movies available today. If uncompressed 8K transfers become available in the future, I'll pick that up too. But for now, BD is it. And none of your little 2 man protests (you and your dad) will change that. The only thing you're doing is denying yourself some fantastic experiences with BD movies.

Yes, I know BD is still superior overall. I didn't say the format is inferior. It's the recording skills / technique from the camera crew and management. And of course the performance of the HD camera. You want a $100 handheld HD camera or a $150,000 stationary camera?

Oh, and BD is alive and well. Sorry.

Too much hassle with Blu-ray. No thank you.

Hmmm.... He has to be trolling us.

My cousin, I'm not trolling. I clearly stated reasons why blu-ray is no good.

 

[Tyranicus]

cheez, you 1080i MPEG2 videos may in fact look amazing, but you have clearly stated that these are TV dramas that are neither American nor European. Those of us who want to watch American or British TV and movies (which is 99% of what I, and many others, watch) would find no use for this "finest stuff," as you call it. I will stick with 1080p Blu-Ray content, because that includes the things I would actually like to watch. As for not owning a PS3, you may in fact be an adult who has no interest in gaming, but that is personal preference. There is an entire industry of games designed to be played by adults, and it is no more childish than any other leisure activity.

 

[JackBurton]

Not "European stuff" either.



Good post. Yes, AQ from the blu-ray is very good. Don't they call it high definition audio? But even without it you can get good sound out of good speaker system, like off 1080i files. The audio bit rate is around 256kbps or higher IIRC.



You mean the PC blu-ray drive?
So you mean watch off the standalone external blu-ray player?? I heard horrid stories of having users to download firmware to get certain blu-ray movies to play or work right. This updates and firmware crap must put to end.... it's ridiculous.


Thanks for the heads up, but I don't play PS3 games or any other console games. I am grown up adult. No I don't play computer games either.


It's not a BS. It's real, and we use them everyday. This is original broadcast 1080i recording from top-end HD stationary cameras, not a handheld cameras you like using. The resulting PQ is a blast, right there with descent class blu-ray titles, and close to to reference quality blu-ray titles. Just because you can't get access to the stuff I shouldn't call BS.


You made a mistake in your sentence. It's not "can't". It's "don't". Huge difference.D:



I rarely watch movies. I might watch one in a month or two. That's 6- 12 times a year. No, this is not an exaggeration. It's accurate. I watch TV dramas and music performance.


Yes, I know BD is still superior overall. I didn't say the format is inferior. It's the recording skills / technique from the camera crew and management. And of course the performance of the HD camera. You want a $100 handheld HD camera or a $150,000 stationary camera?



Too much hassle with Blu-ray. No thank you.


My cousin, I'm not trolling. I clearly stated reasons why blu-ray is no good.

You're arguing for the sake of arguing. I already gave you a solution for your main complaint about BD, which was updates. You don't have to play games with a PS3. Pretend it is a standalone BD player and your problem is solved. I actually have a BD standalone player and I don't know when was the last time I updated my player, and it has played every BD I've thrown at it, flawlessly. And I watch A LOT of BD movies.

 

[cheez]

cheez, you 1080i MPEG2 videos may in fact look amazing, but you have clearly stated that these are TV dramas that are neither American nor European. Those of us who want to watch American or British TV and movies (which is 99% of what I, and many others, watch) would find no use for this "finest stuff," as you call it. I will stick with 1080p Blu-Ray content, because that includes the things I would actually like to watch. As for not owning a PS3, you may in fact be an adult who has no interest in gaming, but that is personal preference. There is an entire industry of games designed to be played by adults, and it is no more childish than any other leisure activity.

Good point. Can't argue much there.

You don't have to play games with a PS3. Pretend it is a standalone BD player and your problem is solved.

I am not sure how good the video processor is for blu-ray playback. Things I look for, for one, 1:1 pixel mapping. How good is the scaler. Etc etc etc.. I think the PC with good video card can do better job displaying BD titles... It's either I want to go all out (PQ wise from tweaking w/ good hardware) or don't go out at all... I don't think PS3 is the best candidate.

I actually have a BD standalone player and I don't know when was the last time I updated my player, and it has played every BD I've thrown at it, flawlessly. And I watch A LOT of BD movies.

Hmm... maybe the BD standalone players nowdays have improved... or the model you got perhaps is least troublesome, don't know... Years ago all I read was, although a bit better than PC BD drive compatibility-wise, still ran into problems and needed firmware updates which average Joe users have no clue on how go about doing it. I myself have no clue how to install firmware as I have never done it before. But I do know how to flash BIOS for PC's and such. Anyways, not sure if I wanna buy a playstation just to play BD movies...

You guys must like BD movies a lot. Granted, they got real nice audio. Well you guys keep watching BD stuff. I'll stick with my finest MPEG2 1080i stuff.

 

[TheStu]

You guys must like BD movies a lot. Granted, they got real nice audio. Well you guys keep watching BD stuff. I'll stick with my finest MPEG2 1080i stuff.

I think that the issue is that you are being a huge snob about it. Listen I am a snob, at least within my means, but I try to not be a huge jerk about it.

We say: BluRay is the best possible PQ & AQ for the consumer
You say: No, it totally sucks, because this other thing that I have, and the only reason I have it is because I am (allegedly) one of thirty people in the WORLD that can get it, is SOOOO totally better, OMG guys, seriously. BluRay sucks.

I like BluRay because it is affordable and looks good. You dislike BluRay because... you're a crazy person.

 

[Tyranicus]

Good point. Can't argue much there.


I am not sure how good the video processor is for blu-ray playback. Things I look for, for one, 1:1 pixel mapping. How good is the scaler. Etc etc etc.. I think the PC with good video card can do better job displaying BD titles... It's either I want to go all out (PQ wise from tweaking w/ good hardware) or don't go out at all... I don't think PS3 is the best candidate.

I'm not even sure what you're trying to say here. Blu-Ray discs have a 1080p video on them. The PS3 outputs at 1080p. That is 1:1 pixel mapping. For smaller screens, it can downscale to 1080i or 720p (or 480i/p, but at point, just watch a DVD.) As for picture quality, as with any digital video, it's an all or nothing situation. Either the hardware is capable of playing it back, or it is not. I have been using a PS3 to watch Blu-Rays for 4 years and have never encountered a playback issue.

 

[ControlD]

Hmm... maybe the BD standalone players nowdays have improved... or the model you got perhaps is least troublesome, don't know... Years ago all I read was, although a bit better than PC BD drive compatibility-wise, still ran into problems and needed firmware updates which average Joe users have no clue on how go about doing it. I myself have no clue how to install firmware as I have never done it before. But I do know how to flash BIOS for PC's and such.

Just to expand a little bit on this firmware update issue. I have been using standalone BD players (have two of them) almost since the format came out (well, at least since players became affordable). I have never been required to update the firmware to actually play the main feature of a disc. I have had to update the firmware on a couple of occasions to access some of the special features on discs however, which honestly is a part of the disc that I care the least about. Nearly every BD player out there has some type of internet connectivity built in to it. On my players, both of which cost well south of $200 and have wireless adapters integrated, updating the firmware takes maybe three menu clicks. System --> firmware --> update. The rest is taken care of by the player. Trying to talk people out of BD players simply because of the firmware issue is not a valid argument IMO. I haven't updated the firmware on my oldest player in well over a year (probably two years) and it will play any movie I throw at it. I updated the firmware on my 3D BD player when I first got it last December (SOP for me and electronics) and it plays everything as well.

 

[JackBurton]

I am not sure how good the video processor is for blu-ray playback. Things I look for, for one, 1:1 pixel mapping. How good is the scaler. Etc etc etc.. I think the PC with good video card can do better job displaying BD titles... It's either I want to go all out (PQ wise from tweaking w/ good hardware) or don't go out at all... I don't think PS3 is the best candidate.

Video processing on a BD player is only important if you are watching DVD's. BD quality will be the same. The PS3 does have a mediocre scaler, so if DVD performance is REALLY important to you, you can pick up an Oppo 93 BD player. Pretty much does everything you need PLUS has the ability to play SACD's and DVD-A's discs.

Hmm... maybe the BD standalone players nowdays have improved... or the model you got perhaps is least troublesome, don't know... Years ago all I read was, although a bit better than PC BD drive compatibility-wise, still ran into problems and needed firmware updates which average Joe users have no clue on how go about doing it. I myself have no clue how to install firmware as I have never done it before. But I do know how to flash BIOS for PC's and such. Anyways, not sure if I wanna buy a playstation just to play BD movies...

Again, if you don't want to buy a PS3 and video upscaling is important to you, get an Oppo 93. If you want a better analog section in your BD player, there is also the Oppo 95 if you'd like. There are cheaper options out there, but I prefer the Oppo for its BD compatibility history, excellent support and videophile features it offers.

You guys must like BD movies a lot. Granted, they got real nice audio. Well you guys keep watching BD stuff. I'll stick with my finest MPEG2 1080i stuff.

I don't like "BD movies", I just LOVE movies. And BD offers the best home movie experience currently. There is no substitute.

 

[JackBurton]

I think that the issue is that you are being a huge snob about it. Listen I am a snob, at least within my means, but I try to not be a huge jerk about it.

We say: BluRay is the best possible PQ & AQ for the consumer
You say: No, it totally sucks, because this other thing that I have, and the only reason I have it is because I am (allegedly) one of thirty people in the WORLD that can get it, is SOOOO totally better, OMG guys, seriously. BluRay sucks.

I like BluRay because it is affordable and looks good. You dislike BluRay because... you're a crazy person.

I have no problems with someone striving for the highest quality. Hell, I'm EXTREMELY picky when it come to A/V gear. However, his anti-BD rhetoric comes from ignorance not from being picky.

Now mind you, we're only talking about the media here. And the media is only as good as the equipment it's played on.

 

[JackBurton]

Since we are talking about BD's, I just got through watching the newly released "Jaws" on BD and it looks FANTASTIC! Universal did an amazing job on the transfer and I'd definitely recommend anyone interested in it to go buy it. Again gorgeous movie, and hard to believe it was released in 1975.