BluRay Playback on Mac Pro

[ildondeigiocchi]

Ok guys so here's the issue. Yesterday, I installed a LG Super Multi Blue 8X Bluray player in my Mac Pro. Everything works fine. OSX and WinXP picked up the drive right away. I installed the Cyberlink Suite software that came with the drive which includes PowerDVD 7. I ran Cyberlink BD Advisor and got all green checks except for the video card driver for my 4870. I find this weird since i downloaded the Latest ATI drivers. Anyways I proceeded by trying to play a Bluray video on XP on PowerDVD7 but it wouldn't work because I had to pay to activate it. Anyway I decided to download the free trial of PowerDVD 9 and tried playing back multiple Bluray videos. They load up to around 30% and then the program quits. My display which is a 32" Samsung HDTV is HDCP so I dont know what the problem is? Any ideas?

[Tallest Skil]

How are you connected to the TV?

[ildondeigiocchi]

How are you connected to the TV?

I'm connected from MiniDisplayport to DVI via the special adapter i bought from Apple and then a DVI to HDMI adapter which connects to the HDTV.

[kasimodem]

Mac Pro is not HDCP compliant under Windows via BootCamp, it has been told many times, even if your BR player, graphic card and monitor are.
The very simple solution is to use a utility like AnyDVDHD to bypass this.

[Tallest Skil]

Mac Pro is not HDCP compliant under Windows via BootCamp, it has been told many times, even if your BR player, graphic card and monitor are.

Any proof of this? Because ALL of the hardware in the Mac Pro is HDCP compliant.

[kasimodem]

Proof ? Well, put your BR movie and look what happen, you'll see a beautiful black screen and a security warning popup about DRM protection.
Now plug same graphic card and monitor in a PC, it works.
I tested it myself on my PC and my Mac.

[Dr.Pants]

I'm connected from MiniDisplayport to DVI via the special adapter i bought from Apple and then a DVI to HDMI adapter which connects to the HDTV.

Daisy chain alert.

Try it agin with your monitor connected with the MiniDisplayPort->DVI and use the DVI->HDMI on the DVI port.

[Tallest Skil]

Proof ? Well, put your BR movie and look what happen, you'll see a beautiful black screen and a security warning popup about DRM protection.
Now plug same graphic card and monitor in a PC, it works.
I tested it myself on my PC and my Mac.

Not over here. It works fine. What Mac Pro do you have?

[surflordca]

I really don't know what is taking :apple: so long to support BluRay. The MacPro is a great machine for video editing. :apple: must think that there is no people out there getting paid to work on BluRay :confused:

[Tallest Skil]

I really don't know what is taking :apple: so long to support BluRay. The MacPro is a great machine for video editing. :apple: must think that there is no people out there getting paid to work on BluRay :confused:

No, Apple will not be supporting Blu-ray (ever) because Blu-ray can modify the OS on which it is running.

[TK2K]

No, Apple will not be supporting Blu-ray (ever) because Blu-ray can modify the OS on which it is running.

please elaborate?
p.s. sorry if it's just too early for me to catch your sarcasm

[Tallest Skil]

please elaborate?
p.s. sorry if it's just too early for me to catch your sarcasm

Oh, not sarcasm at all.

Hang on, I may have the wording incorrect. It's either Blu-ray's crap can modify the OS, or the OS kernel itself has to BE modified for Blu-ray to run.

Either way, that's something that Apple's not keen on doing.

[TK2K]

Oh, not sarcasm at all.

Hang on, I may have the wording incorrect. It's either Blu-ray's crap can modify the OS, or the OS kernel itself has to BE modified for Blu-ray to run.

Either way, that's something that Apple's not keen on doing.

hmmm I know the blu ray 'live' profile requires OS integration and web integration, but as far as I knew it doesn't act any differently than a program that is running in the computer... i'm very interested

[300D]

Hang on, I may have the wording incorrect.

You frequently have far more than your "wording" incorrect.

[kasimodem]

Not over here. It works fine. What Mac Pro do you have?
Interesting !

My test config :
- MacPro 2x 2.8 v2008
- NVidia 8800GT
- Dell 2408WFP monitor
- LG PATA BR writer
- BootCamp Vista 32
- PowerDVD 9 Ultra

What is your config ?

[gugucom]

The Mac Pro hardware works very nicely with Blu-Ray with Bootcamp, Windows and particularly with AHCI drivers if you have a SATA BD drive, which is pretty much the only interface left for BD drives. I know there may be one or two old PATA drives knocking around on some shelves but they will not be there for long.

Apple have claimed in the past that the licensing model for the patent owners is too complicated and expensive. That has all changed some months ago and there is nothing left as an excuse not to do Blu-Ray. The fact is they simply don't care. Their main business is mobile devices which would need a 9mm slot load drive. That isn't available and so they procrustinate.

Desk top machines are such a tiny business now that they can afford to ignore the top graphic technologies in movies. But every customer who ownes a good 1080p screen is aware that they are doing a bad job there. I would not have Windows on my Mac Pro if I would not need it for Blu-Ray. So its a great annoyance to me.

[Tallest Skil]

What is your config ?

2x 2.93 Gainestown
Radeon 4870 + GT 120
Olevia TV (my monitors aren't HDCP)
LG GGW-H20L
Seven RC
PowerDVD 9

Never been a problem.

[kasimodem]

2x 2.93 Gainestown
LG GGW-H20L

Here are the differences then, a 2009 MacPro and a SATA BR, well that's good to know it has changed in good way ;)

[gugucom]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=709582

This thread tells you all sources for installing AHCI drives.

My Mac Pro is 2,66 2006 and I have the GGC-H20L.

[The Rominator]

I have another theory on this Blu-Ray thing.

Up until the MDP displays started getting forced down our throats, Apple's displays were NOT HDCP compliant.

This includes their Flagship 30" ACD. I think they have been trying to roll out enough HDCP compliant displays so their loyal customers won't get COMPLE TELY burned.

Imagine being the Apple Tech guy who has to explain to A new Nehalem & 30" ACD purchaser that to use his new Nehalem to author Blurays, he is going to need to shop for a nice new Dell HDMI display. (OR AN HDTV)

So out in the field are literally THOUSANDS of pricey, shiny Apple DIsplays, none of which can have a Blu-Ray viewed on them.

[gugucom]

Apple could have avoided the issue if they were simply supporting VGA conversion on DVI ports like the rest of the world. Blu-Ray works fine with VGA.

[Tallest Skil]

Apple could have avoided the issue if they were simply supporting VGA conversion on DVI ports like the rest of the world. Blu-Ray works fine with VGA.

Except HDCP doesn't work over VGA, so any commercial Blu-ray won't play.

[gugucom]

Except HDCP doesn't work over VGA, so any commercial Blu-ray won't play.

You can visit me any time and have a look on a perfectly playing Blu-Ray installation. So far it has played every commercial disk I have tried.

SATA GGW-H20L
X1900XT or HD3870
LE46A956 Samsung on VGA 1920x1080 @59,9 Hz
Cyberlink Software
XP Professional or Vista 64-Bit

When I run the BD Advisor all my components get certified. Of course the grafic cards are HDCP enabled. That does not mean you have to use HDMI. In fact via HDMI I get practically no 1:1 pixel mapping.

[Dr.Pants]

Well, your television (46", I assume?) is HDCP compliant - although VGA may not itself be compliant, it can (to the best of my knowledge) identify the monitor at the other end - upon reading it as compliant, it starts working. A theory.

Also, you sure your television is set up correctly? Not trying to offend, but it sounds like overscan/underscan problems.

[ildondeigiocchi]

Thanks for all the replies. I've tried removing the DVI to DVI attached to the mindisplay port to DVI and still no luck. Loads to 27% and then just quits. DVD's work fine. For some reason I feel as though it's a software issue because all my components more than meet the requirements for Bluray playback. However, Cyberlink advisor keeps telliing me my graphics card driver for my 4870 will not allow bluray playback as a red dot appears next to it.

[Sharangad]

Except HDCP doesn't work over VGA, so any commercial Blu-ray won't play.

Blu-ray will playback fine over analogue (component and VGA) connections provided that the disc:

1) Does not implement the Image Constraint Token (ICT). If it does the video will be downrezzed to 960x540 over an analogue connection.

2) Has the digital only token (DOT) in which case an encrypted digital link is required.

None of the blu-ray disks out there have either of these tokens set so full rez video over VGA should be possible.

[Tallest Skil]

Blu-ray will playback fine over analogue (component and VGA) connections provided that the disc:

1) Does not implment the Image Constraing Token (ICT). If it does the video will be downrezzed to 950x540 over an analogue connection.

2) Has the digital only token (DOT) in which an encrypted digital link is required.

None of the blu-ray disks out there have either of these tokens set so full rez video over VGA shoudl be possible.

Okay, that makes sense.

And when I say that, I'm talking within the context of Blu-ray licensing, where absolutely nothing makes sense and the "smile and nod" approach usually works out well.

[ildondeigiocchi]

Ok guys just an update. DVD'a play fine in Windows Media player but when played in PowerDVD 9 it loads up and then quits again. So this is looking more like a software issue.

[Sharangad]

Okay, that makes sense.

And when I say that, I'm talking within the context of Blu-ray licensing, where absolutely nothing makes sense and the "smile and nod" approach usually works out well.

All I can say is I've played back blu-rays at full res over VGA with PowerDVD 7.3. At that time I had a DVI monitor without HDCP and had to use VGA for playback and it worked fine.

[gugucom]

Well, your television (46", I assume?) is HDCP compliant - although VGA may not itself be compliant, it can (to the best of my knowledge) identify the monitor at the other end - upon reading it as compliant, it starts working. A theory.

Also, you sure your television is set up correctly? Not trying to offend, but it sounds like overscan/underscan problems.

The point is that I do not want any scaling at all. I want the native resolution to be applied which I do not get in HDMI. As a result the picture is so much crisper and better in VGA that I cannot see a reason to use anything else. It is simply the preferred mode by Samsung as documented in their manual.

[Cuda]

iTunes HD Store.

That is the only reason.

Apple Inc. vs. Sony

Fight!

Round 1

iPod vs Walkman

Round 2

Powerbook vs Vaio

Round 3

iPhone vs psp

Round 4

iTunes vs Every Damn thing Sony does.

Everyone always wants to pit Apple vs Microsoft/Dell/HP, Jobs always looks further down the Road then anyone else can see (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sculley).

Apple vs Sony is 4 Rounds to 0 Apple.

Soon it will be OVER.

WWII.

Apple vs Verizon?

[Rankrotten]

I have a Mac Pro 1,1 from 2006 and it plays blu-ray disks fine using Vista and the PowerDVD 7 which came bundled with the LG drive. Of course the drive is not detected on the ODD SATA port until the drivers are updated to AHCI mode.

This setup is used to rip BD disks and serve them to my Mac Mini downstairs running Plex.

Load up Vista and AnyDVD HD and rip the movie to the hard drive. Reboot into OS X and use TSmuxer to select the video and audio streams and mux it into an m2ts file. Fire up Handbrake and compress it at 59% into a MKV file with DTS / DD digital audio and its ready for playback on the mini downstairs.