Looking for Blu-Ray drive for my Mac Pro

[harveypooka]

Does anyone know of a Blu-Ray drive that I could fit in my recent Mac Pro?

Also, would DVD Player or another application (VLC?) play a Blu-Ray movie?

 

[Tallest Skil]

You can't play Blu-ray movies in OS X. Any SATA drive should work, provided you get an IDE to SATA adapter or rout the cables down to one of the open SATA ports on the motherboard. If you go that route, you won't be able to play Blu-ray movies in Windows, either.

 

[waloshin]

You can't play Blu-ray movies in OS X. Any SATA drive should work, provided you get an IDE to SATA adapter or rout the cables down to one of the open SATA ports on the motherboard. If you go that route, you won't be able to play Blu-ray movies in Windows, either.

I though Power DVD HD plays Blu-ray , but I could be wrong.

 

[UltraNEO*]

I though Power DVD HD plays Blu-ray , but I could be wrong.

MacOS's doesn't comply to HDCP yet, so any Blu-Ray needing HDCP will simply won't play.

 

[waloshin]

MacOS's doesn't comply to HDCP yet, so any Blu-Ray needing HDCP will simply won't play.

Forgot about that.

 

[harveypooka]

Arg.

Basically I saw Wall-e at the cinema and I loved it. The story was fantastic and the effects were just plain incredible.

I was in HMV today and considered buying it on DVD but I decided I'd wait and get a Blu-Ray player and HDTV someday for the best quality.

Well, I don't really have the cash for those so I figured getting a Blu-Ray player for the Mac (£100 maybe?) would be a better option. But nay...

 

[macrem]

I got Wall-e on DVD I doubt you'll notice any quality differences on a 15" screen. When I rip a DVD for watching on a computer monitor, I lower the resolution from DVD quality and can't notice a difference.

 

[harveypooka]

I got Wall-e on DVD I doubt you'll notice any quality differences on a 15" screen. When I rip a DVD for watching on a computer monitor, I lower the resolution from DVD quality and can't notice a difference.

I have a 22" Hi-Def screen.

 

[ildondeigiocchi]

If you want to watch Bluray movies youll have to pick up a copy of Windows Xp or Vista and install it via bootcamp on your Mac Pro. Although beware not all Bluray drives (especially the SONY ones) will not work in Vista 64. Sony however does have some great drives like the BWU300S. If you want to get a good Bluray drive make sure it has a 6X or 8X BD-R speed.

 

[harveypooka]

If you want to watch Bluray movies youll have to pick up a copy of Windows Xp or Vista and install it via bootcamp on your Mac Pro. Although beware not all Bluray drives (especially the SONY ones) will not work in Vista 64. Sony however does have some great drives like the BWU300S. If you want to get a good Bluray drive make sure it has a 6X or 8X BD-R speed.

Yeah, I have Vista 64BIT installed via Boot Camp.

I'll take a look at those drives, thanks.

Damned frustrating that I have to boot into Windows for games and now, movies!

 

[TheStrudel]

I'd recommend the LG GGC-H20L if all you want to do is watch. Good featureset and excellent performance for a cheaper price than nearly any other drives. If you want to burn, spring for the GGW-H20L.

 

[Cave Man]

Yeah, I have Vista 64BIT installed via Boot Camp. I'll take a look at those drives, thanks. Damned frustrating that I have to boot into Windows for games and now, movies!

You can always rip the Blu-ray discs on the windows side using AnyDVD HD (which removes encryption and any HDCP), then play the m2ts files on the Mac side using Plex. Pretty easy to do, and now that Handbrake handles all BD video (AVC, MPEG-2, VC-1) and most audio (AC3 passthrough, DTS to DPLII - soon passthrough, too), it's not too difficult. But AnyDVD HD isn't cheap - US$100 or so.

 

[waloshin]

You can always rip the Blu-ray discs on the windows side using AnyDVD HD (which removes encryption and any HDCP), then play the m2ts files on the Mac side using Plex. Pretty easy to do, and now that Handbrake handles all BD video (AVC, MPEG-2, VC-1) and most audio (AC3 passthrough, DTS to DPLII - soon passthrough, too), it's not too difficult. But AnyDVD HD isn't cheap - US$100 or so.

Your avatar use to scare me a long time ago when i was a kid! Still gives me the chills!

 

[macrem]

Not to sound mean or anything, but why do people who want blu-ray or other non-existant features on MBs (e.g., fingerprint scanners) that come with OS X bother to buy more expensive Macs + separate peripherals + MS Windows licenses? In such cases, why not buy PC laptops?

 

[iMars]

Not to sound mean or anything, but why do people who want blu-ray or other non-existant features on MBs (e.g., fingerprint scanners) that come with OS X bother to buy more expensive Macs + separate peripherals + MS Windows licenses? In such cases, why not buy PC laptops?

Well, in my case, I've bought a MBP about 1,5 year ago, and it's powerfull enough to play BluRays, so why buying an extra laptop/computer/media-center, if my MBP can do it (ofcourse need to buy a Blu Ray player, but that costs about € 100).

 

[Cave Man]

Your avatar use to scare me a long time ago when i was a kid! Still gives me the chills!

You should see a real picture of me. Now that's scary.

Not to sound mean or anything, but why do people who want blu-ray or other non-existant features on MBs (e.g., fingerprint scanners) that come with OS X bother to buy more expensive Macs + separate peripherals + MS Windows licenses? In such cases, why not buy PC laptops?

Why buy a second computer when you already have two (or more) in a Mac? Some of us want the best video experience possible, and right now that's Blu-ray. If you don't want it, that's great. But don't presume that what's good for you is also good for everyone else. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[pagansoul]

I just got an LG GGC-H20L 6X Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Reader + SuperMultiDrive DVD/DVD dual-Layer/CD burner SATA Internal, Lightscribe enabled for Apple Mac Pro w/Cables & Install Guide. 1 year warranty for $139.00. I already have Toast. For this amount of money, I'll take a shot in the dark. I have that second drive bay sitting empty for too long.

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Ne=5000&Ntt=Blu-Ray&Ntk=Primary&Ns=P_Price|0&N=6866

 

[vhmalex]

I just got an LG GGC-H20L 6X Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Reader + SuperMultiDrive DVD/DVD dual-Layer/CD burner SATA Internal, Lightscribe enabled for Apple Mac Pro w/Cables & Install Guide. 1 year warranty for $139.00. I already have Toast. For this amount of money, I'll take a shot in the dark. I have that second drive bay sitting empty for too long.

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Ne=5000&Ntt=Blu-Ray&Ntk=Primary&Ns=P_Price|0&N=6866

Please let us know how that goes... I was wondering about that drive as well

 

[pagansoul]

I've been getting HD movies from my Fry's for under $5 lately and have been collecting (have about 40) Blu-ray for some time already. I've had a Sony Blu-ray player for almost a year and was able to get a Toshiba HD player for $50 w/5 movies. I want to be able to watch both HD and Blu-ray on my MacPro. I was going to get an external drive player but they were going for $300 and also included the ability to write in HD. However, the price of HD/Blu-ray disc are still too high but I guess I will get an external drive eventually.

 

[ErikAndre]

I just got an LG GGC-H20L 6X Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Reader + SuperMultiDrive DVD/DVD dual-Layer/CD burner SATA Internal, Lightscribe enabled for Apple Mac Pro w/Cables & Install Guide. 1 year warranty for $139.00. I already have Toast. For this amount of money, I'll take a shot in the dark. I have that second drive bay sitting empty for too long.

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Ne=5000&Ntt=Blu-Ray&Ntk=Primary&Ns=P_Price|0&N=6866

Yes, I'd be interested to hear how this goes as well.

 

[Supaklaw]

LG GGC-H20L works, plays fine... installation is a bit tricky, and ultimately you'll need an enclosure to use it for now.

#1 To play in Windows you need AnyDVD HD to strip regional code, PowerDVD to play it (yes you can rip data to a drive etc., it's a pain)

#2 OWC does not include decent cables, simply get the cable-less one for $10 cheaper (they sent me an L-shaped SATA data cable, 90 degrees in wrong direction and a foot too long, and no SATA-IDE power adaptor) Remember to remove the bezel on the front of the drive, it won't fit through the front slot on the Mac Pro otherwise. I'm not sure if they include instructions with the cable-less version... there's probably better instructions elsewhere the fiery print-out they included was quasi-helpful.

#3 Using the SATA connection behind the fan, OS X will see the drive but Windows will not without Ubuntu ninja skillz, which are documented elsewhere. SATA IDE adaptor also will not work, unless it's specifically designed to port Bluray information. I got one for $5 off ebay, and all it did was make the drive read as a CD-ROM, not even a DVD player. So discs will not be recognized. If you are willing to give up a HD slot, you can run a SATA male to female cable directly, and that does work perfectly. Otherwise, until Mac supports BluRay MOVIE PLAYING... the best option is an enclosure for $30-40 (5.25" SATA USB 2) which are fast enough to handle data transfer.

The advantage is you will have a HD-DVD/Bluray combo player, and also a DVD 16x burner, which is way faster than a superdrive... and eventually BR movies will be supported so you won't even need Windows to play them, and then just sell the enclosure. If you are willing to wait though, by the time Apple supports it, internal Bluray players will be about $50. The LG was $300 last January, so it's seriously dropped in price in less than 12 months.

 

[Redneck1089]

At little off topic but... Are you using Vista 64bit on your Mac Pro? I've been trying to install it and I'm getting stuck at the Select CD-Rom Boot Type thing...

Yeah, I have Vista 64BIT installed via Boot Camp.

I'll take a look at those drives, thanks.

Damned frustrating that I have to boot into Windows for games and now, movies!

 

[mmccaskill]

I just got an LG GGC-H20L 6X Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Reader + SuperMultiDrive DVD/DVD dual-Layer/CD burner SATA Internal, Lightscribe enabled for Apple Mac Pro w/Cables & Install Guide. 1 year warranty for $139.00. I already have Toast. For this amount of money, I'll take a shot in the dark. I have that second drive bay sitting empty for too long.

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Ne=5000&Ntt=Blu-Ray&Ntk=Primary&Ns=P_Price|0&N=6866

So with Handbrake now accepting Blu-Ray, is it possible to rip Blu-Ray movies in OS X? It understand OS X won't play Blu-Ray but I thought it will read the data.

 

[Tallest Skil]

So with Handbrake now accepting Blu-Ray, is it possible to rip Blu-Ray movies in OS X? It understand OS X won't play Blu-Ray but I thought it will read the data.

Whoa, whoa, whoa... does it? HD DVD, too?

 

[mmccaskill]

Yeah I thought the 0.9.3 Handbrake now accepts multiple sources, including a Blu-Ray. Am I wrong?