# What HTPC software for BR playback?



## sttubs (Sep 7, 2012)

I've had like a 50/50 chance of getting BlueRay discs to play correctly so I was wondering what you guys use.
Also what other software do you use in your HTPC?


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## erocker (Sep 7, 2012)

I just use VLC player on mine. Disable things like WMP.


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Sep 7, 2012)

Can i ask do you use Vlc with hardware acceleration on, and do you set it to use the graphics cards codecs, ive done these two and 90% play fine, but the bigger files sometimes have major playback issues for me corrupted skippy and blocky, ive got by playing them on another pc, but read this and pondered his Gfx cards closeness to my own he has 5970 ive a 5870, i hadnt actually thought of trying them options off .


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## CJCerny (Sep 7, 2012)

erocker said:


> I just use VLC player on mine. Disable things like WMP.



VLC doesn't play back DRM'ed Blu-ray discs, right? I think the OP is probably looking for software that will playback commercially pressed discs that are all DRM'ed up.


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## erocker (Sep 7, 2012)

CJCerny said:


> VLC doesn't play back DRM'ed Blu-ray discs, right? I think the OP is probably looking for software that will playback commercially pressed discs that are all DRM'ed up.



Aren't any free ones that I know of. Not saying there isn't any, just none that I know of.


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## MasterInvader (Sep 7, 2012)

XMBC - Best OS/Player for all kind of media.

http://xbmc.org/download/


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## CJCerny (Sep 7, 2012)

OP, there are 3 main apps that will play commercially pressed Blu-ray discs on the PC. WinDVD, PowerDVD, and TotalMedia Theatre. You have to buy this software. It is not un-common for a freebie version of one of them to be included when you purchase the Blu-ray drive, but they are missing features and frequently don't playback various discs because of DRM issues. The full versions do not typically have this problem. 

Quite frankly, the state of DRM'ed Blu-ray playback on the PC just isn't very good. The price of the drive plus the price of the software is often way more than the price of a stand-alone Blu-ray player, especially when you can pick them up for $40 nowadays.


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## m1dg3t (Sep 7, 2012)

Arcsoft TMT usually works for me... Just not my Xonar


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## ShiBDiB (Sep 7, 2012)

CJCerny said:


> OP, there are 3 main apps that will play commercially pressed Blu-ray discs on the PC. WinDVD, PowerDVD, and TotalMedia Theatre. You have to buy this software. It is not un-common for a freebie version of one of them to be included when you purchase the Blu-ray drive, but they are missing features and frequently don't playback various discs because of DRM issues. The full versions do not typically have this problem.
> 
> Quite frankly, the state of DRM'ed Blu-ray playback on the PC just isn't very good. The price of the drive plus the price of the software is often way more than the price of a stand-alone Blu-ray player, especially when you can pick them up for $40 nowadays.



This ^ Your better off buying a blu-ray player.

The whole having to pay for a BR drive + Having to pay for the actual BR discs with media on them + having to pay for a program just to watch the discs... Now thats retarded, makes me wonder how blu-ray won the format war.


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## puma99dk| (Sep 7, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> Arcsoft TMT usually works for me... Just not my Xonar



Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre 5 is the best blu-ray player i have used since PowerDVD u need to be on their compatible list if not it will not play or lag totally.

have u tried version 5.3.1.146?


```
Changes in version 5.3.1.146:
Media Center now misses the main screen when entering or leaving the library
Support NVIDIA Kepler
Support AMD Trinity and Southern Islands
Supports Intel Ivybridge Fixed: Fixed a problem with the search Fixed compatibility issue with the latest drivers AMD Improved support 24Hz on some platforms AMD Fixed streaming support HD platforms using AMD 7xxx no-PAP media Fixed loss requests Intel SNB / IVB platforms Fixed "floating" mouse Fixed memory leak Optimized performance SimHD Fixed OpenCL SimHD on the platform Intel IVB Fixed problem with sound headphones Fixed many problems navigating drive, which prevented playback (Apocalypse Now, Tintin, etc.) Fixed missing sound after FF Fixed crash / performance issues rapidly repeated pressing buttons on the MCE remote shutdown Supported subtitle MKV Fixed problems with loss of audio after the transition between the two TrueHD tracks Fixed problem with incorrect display of the sub , etc.
```

i use my Asus Xonar Essence STX and i got no problems with Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre 5 ^^;


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## Jetster (Sep 7, 2012)

MasterInvader said:


> XMBC - Best OS/Player for all kind of media.
> 
> http://xbmc.org/download/



Yes it is but does not play BR disks natively


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## m1dg3t (Sep 7, 2012)

puma99dk| said:


> i use my Asus Xonar Essence STX and i got no problems with Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre 5 ^^;



Yeah those Xonars work lol I have the lovely HDAV 1.3 POS, actualy i have 2, there is a reason why they pulled them from the shelves....


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## Peter1986C (Sep 7, 2012)

I doubt this is helpful to the OP, but whatever.

In Windows 7 I use WMP for protected DVDs, in Ubuntu and Gentoo (did not try it in other Linux distros) it works fine with VLC in combination with a CSS decryption program (GPU acceleration and the use of "system" codecs off, in VLC*). I suppose that the same is true for XMBC, the suport for encryption via such a decryption program.



* In Ubuntu, I did not think of enabling "system" codecs to be able to use the UVD of my HD 4850 and in case of Gentoo I was not using the factory driver but an open-source one so no UVD support was there. GPU accelleration would mean increased clock speeds so on higher midrange and high-end cards it is probably more efficient to run on the CPU (may not be the case with BR, though).


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## timta2 (Sep 7, 2012)

CJCerny said:


> VLC doesn't play back DRM'ed Blu-ray discs, right? I think the OP is probably looking for software that will playback commercially pressed discs that are all DRM'ed up.



There are ways to make it happen. I don't know if posting the link would be a violation of rules here, so just do a Google search for "VLC Blu Ray" and it's the first link that pops up right now.


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## Wrathier (Sep 19, 2012)

If you want the playback to be in 3D I can suggest Cyperlink Power DVD. That is great for it.


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## remixedcat (Sep 19, 2012)

J-River Media Center


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