Windows 7 Media player will not play back BluRay disc's

What you all talking about folks? Please explain to me the "codecs" part. WMP12 in Windows 7 have all necessary codecs to play Blu-Ray movies which are using H.264 for video and AAC for audio. So what is the point including these codecs into WMP12 if Blu-Ray support is disabled. It's similar like the "mail" problem. Windows Mail is still included in Windows 7, but is disabled from whatever lame reason..

What exactly is WMP12 missing to play retail Blu-Ray media?

Then you agree with my suggestion. It is a war for the control of the market/money. Microsoft/Sony both want to have 100% control of the market, they both cannot sit-down on a table an come with a conclusion about agree. It is easy to write on line that either company is rite, but in reality the customer is the one that have to pay for their gree. Sony need microsoft just as much as Microsoft need Sony, rules chould be made in order to have open markets. If a device is made for any IBM compatible machine, it should come with it on software and other company should have the right to make software for the divice just as long a set price is paid for the right of it.

Then you should rant about Sony, not Microsoft. Come on, HD DVD has long been buried by Microsoft, the problem with Blu-ray built-in support in any operating system is only the matter of the expensive license. And frankly, part of the license fee goes to supposedly smart or interactive features that nobody use and nobody should pay for: When all is said, a Blu-ray disc is exactly the same as a DVD apart from the higher density and resolution, it's a movie with menus and extra, just like any DVD. None of this required a license fee for the player or drive, apart from the DVD logo, or at least nothing so expensive that it actually prevents a wide adoption of the Blu-ray standard.

We need more wikileaks  ^-^ : I would really like to know in detail how the Blu-ray license is split, what features are under license, who owns what, what's the actual price of the license, who gets how much, etc. I can understand that Microsoft (or Apple for that matter) does not want to touch the bag of worry that is Blu-ray, except that the lack of built-in support makes it even messier and probably more expensive too for the customer.

You forgot to cry at the end of your statement. If Microsoft were to admit that blu-ray is better than HD-DVD, blu-ray play back would have been integrated into media player long time ago. It is about who control the market, there fore the money.Greed