use vlc media player free softwarand license and will play any type of video file or dvd there is
Actually, VLC doesn't support Blu Ray playback unless you want to start fooling with 3rd party libraries, and even then it's sporadic at best.
Everyone is moaning and groaning about this being a Microsoft, Windows 7, LG, or PowerDVD issue. It's much deeper than that. This is the MPAA at it's finest, and they require manufactures to constantly upgrade certificates on their hardware to keep playing
newer Blu Ray formats. The licensing is ridiculous and they are basically playing cat and mouse with the pirates. To be honest, it's almost easier to just play pirated content today than it is the stuff you buy at the store. Sad state of affairs I'm afraid.
I've had to upgrade firmware on my stand alone blu-ray player several times now. I want to see grandma and grampa do that. The only way to really solve the problem would be a total boycott of blu ray technology, but it won't happen because consumers would
rather just come on forums like this and speak with a loud keyboard. Another solution is to only buy blu ray combos that also include a digital copy. That will allow you to at least play back the digital file, although sometimes I think the quality is less
that that of the blu ray itself due to more compression.
Anyways, I just built a $1200 computer that I included an LG Blu Ray with. I found this forum actually looking for answers on blu ray playback in windows 7 because the included Cyberlink software so far has about a 40% success rate with my collection.
I just also bought Inception on blu ray, but can't watch it on my computer, and cyberlink is asking for another $45 to upgrade the sofware. Whomever said it's all about the cash, you are absolutely right. Like I said, my options right now are watch this
in the living room on the stand alone (which I won't because my son will wake up), go find a pirated copy and take the chance of the MPAA/RIAA big brother machine finding me out and suing me to lifetime bankrupcy (although I have a collection of 3000 CD's,
500 DVD's, and about 40 Blu Rays all bought with my hard earned cash), or I can just decide I'm fed up with the whole industry and boycot it. I'm really getting close to the later.
BTW, I'm not a Microsoft cronie, but I will call it where I see it, this isn't an issue with Windows 7, or the battle between HDDVD and BluRay, this is wholly an issue with the big movie houses putting their pockets over fair use of the consumer. This will
only get worse.