Open-Source Blu-Ray Library Now Supports BD-J Java

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Open-Source Blu-Ray Library Now Supports BD-J Java

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 22, 2014 @01:25PM from the hack-it-until-it-works dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Updates to the open-source libbluray, libaacs, and libbdplus libraries have improved the open-source Blu-ray disc support to now enable the Blu-ray Java interactivity layer (BD-J). The Blu-ray Java code is in turn executed by OpenJDK or the Oracle JDK and is working well enough to play a Blu-ray disc on the Raspberry Pi when paired with the VLC media player."

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this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 13:33 · Score: 0, Funny

for the 5 people that own any blu rays
1. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 13:38 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I can't find the slot to insert the Blu-Ray disc into my Raspberry Pi.
2. Re:this is great news! by SeaFox · 2014-07-22 14:10 · Score: 1
  
  for the 5 people that own any blu rays and don't just use a regular stand-alone player or game console
  
  FTFY.
3. Re:this is great news! by amiga3D · 2014-07-22 14:13 · Score: 1
  
  I bought a blue ray player 4 years ago and one blue ray disk to play on it. I played it once. That's it. Over one hundred dollars pissed away. I did rip the disk to the hard drive so now I have a 1080p mkv file of "The Sound of Music" and it looks great playing from my WDTV live. I do use blue ray for file backup and occasionally burn a blue ray movie disk for friends that just can't leave physical media behind. Trust me though, blue ray support on Linux is dismal and it's only a little better on Mac. Skip it and go digital.
4. Re:this is great news! by TheGratefulNet · 2014-07-22 14:17 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  why use a regular player? it runs unknown code, can blacklist your devices, forces menus and ads on you and takes too long to startup.
  ripped files play right away and on any vlc or video software player.
  the days of NEEDING a standalone video player are long gone.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
5. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 14:36 · Score: 0
  
  why use a regular player? it runs unknown code, can blacklist your devices, forces menus and ads on you and takes too long to startup.
  my ps3 runs unknown code when i do anything with it, but that's not going to stop me using it. what's going to happen? ooooh they might see my gaming or viewing habits, what are they going to do with that? personally i reckon most of this "privacy violation" shit is complete bullshit. without some ridiculous extrapolation what exactly is the big deal?
6. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 14:44 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Its simple I like the menus. This library is the first to let you do menus. You can play rips with menus with only 2 non 'authorized' players out there.the neo 550 and the DUNE. Most of the others stink badly.
  Many of the extras are there but scattered thru 40-50 different chunks of small video usually. Some discs 'hide' the real content in 300 other 'videos'. So you are not even sure which one to rip. Menus will take care of that.
  So for when I just bought a movie and want to watch it *NOW* instead of waiting 2 hours while it rips. I pop it in the player.
  ripped files play right away and on any vlc or video software
  Its better now. But 2-3 years ago blu ray vlc was not so hot. Its better now. But even then I have 2-3 discs that do not play. Even ripped.
  the days of NEEDING a standalone video player are long gone.
  Hardly. Parents just brought over a video. "hold on for 20-30 mins while I rip it" and copy it over to the NAS (oh another 10-15 mins) oh just another 5 mins while I get it into the menu system. Yeah that would go over like a lead balloon. Or hey I want to pop over to a friends house and they want me to bring a movie. Yeah I will lug about 20 pounds of junk over and spend 5-10 mins of hookup (hope I remembered the power strip this time) OR a dvd.
  They have their place. I use it maybe every couple of months. It was 60 bucks with about 5 mins of setup. Cable power hdmi back of tv done.
  Setting up your media tank is fairly straight forward. But do not confuse it with what most people are willing to put up with. I am willing to put up with it because I can roll with the tech glitches. But say my parents? They would probably set it in the corner and make me 'fix it again' when I visit next time.
  Streaming from somewhere like say netflix or amazon is fairly straightforward as well. But it costs money. My parents are on a very lean budget. 10-20 bucks a month is 120-240 a year. That is a heating bill.
7. Re:this is great news! by BLKMGK · 2014-07-22 15:26 · Score: 1
  
  I own lots of them - all of them have been ripped to my server, compressed, and put into MKV containers. However by doing this I cannot get the "branching" that many BluRay have for alternate endings etc. and any additional content on the disk is pretty much wasted too - sometimes I like that stuff. With DVD I rip to ISO and have full access to that stuff!
  Now that this is moving forward, finally, if someone can come up with a way to compress the content but allow access to menus, alternate endings, blah blah, I'll happily re-rip to a format or container that allows for that playback. Yeah, this is a BIG deal for many of us.
  Mind you, MKV supports "branching" on it's own, it even supports menus! Now, try finding mature tools that can create MKV with the branching properly or tools to create MKV menus. I've seen ONE tool to create the branching files (years ago and I lost track of it's development) but I've yet to see that format supported in my player of choice - XBMC. I think VLC *might* support it but I'm not sure - I'm told Anime files sometimes use this but I'm not a consumer of that.
  If the stars align the XBMC folks will take these changes to the BD library and leverage them. Then maybe the community will create tools to support ripping that will play this back. That would be cool - we'll see. People have been working just to get this support for YEARS so this is a pretty decent feat IMO.
  
  --
  Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
8. Re:this is great news! by BLKMGK · 2014-07-22 15:35 · Score: 2
  
  This. This. This!
  Media makes sense for many of us including me. It's higher fidelity, it's MINE so long as I possesses it, and I can transcode it to whatever format. Lend it? Sure! Borrow it? Yup! Watch it (nearly) right away? Can do! Yes, I hate the ads, the forced BS, but I can still watch it - media has value to me any many others. Being able to use the menus and gain access to the extra content and alternate versions of a movie without having to rip it multiple times would be awesome!
  This is good news :-)
  
  --
  Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
9. Re:this is great news! by drinkypoo · 2014-07-22 16:21 · Score: 1
  
  I have the world's slowest blu-ray player, an original Sony. BDP-S300, I think. It lacks both ethernet and performance. Sadly, the Raspberry Pi lacks SATA, which is what the unit uses to connect to the optical drive. That gives it hack value, though not with R-Pi. I'd probably have to shoehorn something Micro-ITX in there, or use a laptop motherboard, as the optical drive is smack in the center.
  I've bought just one Blu-Ray movie because the player is so godawful slow and I have to use a crappy remote with it. Ideally I'd be able to run XBMC on Windows (XP or 7) on whatever I stuffed into the case, and then I could use the android remote app. Right now my entertainment system is a mk908 running Finless 1.4 or so and it leaves a lot to be desired. Playing discs is one of those things.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
10. Re:this is great news! by SeaFox · 2014-07-22 17:28 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  why use a regular player? it runs unknown code, can blacklist your devices, forces menus and ads on you and takes too long to startup.
  ripped files play right away and on any vlc or video software player.
  the days of NEEDING a standalone video player are long gone.
  I suppose you never owned a DVD player for your TV because it forced you to sit through ads at times?
  How many devices have been blacklisted in the last 10 years. And I mean blacklisted as in "too bad, you can't update the firmware on your source or display device to fix this, you have to buy new hardware, and you have no legal recourse". How many times?
  Tell me about the audit you did of the code that ran the recording abilities on your last VCR.
  [crickets]
  Why use a regular player? Because it "just works". Blu-ray players need to have their firmware updated [i]occasionally[/i], but they don't require anywhere close to the constant stream of little patches blu-ray playback software for PCs does (or blu-ray ripping software). Sometimes it's just to get a single disc to play back properly. Keep in mind that patch had to be written by the developers. What if the disc that doesn't work isn't a popular movie? Well, they may not bother fixing the issue. Or maybe they'll only make the patches available for the latest version of their software, forcing you to upgrade. You can argue that the same thing could happen on stand-alone player -- but it doesn't. I still get a firmware update every once in awhile and my player is over three years old.
  The experience is overall smoother. I don't have software incompatibilities or system resource issues effecting my playback like can happen on a PC, plus a stand-alone player is quieter than a computer. It's really the same arguments as to the ways game consoles can be better than PC gaming -- dedicated hardware and software for a consistent, assured compatibility experience.
11. Re:this is great news! by SeaFox · 2014-07-22 18:51 · Score: 1
  
  I have the world's slowest blu-ray player, an original Sony. BDP-S300, I think. It lacks both ethernet and performance.
  You should have waited is all I can say. Reviews for blu-ray players always mention how long it takes to load discs for a model, and those times get shorter with each generation. Panasonics used to be the fastest, but I think we might be reaching a point where everyone is starting to even out. Just like how picture quality is generally the same on all players now. You can tell when the tech started to reach maturity because suddenly blu-ray players got a lot smaller front to back (this was when the BDP-S350 or maybe 360 came out for Sony). The groundwork was laid and thermal issues were worked out, and equipment makers could focus on miniaturization and competing on features.
  A modern blu-ray player isn't just about disc playback now, it's about streaming services available on it, PC file compatibility, and possibly DLNA client usage.
12. Re:this is great news! by mister_playboy · 2014-07-22 19:52 · Score: 1
  
  If you want everything on the disc, make the Blu-ray into an ISO just as you would with DVD.
  It's a bigger file, sure, but disk space has been getting cheaper.
  
  --
  Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law ::: Love is the law, love under will
13. Re:this is great news! by DrXym · 2014-07-22 20:15 · Score: 1
  
  Tinfoil hat off please. The "unknown code" is on a Blu Ray is a brain dead jar file running atop of a J2ME profile VM. It has a very limited view of the world that allows it to stream video, trickplay, display graphics, receive limited input, talk with the internet, and access to limited storage.
  If you are paranoid about it you could unplug the internet cable. After all, if you're worried about what your Blu Ray disc is capable of then you should also be worried about what ALL the software on the device is capable of. e.g. the Netflix app, BBC iPlayer, PS3 games or whatever else is on there.
14. Re:this is great news! by serviscope_minor · 2014-07-22 20:16 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I suppose you never owned a DVD player for your TV because it forced you to sit through ads at times?
  Indeed I never have. I play all my DVDs on MPlayer.
  Once in a while I end up watching a DVD on a more normal player, usually as the result of watching something at someone else's house. I am astounded at how poor the experience is. One has to wade through irritating, poorly thoughtout and slow menues, and spend ages skipping (if you're allowed) a bunch of crap before starting to watch what you want.
  I've used MPlayer since about 2003. I'm utterly spoiled. There's no way I would return to the user-hostile crap masquerading as normal DVD players.
  And one of my favourite features is the reverse 10 seconds button. Great after unpausing or if you failed to catch an important line of dialog. I've never seen a standalone player with such a feature.
  In fact some DVDs are so slathered in copy protection that even skipping around at all doesnt work.
  Why use a regular player? Because it "just works".
  Not only does MPlayer "just work", it "just works" a damn sight beter than "proper" DVD players.
  So why would you pick the one that works worse? I can only assume you have some sort of Stockholm syndrome.
  The experience is overall smoother.
  Not for DVDs it isn't. I don't own a blu-ray player, but I have a hard job imagining anything doing a smoother, simplyer, more user friendly job than MPlayer, given that MPlayer (a) just works and (b) never stops me doing anything I want to do.
  I don't have software incompatibilities or system resource issues effecting my playback like can happen on a PC
  Get a better OS. I use Linux. It's marvellous, you should try it.
  plus a stand-alone player is quieter than a computer.
  Get a better computer then. Seriously, an RPi can play HD video and is silent. If you're buying a media PC in this day and age which is louder than an optical drive, then you're buying bad stuff.
  dedicated hardware and software for a consistent, assured compatibility experience.
  Consistent compatibility with all the latest "rights management" stuff? No thanks!
  I'd rather have Linux and MPlayer which are actually compatible with my rights, thankyou very much.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
15. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 21:35 · Score: 0
  
  Skip it and go digital.
  Blu-Ray already is digital, fucktard.
16. Re:this is great news! by AudioEfex · 2014-07-22 22:16 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  Oh god I love this "streaming is the future" nonsense.
  Once data caps hit the US (and we know they are coming, the ISPs have already installed the backbone to make it happen, it's just a matter of pulling the switch - some have already been "testing" it, like Comcast) every ISP is going to follow suit rather quickly, and when folks who are now clogging up over half the Internet traffic streaming will suddenly drop like flies.
  This is the "golden age" of streaming - it ain't gonna last long. I get it, it's convenient - but it's simply unable to continue on this trajectory. I personally rarely do it because no matter what resolution you are streaming at, the compression is so high that it cannot even compare to Blu-ray. Same with the illegal downloads - if you think a two hour film in true HD quality and sound can fit in a couple of gigs, you don't know wtf you are talking about. I guess if you sit and watch movies on a laptop it's good enough, but on a decent sized TV? Might as well watch DVD quality at that point, even if the file is supposedly running at 1080p.
  When you add to the quality issues that the content providers have such scattered libraries and they can take any of it away at any time, I'm very happy with my "antiquated" physical media - so be nice to us that buy it, because once data caps come in you'll be coming to folks like me to borrow discs halfway through the month when you binge watched something on Netflix and ate your monthly data allowance up with a couple of weeks left to go before you get your fresh sip of bandwidth.
17. Re:this is great news! by dltaylor · 2014-07-22 22:17 · Score: 1
  
  None of the above. I have an old Denon DBP-2010CI that just plays discs (Blu-Ray, DVD, CD), but has a (at the time it was sold) spectacular scaling engine.
  All of the other stuff would be handled by a WDTV, PC, Mac, ...
  So far, I haven't found a 1080P, or less, disc it will not play, but the DVD players all eventually couldn't handle the menu formats of some disc, or other, so I suppose this one will, too.
  I still need a good Linux BD->streamable file converter for backups, though, and I could also use the files with XBMC or one of the systems listed above.
18. Re:this is great news! by drinkypoo · 2014-07-22 22:44 · Score: 1
  
  You should have waited is all I can say.
  Well, I'm not sure how long I would have had to wait to get a better player for $20 at a yard sale.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
19. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 23:27 · Score: 0
  
  if you think a two hour film in true HD quality and sound can fit in a couple of gigs, you don't know wtf you are talking about.
  Yes... because there is no way the compression schemes of ripped files can improve over time. Guess what... a DVD takes 4 GB of movie in one layer. It uses MPEG-2 as a compression format. If you stored the same movie with H.264 you'd need substantially less space. With Blu-ray or a DVD you're stuck with the compression scheme the movie came on. With VLC I get new codecs all the time.
  And if you need an uber-quality download, there's still the 17 GB versions of the movies... but for those you better use Monster cables.
20. Re:this is great news! by AmiMoJo · 2014-07-22 23:33 · Score: 1
  
  I personally rarely do it because no matter what resolution you are streaming at, the compression is so high that it cannot even compare to Blu-ray. Same with the illegal downloads - if you think a two hour film in true HD quality and sound can fit in a couple of gigs, you don't know wtf you are talking about.
  You are doing it wrong. Netflix at the highest bit rate is similar to BluRay, and they support 4k which is even better (and yes, the bitrate is adequate). As for downloads proper BluRay rips clock in around 10GB of an average 1.5-2 hour movie. I think you might have been downloading low quality 720p or telecine rips.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
21. Re:this is great news! by AmiMoJo · 2014-07-22 23:37 · Score: 1
  
  There is a significant market for region free, modified DVD players that let you skip all the crap. So significant that even supermarket 20 quid models are often region free, or very easy to "modify" with a few button presses on the remote. Clearly there is a demand for something better.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
22. Re: this is great news! by BLKMGK · 2014-07-22 23:39 · Score: 1
  
  Then you have to find software that will play it, nothing to this point except Windows software has been capable and many of those player packages required tricks to get them to work. All of my HTPC front-ends are Linux based XBMC and the hassle of mounting ISO and using Windows isn't something I'm interested in. ISO are indeed "larger" - about 3x bigger! Disk space is cheaper sure but not so cheap that I'm willing to triple my storage needs. Compression is the way to go!
  
  --
  Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
23. Re:this is great news! by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-22 23:42 · Score: 1
  
  I don't know about the US, but here in the UK our broadband speeds keep getting quicker (for the same price). My cable connection gets doubled in speed every couple of years as otherwise, I'd go somewhere else. I don't see why streaming will get less popular over time.
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
24. Re:this is great news! by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-22 23:45 · Score: 1
  
  Very interesting, Mr Anonymous Coward.
  
  Care to explain why you didn't login to an account to say why "privacy violation is complete bullshit"?
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
25. Re:this is great news! by swb · 2014-07-22 23:47 · Score: 1
  
  I own two Panasonic blu-ray players and they have all been terribly slow at everything, from loading discs to using the "smart" features like Amazon and Netflix. One of the Panasonics quite regularly requires me to cut the power to it and cold start it to either watch Internet content ("NO NETWORK") or to watch a movie (hang up with a "Loading.." graphic).
  The Amazon interface on them also seems stuck in the stone age -- you can browse titles or search, but the 'modern' Amazon interface found in Sonys or the iOS apps isn't there so the Watch List isn't available.
  HBO discs are the worst with these units due to their bloated menu/multimedia content. I just reflexively cold start my player before trying to watch an HBO disc.
26. Re:this is great news! by jiadran · 2014-07-22 23:50 · Score: 1
  
  No mod points, sorry. I totally agree!
  10s forward and backward jumps (with the keyboard, so no point-and-click delays), or 1 minute and 10 minutes jumps are really great.
  The mandatory ads on DVDs are annoying on stand-alone players. It would be easier and faster (no waiting for mail deliveries) to just download the movies. Why do I have to watch piracy warnings on a leagally-bought DVD when I could skip them on an illegal download?
  Also, as I travel between North America and Europe, region codes are a real PITA. I actually have a stand-alone region-free DVD player, and I never had to update firmware, but I had to enter a secret number to activate the region-free feature. On my Linux laptop this worked out of the box. Do region-free BlueRay players exist? Is it really necessary to update the firmware? Both questions are potential deal-breakers by themselves!
  I buy movies on DVD, then rip them to watch on my mobile devices. I would buy BlueRays and a stand-alone player if I could use them with my high-quality but non-DRM monitor.
27. Re:this is great news! by Kiwikwi · 2014-07-23 00:12 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  You are doing it wrong. Netflix at the highest bit rate is similar to BluRay, and they support 4k which is even better (and yes, the bitrate is adequate). As for downloads proper BluRay rips clock in around 10GB of an average 1.5-2 hour movie.
  You don't know what you're talking about. Netflix's "Super HD" 1080p is 7 Mbit/s. A single-layer two-hour BluRay movie can be 18 Mbit/s and still leave room for an hour of extra material. The codecs are the same.
  Sure, I don't mind the quality of a 10 GB H.264 BluRay rip; I wouldn't be able to tell the difference compared to the raw BluRay rip... which clocks in at 25 GB or more. But I can certainly tell the difference when I compare with the 6.3 GB Netflix "Super HD" version!
  As for 4K, what's the point, when most movies are still mastered in 2K (Full HD)? Iron Man 3, Noah, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, every bloody Transformers movie... they're all mastered in 2K!
28. Re:this is great news! by NotDrWho · 2014-07-23 00:42 · Score: 1
  
  Compression schemes may improve, but bandwidth usage for streaming continues to go up. Companies like Netflix just use better compression to deliver better quality.
  GP is right (at least in the U.S.). Our bandwidth infrastructure simply isn't keeping up. The whole attitude of "Oh don't worry, the market will sort it out" is going to bite us hard in the ass soon. It would be a shame if the country that pioneered most aspects of the internet became a third-world country for actual internet access. The rest of the civilized world will be streaming everything at gigabit speeds, and we'll still be fucktarding along with mbps speeds worrying about hitting our tiny bandwidth caps.
  
  --
  SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
29. Re:this is great news! by NotDrWho · 2014-07-23 00:48 · Score: 0
  
  Netflix at the highest bit rate is similar to BluRay
  If you can't tell the difference between Netflix's HD streaming and bluray then you're either blind, have a really shitty TV, or you're sitting too far away. I would actually rate Netflix HD as more comparable to a good anamorphic DVD than a bluray.
  
  --
  SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
30. Re: this is great news! by mister_playboy · 2014-07-23 00:54 · Score: 1
  
  VLC and Mplayer can both play Blu-rays in both ISO and file folder format on Linux as long as they are decrypted.
  
  --
  Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law ::: Love is the law, love under will
31. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 01:07 · Score: 0
  
  One has to wade through irritating, poorly thoughtout and slow menues, and spend ages skipping (if you're allowed) a bunch of crap before starting to watch what you want.
  I dunno, I think these unskippable menus and previews are great! I like to squeeze in a quick game of dwarf fortress before the movie starts.
32. Re:this is great news! by FilmedInNoir · 2014-07-23 01:11 · Score: 1
  
  I did that to. Only it was the BBC's Planet Earth series.
  Then I spent all my TV time streaming off my media player, in my case, extremely poor resolution MST3K episodes.
  I feel less special but happy to be part of a larger group of rubes fooled into buying a BR player.
  
  --
  Sig. Sig. Sputnik
33. Re:this is great news! by Custard+Horse · 2014-07-23 01:15 · Score: 2
  
  I initially thought that this was a troll comment but on reflection I realise that it is valid.
  Clearly 'go digital' meant dispensing with the disc and saving the data to a hard drive but this is semantics as it is merely shifting the data to another media type.
  'Say "no" to offline data' is the real message with which I wholeheartedly agree. There should be no need to swap optical discs in this day and age and keeping data offline makes no sense unless you are dealing with tape backups.
  I treat blu-ray as a tape backup and keep a ripped version on my NAS which is how blu-ray/DVD/CD should be marketed. The consumer would be happy as they own a copy and the content providers would be happy as they can maintain their pricing structure.
34. Re:this is great news! by amiga3D · 2014-07-23 01:29 · Score: 0
  
  I'm sorry for the semantics problem bud. Didn't mean to confuse you but somehow I'm sure you know what I meant. You were just waitiing for the chance to show off your brilliance. Your welcome.
35. Re:this is great news! by wonkey_monkey · 2014-07-23 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  Your welcome.
  *twitch*
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
36. Re:this is great news! by jedidiah · 2014-07-23 02:27 · Score: 1
  
  > Yes... because there is no way the compression schemes of ripped files can improve over time.
  Except we aren't talking about "ripped files", we're talking about STREAMING. What you can achieve with genuine ripped files will actually make the streaming services all look hopelessly pathetic.
  Streaming services suffer from the same problem as cable providers. They are corporations that want to cut corners and they know that the average American will eat dirt.
  The entire "download-as-you-go" concept is fatally flawed.
  Bandwidth caps aren't even the biggest problem here despite being the likely show stopper.
  
  --
  A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
37. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 03:01 · Score: 0
  
  Care to explain why you didn't login to an account to say why "privacy violation is complete bullshit"?
  Translation: I have no solid argument against what the AC said, so I'll attack the messenger.
38. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 03:10 · Score: 0
  
  Try telling that to my parents who don't have an internet connection and have no urge to get one.
39. Re:this is great news! by jedidiah · 2014-07-23 03:12 · Score: 1
  
  > Why use a regular player? Because it "just works".
  Kind of sort of after a fashion with lost of nonsense and bother.
  I ditched my last console DVD player because "just works" doesn't really work.
  > The experience is overall smoother.
  No it isn't. A PC provides a much better playback experience. It's simpler, more direct, and completely under your control. You can enforce a single standard UI across multiple playback devices.
  Ripping a BD can be a pain but it's usually worth the effort even for a rental.
  
  --
  A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
40. Re:this is great news! by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-23 03:18 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry, I might have been using too much irony for you. Do you not find it amusing that a person complaining that "privacy violation is complete bullshit" is posting that as an Anonymous Coward? They obviously do care about privacy whilst also decrying it.
  
  I'm a big fan of Anonymous Cowards in general and I'm not attacking the messenger - it's just funny considering what was said. Personally, I do use a PS3 and I'm not concerned about what code is running on it largely because Sony is too incompetent to be truly evil. However, open BD code would be useful as I stream from Linux using PS3MediaServer.
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
41. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 03:41 · Score: 0
  
  Oddly enough, I just bought 5 Blu-Rays over the weekend:
  Legend of Billie Jean
  Airplane II
  Last Action Hero
  Never Say Never Again
  Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
  I also just bought another 4TB WD RED to expand the LVM2 archive on my file server to rip them all to with MakeMKV. I actually own what I rip rather than pirate poorly encoded crap of the Internet.
42. Re:this is great news! by petermgreen · 2014-07-23 03:50 · Score: 1
  
  Depends where in the UK you are.
  Some areas have competion between virgin meda cable and openreach FTTC. At the other extreme some areas have no cable and phone lines so long/shitty that they can't handle DSL at all. Many providers have caps or "fair usage policies", especially in areas that don't have LLU.
  
  --
  note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
43. Re:this is great news! by jedidiah · 2014-07-23 03:55 · Score: 1
  
  > Sadly, the Raspberry Pi lacks SATA, which is what the unit uses to connect to the optical drive.
  There's no good reason you couldn't use a USB device which would be the usual approach for plugging an optical drive into a small low profile machine such as the PI.
  
  --
  A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
44. Re:this is great news! by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-23 03:55 · Score: 1
  
  In general, though, aren't the speeds increasing rather than decreasing?
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
45. Re:this is great news! by MMC+Monster · 2014-07-23 04:53 · Score: 2
  
  I stream from my basement. Buy the discs (or, more recently, rent them from Redbox or borrow them from the library) and rip them. A NAS in the basement holds everything, and xbmc on computers in the livingroom and bedroom for the streaming.
  Total cost $1000. Being able to stream whatever movie I own within 15 seconds of turning the TV on? Priceless.
  Best part? The NAS accepts ssh connections from outside the home. I have a similar setup in a friend's house and my parents, both of which do a 'rsync over ssh' every time they turn the system on (with logs stored on my NAS so I know the syncs are occurring). Now I get distributed remote mirrors and they get streaming from their basements.
  
  --
  Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
46. Re:this is great news! by SeaFox · 2014-07-23 08:27 · Score: 1
  
  Once in a while I end up watching a DVD on a more normal player, usually as the result of watching something at someone else's house. I am astounded at how poor the experience is. One has to wade through irritating, poorly thoughtout and slow menues, and spend ages skipping (if you're allowed) a bunch of crap before starting to watch what you want.
  When I stick a disc in my player it normally will just start up to the movie for me. I've heard this problem before, part of that is player features, part of it is the specific title you're playing. Unskippable content is lame, I agree, but if I get a disc like that I can just do a direct copy of the disc contents with the protections removed and re-burn to a dual-layer blank. Now I can play it back on the player and skip content, no change in quality. Still cheaper and quieter than a second PC in the living room.
  
  And one of my favourite features is the reverse 10 seconds button. Great after unpausing or if you failed to catch an important line of dialog. I've never seen a standalone player with such a feature.
  My Sony DVD upconverting player had a feature like that. Actually it might have been a 30 second forward-back skip, but they were one-touch buttons on the remote.
  
  Why use a regular player? Because it "just works".
  Not only does MPlayer "just work", it "just works" a damn sight beter than "proper" DVD players.
  If you'll read back what you're replying to, you'll see the topic was blu-ray playback, commercial discs in particular, not DVD playback. For DVD playback on a monitor with a computer attached, yeah I would just use the PC, too. Because then I can have MadVR doing chroma upscaling. DVD playback on a PC just works thanks to DVDJon. It is the particular issues that software blu-ray players have verses standard stand-alone players I was talking about..
  
  The experience is overall smoother.
  Not for DVDs it isn't. I don't own a blu-ray player...
  Do you play commercial blu-rays, direct-from-the-disc on your PC? Because if you don't then I don't know why you are replying to this, since it sounds like you have no experience in what we're discussing.
  
  I don't have software incompatibilities or system resource issues effecting my playback like can happen on a PC
  Get a better OS. I use Linux. It's marvellous, you should try it.
  I've tried it and play with it in virtual machines often. Have also been checking out the new KDE 5 on a USB stick. I could switch over but there are a few pieces of software I like that are Windows only. Last weekend I built a newer machine for my mom, who I've had using Linux for months now... I was forced to give her one of my own N wireless cards as the wi-fi card she had been using in Mint 16 with no issues (a Belkin 802.11g card) wont stay connected to the wireless network in Mint 17. I tried swapping in a different 802.11g card and had the same issue. It just drops after a few minutes for no reason. My D-Link N-card seems to not be effected. Since I have the old computer and her card in my possession at this point I want to try and figure out the problem, but right now I don't want to spend any more of my free time in a terminal on a PC that sounds like a hair dryer when it gets revved up.
  
  dedicated hardware and software for a consistent, assured compatibility experience.
  Consistent compatibility with all the latest "rights management" stuff? No thanks!
  I'd rather have Linux and MPlayer which are actually compatible with my rights, thankyou very much.
  I want to buy the movie legally in HD and be able to watch it in full quality and without an Internet connection. I'm perfectly within the rights I purchased. I don't watch videos on portable devices and even if I did I have the know-how to rip the disc and make my own encoding. Even if I want to do something outside the rights I've been granted doesn't mean I need to resort to some self-imposed boycott of the approved equipment.
47. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 11:56 · Score: 0
  
  Try inserting the Pi into the Blu-Ray player.
48. Re:this is great news! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 12:56 · Score: 0
  
  Do you not find it amusing that a person complaining that "privacy violation is complete bullshit" is posting that as an Anonymous Coward?
  Anybody who doesn't have an account and associated pseudonym here is AC, did you not notice that?
  
  They obviously do care about privacy whilst also decrying it.
  No, they dont have an account. Read it as being from "Someguy1", now what effect did that have? None. Your argument is invalid.
49. Re: this is great news! by BLKMGK · 2014-07-24 15:30 · Score: 1
  
  Including menus? All of the java? I know VLC will do DVD but BD is what I want although I still want them compressed too. If that's the case I wonder why XBMC has gotten this functionality because it sure would be handy.
  
  --
  Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
50. Re:this is great news! by psychonaut · 2014-07-25 02:56 · Score: 1
  
  When I stick a disc in my player it normally will just start up to the movie for me. I've heard this problem before, part of that is player features, part of it is the specific title you're playing. Unskippable content is lame, I agree, but if I get a disc like that I can just do a direct copy of the disc contents with the protections removed and re-burn to a dual-layer blank. Now I can play it back on the player and skip content, no change in quality.
  Wait, so let me get this straight. You and your SO make some steaming hot popcorn, dim the lights, and settle down on the couch for a movie night. You pop in your disc, only to find that it starts off with five minutes of annoying "unskippable" advertising. So your solution would be to get up, take out the disc, walk it over to the computer you keep in a separate room, insert it there, load up your disc ripping software, copy the disc to the computer, remove the disc, locate and insert a blank one, burn a new copy with the "unskippable" bit disabled, remove it, walk it back over to your living room player, insert it, and press play? Seems to me that serviscope_minor's solution of using MPlayer to begin with and simply mashing a single button to skip the advertising is a heck of a lot more convenient.
"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 13:44 · Score: 0

Meanwhile, a thousand other players and programs have 100% native support.
1. Re:"Compatible" by EzInKy · 2014-07-22 13:58 · Score: 1
  
  Those thousands of other players and programs also have forced restrictions and few options.
  
  --
  Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
2. Re:"Compatible" by alen · 2014-07-22 14:03 · Score: 1
  
  what options?
  you but a disc, put it into the player and it plays. worst case you go make the snacks during the crapfest before the movie
3. Re:"Compatible" by TheGratefulNet · 2014-07-22 14:07 · Score: 1
  
  I used to enjoy playing dvd's, but then, once I learned about 'downloading', the PB movies are cleaned, ad-free and compressed well enough to watch without wasting disk space.
  I'll never buy a bluray player if I can help it (unless it comes cheap with a laptop) and I won't buy bd's since it supports sony and all those bad companies. I consider THEM to be pirates (oddly enough) since they steal too much of our money. I've paid enough to the entertainment industry. fuck them. no more paying to a corrupt group of corps.
  VPN sets you free ;)
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
4. Re:"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 14:13 · Score: 0
  
  You don't think it is noteworthy or interesting that a free, open source library is able to play Blu-Ray? I say it is news for nerds and qualifies for /.
  Personally, I would be willing to pay up to $30 for a legal and 100% compatible software to play Blu-Ray on my Linux computers. I already bought the DVD player from Fluendo.
  (I make my living writing IP, so I feel I ought to respect the IP of others, plus I just want my stuff to work. So I didn't mind paying for a legal DVD player software. Yes I do know how bullshit a lot of patents and other IP is.)
5. Re:"Compatible" by amiga3D · 2014-07-22 14:18 · Score: 1
  
  I do support the corps occasionally by going to the cinema. I love the new GTX screen at the theater down the road here. Movies on the big screen are still awesome to me. I bought an external Blue Ray burner for my Mini. I love renting BDs from Redbox and ripping them. I store them on hard drive and stream to the TV. Nice, and to think I grew up with a 19" black and white Zenith watching Captain Kirk travel the galaxy. Man the changes in the last 50 years.
6. Re:"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 14:21 · Score: 0
  
  Great, it only has "few options". The entire point of this article is that the open source one has even fewer options. Now it has one option instead of zero options. Good for them.
7. Re:"Compatible" by TheGratefulNet · 2014-07-22 14:27 · Score: 1
  
  I don't respect IP anymore. I've worked my whole life, given my effort to companies who make big money and I get a salary, at best; and an eventual layoff, almost always.
  been fucked and fucked again by corp america and I've had enough.
  IP is a corrupt concept. they steal from you, so treat them how they treat you.
  do you respect the mafia? why respect IP companies? if they were honest and didn't overprice things and put more and more restrictions on things, that would be one thing; but they are corrupt motherfuckers and so, I give them no respect and no consideration at all.
  they lost me, forever, as a customer. for decades I paid into the system. NO MORE.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
8. Re:"Compatible" by EzInKy · 2014-07-22 14:28 · Score: 1
  
  Well first off, they don't always play. I have a disc never used before from a newly purchased complete "Fringe" series that my player can't be read even though the others have played just fine. Secondly, I prefer preparing my snacks before the disc goes in the machine.
  
  --
  Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
9. Re: "Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 14:42 · Score: 0
  
  I totallt agree. IP sucks... I understand hardware patents but not software... software is like art just an idea! and you cant own an idea... you can still make money from selling support of your software...
10. Re:"Compatible" by jeIIomizer · 2014-07-22 15:06 · Score: 1
  
  you just fuck things up for everybody else
  I'm really not seeing how that's true in this case.
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
11. Re:"Compatible" by Kaenneth · 2014-07-22 15:55 · Score: 1
  
  But then you get grease on the discs.
12. Re:"Compatible" by kesuki · 2014-07-22 16:24 · Score: 1
  
  "You don't think it is noteworthy or interesting that a free, open source library is able to play Blu-Ray?"
  is able to execute bluray java, not play discs. the bluray libs will play Standard compliant, non encryted discs. eg: home movies. you still need a proprietary decrypter to get around bluray limitations. and if it has cinvia that is a second program to detect and erase cinvia with little loss to audio.
  ip holders are rarely ip creators. and copyleft benefits from copyright law, which is where it gets messy. but that is another thing entirely.
  
  --
  https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
13. Re:"Compatible" by EzInKy · 2014-07-22 16:34 · Score: 1
  
  Brand new, never before played disc. All others in the set worked fine, both newer and older. Tell me again about your "grease" theory.
  
  --
  Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
14. Re:"Compatible" by TheGratefulNet · 2014-07-22 16:51 · Score: 1
  
  I'm over 50 and have paid so many times over, I feel I've more than 'helped' the industry long enough.
  I respect corps that respect me. but the entertainment industry treats us all like criminals. so, I might as well just play along; if I'm being treated like one, I will act the part (in their eyes). I don't give a fuck. after so many years of seeing the bullshit and lies from them, I've had enough. I started out in good faith and paid for cable, vhs tape rentals, dvd rentals and then netflix. I saw the content quality go down (not visuals but storylines and even compression or - worse - too much dynamics - in movies), forced ads - its too annoying to tolerate, for the most part, anymore.
  remember, this is the same industry that keeps those old ancient disney cartoons still OUT of public domain. they are not interested in fairness or fairplay. if they can squeeze an extra few cents form you, they will.
  in the corp world, its screw or be screwed. if you are not doing the screwing, YOU are the chump, the patsy. I hate being the patsy so I stopped playing their game.
  the industry won't dry up; and even if some segments did, mushrooms would sprout up and someone else would take their place.
  there is zero ethics in media, today. the corps are not there for art or furthering of society. they are vultures picking meat off any bones they can find.
  I have zero guilt about going to the bay for my movies. I sleep very well at night, knowing I've given back to them what they have done to us for decades.
  an old addage: to get respect, you have to give it. they are getting their just deserts. and if they cry about it, WHO CARES.
  yes, I feel that strongly about the mafiaa. for the last 25+ yrs, its going down down down the shitter. if you work in that industry, you get what you deserve. go work somewhere honorable if you want ethics and fairness.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
15. Re:"Compatible" by Cochonou · 2014-07-22 17:03 · Score: 1
  
  Along with libaacs, the libbdplus library can decrypt commercial discs to play them. Of course the situation is not ideal, and you still need stuff like a database of aacs keys, but it works.
16. Re:"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 17:23 · Score: 0
  
  I don't think it was a theory as to why it doesn't work. You said you prefer to prepare your snacks before the disc foes in the machine. You get greasy fingers making the snacks, then put the disc in.
17. Re:"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 18:23 · Score: 0
  
  You cannot rip blu-ray disks on Linux without buying a third party tool (or use a free/test beta that's commercial for other OSes).
18. Re:"Compatible" by rogoshen1 · 2014-07-22 19:36 · Score: 1
  
  show me one god damn thing any of these IP companies have done that could be conveyed as 'pro-consumer' in the past 15 odd years. Tell me who the real leaches are.
19. Re:"Compatible" by RogueyWon · 2014-07-22 21:00 · Score: 1
  
  The Playstation 3 likely remains the most common blu-ray player around - and it does the job very well (though it helps to pick up the optional remote control, as managing playback via a game controller can be a touch irritating). It also, coupled with the PS3 Media Server software on a PC, makes a pretty damned good "just works" solution for playing media files off your hard drive onto the TV and - crucially - one which is easy enough for a total computing ignoramus to get up and running with little or no guidance.
  It's a pity that the PS4 (and Xbox One) are missing most of this functionality. As media players, the "new" consoles are a significant step back from the last generation.
20. Re:"Compatible" by AudioEfex · 2014-07-22 22:27 · Score: 1
  
  Well that's great and all that you are a proud illegal freeloader - and that's what it is, freeloading on folks who actually pay for the content - if no one paid for it, it wouldn't be made. You are welcome.
21. Re:"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 23:18 · Score: 1
  
  And if it wasn't made we wouldn't miss it.
  And nothing of value was lost.
22. Re:"Compatible" by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-22 23:55 · Score: 2
  
  So, do you actually pay more if lots of people "freeload" the same film? I suspect that you're not paying for it to be made, you're just being sold the content at whatever price they think the market will bear. If you feel so hard done by, just stop buying it - you don't have to whine to us about it.
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
23. Re:"Compatible" by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-22 23:59 · Score: 1
  
  She was hot in those skin-tight pants!
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
24. Re:"Compatible" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 00:06 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps, but then again perhaps costs would come down as actors would no longer be paid $52 Million/movie?
  Clearly there is still a lot of money in the entertainment business if they can hand over that much money.
25. Re:"Compatible" by hawkinspeter · 2014-07-23 00:08 · Score: 1
  
  Seconded! I use PS3MediaServer on a Linux box to serve media to a PS3 and it works well. Recently my old fat PS3 overheated again (YLOD) so I started looking at replacing it with a PS4, but the two requirements I had were that it should be able to play my PS3 games and to use it to watch media. Somehow Sony have managed to make a PS4 utterly useless to me, so I ended up buying a cheap second-hand thin PS3.
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
26. Re:"Compatible" by EzInKy · 2014-07-23 01:16 · Score: 1
  
  So 18 discs work with greasy fingers, and one doesn't? That is your theory? To add insult to injury I received an email from my ISP that I would be charged more for internet access because I exceeded their max after I watched the missing episodes that were available on my Amazon account. I'm really trying to stay on the right side, but the powers that be are making it very hard to do so.
  
  --
  Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
And BD-Java is good how exactly? by slincolne · 2014-07-22 14:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

Does anyone have any scenarios where BD-Java enables a useful feature?
I have to admit for all the blue ray disks I have, the included menus and bumf just makes it a less pleasant experience.
I don't know who builds in the code for these 'features' - but it makes it very difficult to justify buying legitimate media when the studios seem to put all their crapware in the way.
1. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 17:57 · Score: 0
  
  Isn't BD-J used for some forms of Bluray drm?
2. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 18:28 · Score: 0
  
  Isn't BD-J used for some forms of Bluray drm?
  >any scenarios where BD-Java enables a useful feature?
  He said useful feature
3. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by Trepidity · 2014-07-22 20:37 · Score: 1
  
  Well the DRM isn't actually a useful feature, but having a player that supports BD-J, when BD-J is used for some kinds of DRM, is useful insofar as it lets you view the DRM'd discs.
  If the question is whether BD-J being part of Blu Ray has added any useful features to Blu Ray, then I think the answer is no.
  
  --
  10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
4. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by Claudius+II · 2014-07-22 20:43 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, drm preventing me from watching a movie I purchased is not a useful feature, but if this means we now can actually play the blue-ray that is a useful feature.
5. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 02:39 · Score: 0
  
  Does anyone have any scenarios where BD-Java enables a useful feature?
  Yes: the disc's menus.
  Yes, the menus can be flashy and annoying, but they reliably play the right playlist and help you navigate any special content.
  Yes, you can muddle through all the playlists by hand and extract everything you want, but sometimes you just want a family member to be able to play the damn thing.
6. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by jedidiah · 2014-07-23 04:05 · Score: 1
  
  > Yes, you can muddle through all the playlists by hand and extract everything you want, but sometimes you just want a family member to be able to play the damn thing.
  Actually, if you want to play the "joe average" card here it makes much more sense to rip the media and present a simple menu option so that "a family member is able to play the damn thing".
  The whole Tivo/iTunes/XBMC interface is MUCH simpler for rube relatives than anything that a DVD or BluRay will present to you. It's f*cking ironic that people will defend this sh*t. Each disk is it's own personal precious little snowflake with it's own interface and quirks.
  It's the exact opposite of what all of the HID groupies say you should be doing with user interfaces.
  If you want to "just play the movie", the interface that something like XBMC gives you is FAR superior to the usual consumer option.
  
  --
  A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
7. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 08:16 · Score: 0
  
  Actually, if you want to play the "joe average" card here it makes much more sense to rip the media and present a simple menu option so that "a family member is able to play the damn thing".
  But then I have to do that for every single disc. And I value my time.
  I agree that the UI is stupid and inferior to more streamlined alternatives. But I want something functional as the default, without my having to invest extra time every time.
  Hey, I'm all for extracting the main playlist and spitting out a nice h.264 file that everything can handle or transcode. But let's not pretend that when you're playing a Blu-Ray ISO that the menus aren't useful.
8. Re:And BD-Java is good how exactly? by jedidiah · 2014-07-23 10:12 · Score: 1
  
  > But then I have to do that for every single disc. And I value my time.
  What time? You stick the disk in and type run.
  There is no "time" involved. The computer does all of the work. It chugs along quietly while you go do something else.
  The part of the process that requires my direct interaction with the computer actually takes LESS time than futzing with a console player would.
  There's no need to "pretend' that disk menus are useless. They serve no real purpose for 99.9% of users. If anything, they are a bother.
  
  --
  A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Even More Content by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-22 22:24 · Score: 0

Now the normal people can get even more hi-def movies through XBMC-Torrent and PopcornTime. Alas, sometimes the movies deserve a little tip and the infrastructure for that is completely missing. Maybe because the industry is now perceived as a greedy enemy. Well, c'est la vie.
Re: by Anonymous Coward · 2014-07-23 00:26 · Score: 0

Well, Cary Grant was really a Leach, or did you mean leeches?
Cheap DVD players by phorm · 2014-07-23 03:51 · Score: 1

That used to be the advantage of cheap DVD players too.
The bigger brand names respected region encoding, un-skippable previews/warnings, etc. The cheaper ones were sometimes a bit noisy (parts movement) but generally they didn't bother to implement "features" such as region-lock or unskippable sections, which actually made them more useful.
There don't seem to be as many off-brand Blu-ray players, especially if you want one with Netflix etc. I'd love to see an android-based system which combines something like a Minix X8 or Asus Cube and a Blu-ray. Bonus points if somebody could come up with a blu-ray "shell" which basically includes the drive, power, and infrared remote but allows an upgradable android core for the advanced OS features. It shouldn't be hard to have something which just plugs into the base for power and connects to the drive via a OTG interface. The biggest issue is probably stuff like the Java and copy protection/licensing crap.
1. Re:Cheap DVD players by phorm · 2014-07-23 03:58 · Score: 1
  
  So I got to thinking... "surely somebody has thought of/tried this somewhere by now"
  I've found this thus far. It says it supports 3d blu-ray and menus... though I don't see where you would insert the discs (hopefully it's not just for rips)
2. Re:Cheap DVD players by rwise2112 · 2014-07-23 04:25 · Score: 1
  
  It says it supports 3d blu-ray and menus... though I don't see where you would insert the discs (hopefully it's not just for rips)
  On the site it says:
  
  The box plays Blu-ray and DVD content as ISO files and movie folders, and also plays nearly all standard format videos.
  So it looks like it's rips only.
  
  --
  
  "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
3. Re:Cheap DVD players by phorm · 2014-07-23 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  I don't get it. Samsung, Sony, etc have Blu-ray players, they've got Android phones, why not combine both technologies into one awesome media box?