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Open-Source Blu-Ray Library Now Supports BD-J Java
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."
I can't find the slot to insert the Blu-Ray disc into my Raspberry Pi.
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."
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.