Can I play BluRay on XP?

[CWR03]

I've been unable to find a definitive answer for this: I know my hardware will handle BluRay playback, but will I find a software player for XP that will allow me to view disks? I view movies on my PC and the display has HDMI input, and I'd like to start renting BluRay disks from Netflix, but if I have to decrypt them to watch I'd rather just buy an external player and plug it in directly.

[Inspector.Gadget]

What about using AnyDVD as an on-the-fly decryption layer so there's no delay?

[Guest]

Obviously there are players. My LG bluray drive came with Cyberlink Power DVD and it plays blurays just fine.

Didn't your drive come with a player?

[shon3i]

Answer is yes. But you need software like Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre 2 or 3 or PowerDVD/WinDVD for watching, you aslo may need Toshiba UDF 2.5 driver for windows XP, because Windows XP can't handle UDF 2.5/2.6 system by default, so you can browse contents of disks. But you need AnyDVD HD to decrypt it.

[setarip_old]

@shon3i

Hi!

If the hardware is capable of BluRay playback (presumably an internal BD-ROM) and he/she installs PowerDVD (usually v.7.3xx comes with the drive) and a UDF 2.50 driver for the XP O/S being used, there should be no need to purchase/use AnyDVD HD, MakeMKV or any other software for playback of the original BluRay discs - perhaps just the occasional PowerDVD update...

[CWR03]

What about using AnyDVD as an on-the-fly decryption layer so there's no delay?
Will that work under XP? Will the disk function as it would on a Vista or Windows 7 system with a bundled player?

Obviously there are players. My LG bluray drive came with Cyberlink Power DVD and it plays blurays just fine.
On an XP system?

Didn't your drive come with a player?
I should have mentioned that I don't yet have a BD-ROM - I wanted to check and make sure I can actually use it before I purchase one. If I can't I'll get a standalone player, but I'd much rather use an internal ROM.

Answer is yes. But you need software like Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre 2 or 3 or PowerDVD/WinDVD for watching, you aslo may need Toshiba UDF 2.5 driver for windows XP, because Windows XP can't handle UDF 2.5/2.6 system by default, so you can browse contents of disks.
That's the most common reply I came up with via a standard Google search, but I felt this would be a good place to confirm.

But you need AnyDVD HD to decrypt it.
I specifically do not want to have to decrypt a rental disk just to watch it. Even if I could I'd still rather just have a standalone player instead.

Thanks for the replies so far.

[setarip_old]

@CWR03

Based on your post #6, it appears that you haven't read my post #5, which answers everything you've asked - and is based on my prior experience with an XP and an internal BD-ROM...

[Guest]

On an XP system? Of course. Why would I mention anything else when your thread title clearly specifies XP?

Buy a name brand internal drive and it will come with player software.

[CWR03]

Based on your post #6, it appears that you haven't read my post #5, which answers everything you've asked - and is based on my prior experience with an XP and an internal BD-ROM...
Actually I didn't because it 1) was not directed to me, 2) was a correction to shon3i's post, 3) didn't actually answer any questions and 4) did not anywhere mention your prior experience with an XP and an internal BD-ROM. Regardless, thanks for the reply.

Of course. Why would I mention anything else when your thread title clearly specifies XP?
Why would I assume you meant XP when you didn't specifically mention it in your reply? I left out a bit of clarity and you assumed I already had a drive in place, so there's obviously room for confusion in posts with the best intentions. Nevertheless, thanks for the reply.

Buy a name brand internal drive and it will come with player software.
Not if it's an OEM unit.

[Inspector.Gadget]

The thing about software accompanying a drive is that the manufacturer will do you no favors: you'll often get the cheapest version or a "special" version of the software that only does 2-channel audio output, etc.

[CWR03]

The thing about software accompanying a drive is that the manufacturer will do you no favors: you'll often get the cheapest version or a "special" version of the software that only does 2-channel audio output, etc.
That's very true - when I put this system together and installed the DVD-RW drive and the PowerDVD version bundled with it, I only get 2-channel stereo. I would have to purchase an audio pack to get 5.1 surround. I won't be surprised to have to spend over $100 US to get BluRay playback in 7.1 surround.

[Ghitulescu]

Try to find the 7.3.xx version, the last good one. There are however conflicting reports on the net concerning the keys, so you might be however forced to upgrade.