Best player for HD-DVDs and BluRay discs?

[isamu]

I've been going through my catalog of physical discs and realized I have a handful of HD-DVDs and BluRay discs I haven't watched in a long time. I'm running a Windows 10 desktop with an Intel Core i7 8600K and GeForce 2080Ti. What is the best software player these days to just pop in a disc and watch HD-DVD and BluRay movies?

VLC Player?
Pot Player?
MPC-HC?
MPV?

[Asmodian]

Are there any that work for bluray on PC today? The encryption is so annoying.

Personally I decrypt all my discs and store them on hard drives. I like Zoom Player for playing back, but the discs must be decrypted.

[StainlessS]

As captainayy says, but,

Here is Registration Key for current MakeMKV [click on MakeMKV...Menu/Help/Register]:- https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1053
Is always same link and key is updated every month (so long as still in Beta, has been beta for years now).
Executable is updated about every few months.
Not sure, think will still play BD in VLC (and other supported players) even when current MakeMKV key has expired. [Try it yourself next time yours expires]

Wonder how to get your VLC 3.0 to play encrypted blu-ray discs?
https://vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name/

EDIT: Somebody on-site [EDIT: Roof Tile] posted updated AACS dynamic library about 3 weeks ago [EDIT: 64 bit only, I think].
EDIT: Here [But, RAR Attachments still Pending Approval.]:- https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1968519#post1968519

So maybe also keep original libs from above VLC link, just incase new ones dont behave.

EDIT: Above linked attachments approved.

vlc works.
EDIT: https://www.videolan.org/developers/libbluray.html

[Emulgator]

makemkv's libmmd can be used as decryption layer for 3rd party applications.
http://www.makemkv.com/libmmbd/

[StainlessS]

Yep, that works too, I forgot where I had seen it.

[isamu]

makemkv's libmmd can be used as decryption layer for 3rd party applications.
http://www.makemkv.com/libmmbd/


thanks for the replies gentlemen. OK I just followed your link and downloaded makemkv. But what do I do with this application? It seems like it's just an application to rip discs. I'm using it now and I don't see anything on how it relates to decrypting and working with VLC. Can you please chime in and tell me what to do from here?

[isamu]

OK It looks like Libbluray and the dll file from makeMKV can be used to decrypt the Blu-ray discs. But I want to play my HDDVD's which are obviously not Blu rays. Which codec or software can I use to play my HDDVD's in conjunction with either VLC or other software players? Upon opening up the open discs menu in VLC, VLC doesn't even show an option for HD DVD's. Only DVD's, Blu rays, or VCD's.

[SeeMoreDigital]

...But I want to play my HDDVD's which are obviously not Blu rays...In order to back-up your HD DVD's you will need a drive that supports HD DVD's.

An LG GGC-H20L drive (that dates back to early 2008) supports: CD, DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. An XBOX 360 drive (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myKtgAEuSCQ) (that dates back to late 2006) supports: CD, DVD and HD DVD discs ;)

[isamu]

yeah, i forgot to mention that i already have a hybrid drive installed in my PC case. after doing some research, looks like there isn't and available kodak that's compatible with HD DVD discs that work with either VLC or MPC HC to allow playback directly from the discs. the only player people are saying that works is an old version of power DVD ultra. i'm not gonna bother with that, and have decided to simply rip them using make MKV. there's only around 10 HD DVD discs that i own so i'll just rip them. hopefully they don't take up more than a couple 100 gigs of space.

[StainlessS]

An XBOX 360 drive (that dates back to late 2006) supports: CD, DVD and HD DVD discs ;)

X360 Official HD-DVD Drive, £15.00:- https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=sxb3hdde001&categoryName=xbox-360-accessories&superCatName=gaming&title=x360-official-hd-dvd-drive&referredFrom=search&queryID=8175e5106bf6d0e418ab19a6dc5d9a5e&position=1

I'm guessin' that you cannot connect X360 Official HD-DVD Drive to PC, however, I have bought maybe 30 or so xbox 360 harddrives, and just remove the standard 2.5" drive from the xbox drive case.
I presume that you can just strip out the bare HD DVD drive from the above linked xbox 360 drives.

EDIT: Good idea to view SeeMoreDigital youtube link, I had not done this before posting above.
[Seems that you can connect the boxed xbox drive to PC]

[Emulgator]

Just tested here (with MakeMKV 1.17.1 silently underlying)
HD DVD "Toto" -> LG GGW-H10N -> eSATA -> Win7U64 -> MakeMKV 1.17.1 sees the HD DVD, but offers neither MKV conversion nor Backup (greyed out)
HD DVD "Toto" -> LG GGW-H10N -> eSATA -> Win7U64 -> PowerDVD 7.3 plays ok.
HD DVD "Toto" -> LG GGW-H10N -> eSATA -> Win7U64 -> MPC-HC can not play disc structure, but the .EVO stuttering
HD DVD "Toto" -> LG GGW-H10N -> eSATA -> Win7U64 -> MPC-BE can not play disc structure, but the .EVO stuttering
HD DVD "Toto" -> LG GGW-H10N -> eSATA -> Win7U64 -> VLC can not play disc structure, but the .EVO stuttering

P.S. Notebook just went black (hard powerdown after a few minutes of attempts).
So the stutter might have to do with the i7-940XM + 2x GTX285 running on battery while testing, ate too much.
Since there are no recent HD DVD capable player SW around (Power DVD 7.3 being the last HD DVD player I know of)
you may be better off with ripping the discs you still got,
besides of HD DVD owners reporting an incrasing number of unreadable discs after years of silent storage.

[SeeMoreDigital]

EDIT: Good idea to view SeeMoreDigital youtube link, I had not done this before posting above.
[Seems that you can connect the boxed xbox drive to PC]
Indeed you can. I took a gamble and bought an XBOX360 drive (without a PSU) during lock-down and used it to back-up the last of my HD DVD's with MakeMKV.

Unfortunately the biggest issue with the HD DVD format is that the discs can delaminate, rendering them impossible to read/back-up :scared:

[StainlessS]

the discs can delaminate, rendering them impossible to read/back-up
Then BlueRay as format winner was a real good choice.

Cex tends to mix HD DVD on same shelf as BD disks, I've bought several by mistake and just sling them in the bin.

EDIT:
used it to back-up the last of my HD DVD's with MakeMKV.
Seems Emulgator was not so lucky. (with the LG GGW-H10N drive)

[SeeMoreDigital]

...Seems Emulgator was not so lucky. (with the LG GGW-H10N drive)I might have used an older version of MakeMKV (http://www.makemkv.com/download/history.html) :eek: