Windows 7: What to get to play BDs on PC: VLC doesn't work, PowerDVD didn't help

Since I bought my BD player (external), I got Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 with it (didn't buy it, so it was probably suggested) and that stayed with me until I noticed later on that it wouldn't play and said it didn't work after I paused a movie for more than 10 minutes. Then an update came, and it uninstalled PowerDVD in the process. I tried getting a free trial of PowerDVD 12 but nothing happened when I tried to play it, so its uninstalled too. And I wanted to see if VLC could do it, and found instructions, but...well, nothing.

I need a new player to dl so I can play BDs. It has to be good (to the point where if any problems surface, it's easy to fix), and be free to dl. If its a free trial, then it has to be something that I can still use very well even after the trial expires.

I've heard Arcsoft, even WinDVD; how bout it, guys: what should I get?

You could try a program like DVDFab Passkey. If it works, you can use any HD player, like SPlayer, Splash, VLC. I would try VLC since it has PGS subtitle support, if you like foreign films. Splash supports PGS subs too. But only in the paid version. The new releases of VLC do both PGS and XSUBS.

I came across this thread the other day on getting VLC to work for bluray. Look for the post about half way down the page that begins with "I finally got it to work!" You begin by downloading VLC for Windows X64 Experimental Version on the download page.

Thread

Download

I didn't think of dealing with the menus etc..
For movies usually the "Main movie" is the largest .m2ts file on the disc. Episodic, such as episodes of a TV show can be more problematic. If you get stuck and have the HD space you can always use MakeMKV to rip the titles to mkv files. Then you can easily play them with VLC.

VLC is just not going to do it. I dl-ed 2.0.4, the 64 version, and the same problem occured: it won't play. And where could I get DVDFab Passkey?

Keep in mind, I have an external bd player that I connect to the desktop. Then, its up to whatever player I have chosen to play the movie. WMP doesn't, and again, VLC can't. Before it was Cyberlink, but now with 12, that won't play either.

People pay for players that can play encrypted discs. Afaik, none of the free players will. So that's why your alternatives are, rip the movie to your HD using something like MakeMKV or DVDFab Passkey. VLC will play .mkv and .m2ts files. I've been playing those files with it for years. So will SPlayer, WMP Home Cinema etc..

If you want to play directly off the optical drive with menus etc., I doubt you'll have much luck. If you have a paid player that's supposed to be able to do that, but doesn't, I'd say post on their publisher's support forum or create a support ticket since you've paid for something it's not delivering.


For the rest google should suffice.

I would try this solution first:
MakeMKV - Make MKV from Blu-ray and DVD

since you don't have to pay for it. When a new beta is released, you have to update with the new key. Otherwise to use whatever version you want, you need to buy a license. But the author has been putting out beta releases for years. I bought it because I like it. Also if the new version has a bug you're stuck if you don't have a licensed copy. You can't go back to an older version unless you're a paid user. But if it's that bad a bug it's usually fixed very quickly.

I've never owned an external optical drive. Without the hardware to play with there's no way to gain experience.

I would suggest that you download the 15day trial version of TotalMedia Theatre 5 and check. However there is no way of using the trial version after 15 days. If you are happy with it, you have to buy. This is the most legal way without any controversy

World's Leading Blu-ray 3D Player Software - ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 5

I don't see that it's any less controversial or more "legal" than trying DVDFab Passkey or DVDFab HD Decrypter. They are all commercial products that decrypt the disc contents.

Try DAPlayer - Free HD Bluray Video Multimedia Player Software

I have this installed in Windows 8 x64 and it's working fine. I don't see any reason why it won't work with Windows 7 or Vista. It may not have the looks or the same extent of settings/controls as the likes of paid solutions such as Cyberlink, WinDVD, and TotalMedia Theatre 5, but it works and, unlike the others, is able to output its video over a VGA/analogue connection (TotalMedia Theatre 5 starts to play, but then stops and I suspect the reason is because it needs a digital connection to the monitor).