got an HP laptop, want a Blu-Ray drive

[chobes]

I have a HP dv9000t laptop with an HD-DVD drive and although that's nice - I really want a BD-R. I know it'll fit in the bay, but can this be done? and which software will play my movies? also what models would anyone recommend?

[Kirsty_Mc]

Panasonic make them. Have a look at:-

https://www.blu-ray.com/images/drives/panasonic3.jpg

For playing the movies have a look at:-

http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/produ...n_112_ENU.html

Your card and the screen in the laptop will have to be HDCP compliant or Power DVD will just bob you straight out. Maybe being a HD-DVD laptop you'll be ok... better if you hav just bought a BD laptop straight off, then it would be known to be 100% compatible.

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by chobes

I have a HP dv9000t laptop with an HD-DVD drive and although that's nice - I really want a BD-R. I know it'll fit in the bay, but can this be done? and which software will play my movies? also what models would anyone recommend?

What are the specs on your notebook? You'll want to be sure the graphics card is supported before dropping a bunch of money on a drive.

For drives, there's only two choices right now: Panasonic UJ-210 and UJ-220. The only difference is in the writing speed for BD-R/RE discs. The UJ-210 only burns at 1x, while the UJ-220 burns at 2x.

Since notebook drives are only sold as OEM, you will probably need to buy software separately. At the moment, your only option is PowerDVD Ultra ($99) unless you can find a drive with PowerDVD BD Edition or WinDVD BD Edition included.

Again, though, let us know your processor, RAM, graphics card, and OS in order to make sure the other specs will work once you put the drive in.

Hope that helps.

[Chad]

I have Cyberlink Power DVD ultra and its horrible. There is no sound and I've reported this to their support team. After endless back and forth, providing them all possible debug info of my Sony laptop (w/ built in Blu Ray), their final response was this:

We understand your concern related with PowerDVD Ultra.

Please note that there is specific Blu-ray DVDs which are not able to play on PowerDVD Ultra however, side by side we release the patch to resolve the issue.

So its not compatible with all blu ray DVD's. This is horrible.

[Kirsty_Mc]

I forgot to post this link:-

http://www.cyberlink.com/english/sup.../diagnosis.jsp

Download the piece of software and it will diagnose that your graphics etc is campatible for use with BD. It will aid you in your decision making.

If all comes up roses, then it should be safe to take the plunge.

[w_tanoto]

Seems like I gone through the stuff that you're just about to experience
I have HP Pavilion HDX (20.1 inch) with HD DVD drive. I took out the HD DVD drive myself and replaced it with BD. The HD DVD stays outside using USB enclosure. If you need help, just PM me.

You CAN'T find any retail BD-RE drive in the market yet. You got to find it from ebay.

I know somebody that can be trusted in ebay (i bought mine from him):
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/USB-external-U...QQcmdZViewItem
this is a version with drive enclosure. you need to take it out from the drive enclosure by unscrew 2 screws, and it's quite easy (mine has enclosure as well). If you don't want the enclosure (which might be useful to use your HD DVD externally), then go for a version without one from the same seller.

The other option, panasonic uj-220 is newer, but rarely available. I've seen only once in ebay, and you got to bid.

To play it, I recommend Cyberlink PowerDVD.

HP Quickplay (in my HDX), plays region A BDs, although it is recognised as HD DVD.

I use PowerDVD myself for my region B, and HP Quickplay for region A (region information is not stored in the hardware for BD, but in the software. That is why I can use both regions)

[w_tanoto]

mind that I am not responsible for any damage on your laptop if you follow this guidelines. This is official from HP
when you got the drive, download the manual here (for your laptop):
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01035586.pdf

turn to page 5-19. it's best if you ground yourself to prevent electrical shock to the component. IMO, you don't need it, as it's very minor (except you open the whole notebook, then you need to ground yourself properly)

You just need to open one screw, took the drive out, and you're done. May I recommend that you open the drive bay before turning the laptop off before taking it out. It saves you time, but you got to be careful.
When installing the BD drive, make sure you push it inside the slot thoroughly (my experience, the drive does work, but not recognised, unless it is installed properly. you just need to make sure that you can't push it futher down the slot, then you should be OK). replace the screw, then you're done. boot the laptop, see if it's recognised. you don't need to install any driver, as it install itself automatically. it should recognise the drive if you push the drive thoroughly to the slot.

[QwikSand]

I have a similar laptop, the Pavilion dv9310us. I ran the Cyberlink program and this is what it came up with:



So even if it passed the specs enough, does that mean my display screen won't be 1080p or even 1080i? I don't know how to find out what my screen can actually display in that sense. I am doing a live chat with an HP rep right now to find out what I can about this and if the computer can accept the drive. I am not sure the person knows what I am actually asking haha

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by QwikSand

I have a similar laptop, the Pavilion dv9310us. I ran the Cyberlink program and this is what it came up with:



So even if it passed the specs enough, does that mean my display screen won't be 1080p or even 1080i? I don't know how to find out what my screen can actually display in that sense. I am doing a live chat with an HP rep right now to find out what I can about this and if the computer can accept the drive. I am not sure the person knows what I am actually asking haha

If your graphics card is truly a GeForce Go 6150, then NO software player will let you playback Blu-ray movies. They all require GPU offloading of at least part of the video decoding process, and the 6150 doesn't offer it for BDs.
Also, the monitor connection type isn't supported for Blu-ray playback. So there's really no chance on that system. Sorry.

[QwikSand]

Ok thank you for explaining. I guess my next one will have to come with the drive in it I think there is a thread here somewhere that lists which current laptops come with or support the BD drives.

[reider]

Originally Posted by QwikSand

Ok thank you for explaining. I guess my next one will have to come with the drive in it I think there is a thread here somewhere that lists which current laptops come with or support the BD drives.

Probably Acer Aspire 7720-6395 is currently one of the cheapest Blu-Ray laptops... $999 at Best Buy

[hendra]

Originally Posted by JadedRaverLA

For drives, there's only two choices right now: Panasonic UJ-210 and UJ-220. The only difference is in the writing speed for BD-R/RE discs. The UJ-210 only burns at 1x, while the UJ-220 burns at 2x.

There is a cheaper option, UJ-110. It won't burn BD but it will play BD movies. It will still burn regular DVD/CD including Double Layer DVD.

Since notebook drives are only sold as OEM, you will probably need to buy software separately. At the moment, your only option is PowerDVD Ultra ($99) unless you can find a drive with PowerDVD BD Edition or WinDVD BD Edition included.

WinDVD also offers BD/HD DVD player for $30 cheaper. http://store.corel.com/webapp/wcs/st...0302&langId=-1

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by hendra

There is a cheaper option, UJ-110. It won't burn BD but it will play BD movies. It will still burn regular DVD/CD including Double Layer DVD.

True, though these are just now hitting the channel and are going for quite a bit still. Hopefully, prices will settle down soon, though the notebook burners still go for more than I think they should.

Originally Posted by hendra

WinDVD also offers BD/HD DVD player for $30 cheaper. http://store.corel.com/webapp/wcs/st...0302&langId=-1

Thanks for providing that link. They've offered that software package to OEMs forever now... it's nice that they're selling it directly to consumers finally. To anybody wanting to try it out though, be warned: the Intervideo player is only designed to work with a select few Nvidia graphics cards. ATI cards and the rest of Nvidia's lineup don't work. That was the main reason for only bundling the software with prebuilt systems initially. Hopefully they'll be able to expand that as time goes on. Cyberlink's now even supports the latest Intel IGP... in addition to a wider range of Nvidia cards plus most recent ATI cards.

[hendra]

Originally Posted by JadedRaverLA

True, though these are just now hitting the channel and are going for quite a bit still. Hopefully, prices will settle down soon, though the notebook burners still go for more than I think they should.

You can also buy internal SATA drive for desktop and use an external enclosure for your laptop. LG offers BD/HD DVD combo drive with PowerDVD player included (2 audio channels version) for $300. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136133
No BD or HD DVD burner but it burns regular DVD including Double Layer DVD and CD. Very good deal except that with an external enclosure and an external power brick, the drive gets very bulky.

Thanks for providing that link. They've offered that software package to OEMs forever now... it's nice that they're selling it directly to consumers finally. To anybody wanting to try it out though, be warned: the Intervideo player is only designed to work with a select few Nvidia graphics cards. ATI cards and the rest of Nvidia's lineup don't work. That was the main reason for only bundling the software with prebuilt systems initially. Hopefully they'll be able to expand that as time goes on. Cyberlink's now even supports the latest Intel IGP... in addition to a wider range of Nvidia cards plus most recent ATI cards.

My GPU is GeForce Go 7400 which is not officially supported by either software. But so far, it plays very smooth with both software. But I still recommend that if your GPU is not officially listed, try to get a drive with bundled software from a store that accept returns.

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by hendra

You can also buy internal SATA drive for desktop and use an external enclosure for your laptop. LG offers BD/HD DVD combo drive with PowerDVD player included (2 audio channels version) for $300. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136133
No BD or HD DVD burner but it burns regular DVD including Double Layer DVD and CD. Very good deal except that with an external enclosure and an external power brick, the drive gets very bulky.

Yeah, you can get the Lite-on drive for a bit under $200 that reads BD/DVD/CD but doesn't write to anything and it comes with PowerDVD BD edition also, and do the same thing. If you don't mind the external enclosure, there's a lot more options.

Originally Posted by hendra

My GPU is GeForce Go 7400 which is not officially supported by either software. But so far, it plays very smooth with both software. But I still recommend that if your GPU is not officially listed, try to get a drive with bundled software from a store that accept returns.

This has peaked my interest. I've built a number of BD PCs for people, but I've always assumed that Cyberlink and Intervideo's system requirements were actually that... requirements. My notebook also uses the GeForce Go 7400 so I've never even bothered trying to connect a BD drive. Have you tried several different films, and have they all played flawlessly? Since that GPU can supposedly only handle offloading of MPEG-2 streams, I'm curious how AVC titles play. I'm assuming that if they work the CPU is being worked pretty severely. What kind of processor do you have in that notebook? I guess I need to start searching for some decent deals on a UJ-110.

[madmant247]

I have an hpdv9740us, with built in BR drive. When i try to hook it up through my optoma hd80 projector, it says that the content is blocked. I can project regular dvds but I cant project BR discs. Does anyone know if this is a software problem or what? Is the blocker in the software? What other software programs (preferably free) can i use to play BR? I am currently using hp Quickplay...thanks

[w_tanoto]

Originally Posted by madmant247

I have an hpdv9740us, with built in BR drive. When i try to hook it up through my optoma hd80 projector, it says that the content is blocked. I can project regular dvds but I cant project BR discs. Does anyone know if this is a software problem or what? Is the blocker in the software? What other software programs (preferably free) can i use to play BR? I am currently using hp Quickplay...thanks

you need hdcp compliant device to view it (projector/tv that has hd ready label)

[madmant247]

i have an optoma hd80, its full 1080p

[w_tanoto]

Originally Posted by madmant247

i have an optoma hd80, its full 1080p

even it's 1080p, it has to be hdcp compliant. i got 720p, and not hdcp compliant. i can't use hdmi or dvi-d. only vga

[JadedRaverLA]

If the projector has an HDMI port, then it is HDCP compliant. A couple of things could be the problem:

1) Video card drivers have to properly support HDCP (some "hacked" drivers don't work -- try the ones from your notebook maker's website).
2) If using HDMI, then your device has HDCP, so no problem. If using DVI to the projector, then make sure the projector is HDCP compliant. If using VGA or a breakout component cable, it shouldn't matter.
3) Make sure you only have one active video path when launching your Blu-ray movie. Essentially, make sure you don't have both the projector output and the internal monitor both active (showing an image) when you launch a Blu-ray movie. This can trigger copy-protection to block output.
4) HP Quickplay is notorious for being a pain in the a$$ with Blu-ray titles. It's based on PowerDVD, but often has issues. Make sure it's up to date.

If you still don't get an image... then you'd likely need to get either official PowerDVD or WinDVD (sorry neither are free) to get everything to work.