Blu-ray drive and region locked movies

[boxterduke]

Hey guys,

There is a region B locked movie I'm interested in and don't have an all region player so I was wondering if I will be able to play the movie using my bluray drive in my computer?

I wanna know before I buy it so if it does not work, I don't have to waste my money.

Thanks

[bobbydrugar]

Depends. There is software you can either buy or i believe even some freeware that allows region free playback on the PC. I think it was called region free DVD or something like that. Whatever you do don't go messing with the region settings on your PC Blu-Ray drive as you are only allowed to change it like 5 times (per the firmware of the drive itself) and it could get stuck in the wrong region permenantly.

Thanks,
T

[rblum199]

If the software you're gonna use to play the Blu-rays is either PowerDVD or TotalMedia Theatere, this should work: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=149191

It's worked pretty well for me.

[boxterduke]

Cool, thanks guys.

[Stridulent]

Originally Posted by rblum199

If the software you're gonna use to play the Blu-rays is either PowerDVD or TotalMedia Theatere, this should work: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=149191

It's worked pretty well for me.

This is awesome! My trial for AnyDVD HD just expired.

[Dragun]

Will be getting a PC soon. What are currently the best programs to play Blu-Rays and DVDs from all regions, from an external drive?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Dragun

Will be getting a PC soon. What are currently the best programs to play Blu-Rays and DVDs from all regions, from an external drive?

I'd use VLC or PotPlayer for DVDs, Leawo for BDs (you can use it for DVDs too), but the latter can be hit and miss (but all three are free).

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Dragun

Will be getting a PC soon. What are currently the best programs to play Blu-Rays and DVDs from all regions, from an external drive?

AnyDVD HD worked well for me: LINK

[TremiRodomi]

VLC has an option to switch Blu-Ray regions in it's options, that's what I do to watch region locked Blu-Rays, and to check what regions they're encoded in. As for DVDs, MakeMKV might be able to get around DVD regions, as well.

[vista-vision]

In the past i installed Serviio on my pc and added the optical drive to the serviio library (install anydvdhd and insert a non playing disc in the optical drive so serviio can see the drive in windows, add+save the drive letter location and click refresh etc.short pop-ups appear when a file is added in serviio) and because of anydvdhd your tv or network blu ray player can see that final vob or m2ts (on the disc)and stream it (AtoB BtoA) by wifi from another room to your tv or player..
you also have in Serviio the option to transcode or stack the files but i believe i disabled that so i could see all the vobs/m2ts , its a while back that i used it

https://serviio.org/download

(if necessary (serviio may do this already) but in general to put windows optical drive or a hard drive in share mode search on utube for: How to share a whole drive in windows 10 -April 2018 update)

[Deadend45]

VLC, Potplayer and Servillo are Not Blu-ray disc players! They can only read ripped files and any current media player can do that.

The Leawo Blu-ray Player is the only Actual free Blu-ray disc (without any ripping) player that I am aware of.
It can Directly play pretty much any Blu-ray disc from any region but you have to be connected to the internet so the player can access the drm database.
Plus unlike commercial software players it can take full resolution screencaps of the blu-ray video which is what I mostly use it for.
It also supports menus but probably not AA+ Drm menus however it can still play the files on the disc.

Also like pretty much all current free media players it downsamples Drm audio.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

VLC, Potplayer and Servillo are Not Blu-ray disc players! They can only read ripped files and any current media player can do that.

Both VLC and PotPlayer can play some Blu-rays through a convoluted method without ripping, but they and Leawo can be hit and miss (I'd say Leawo is the more successful).

I wouldn't use Leawo for accurate screen captures.

[Deadend45]

'Convoluted' meaning buying commercial software that removes the drm using most likely the exact same online drm database Leawo uses.
Leawo's screen captures are accurate and unless a person wants their media associations changed without being asked they should avoid the non-working PotPlayer.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

'Convoluted' meaning buying commercial software that removes the drm using most likely the exact same online drm database Leawo uses.

No, there's a free way to do it, but it like Leawo isn't 100% successful (but the latter is probably the easier first choice) in my limited experience.

[Deadend45]

The 'free way' is the ripping I already wrote about which means using hacking files from dubious sites that are likely to infect a computer with viruses.

VLC, Potplayer and Servillo are Not Blu-ray disc players period!

[candela]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

The 'free way' is the ripping I already wrote about which means using hacking files from dubious sites that are likely to infect a computer with viruses.

VLC, Potplayer and Servillo are Not Blu-ray disc players period!

stop talking nonsense

VLC is libre software that can play bluray right of the disc using Videolan's other projects libbluray (menus), libaacs (decryption) & libbdplus (BD+ protection). Libbluray is integrated in VLC but libaacs and libdplus require separate DLLs. Once the necessary keys are provided (public sources available) all bluray and even UHD discs (requires UHD friendly drive) are playable without "ripping".

Leawo is shady software that hides a hack of MakeMKV in their installation files and rips of the above Videolan's libraries without respecting the license.