Question for the Windows 7 HTPC users:

My OEM of Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 with Blu-Ray and 3D just stopped working.  Should I just go ahead and buy it (14, presumably)?  I'm afraid that they're one of those "perpetually pay for upgrades" nickel-and-dime mickey-mouse bullshit software that I hate.  Anything better out there?  VLC?  What do you use in your Windows 7 HTPC to play Blu-Rays?

 

I do use SlySoft's AnyDVD HD for delayed viewing of rentals, but I still use Cyberlink PowerDVD to play back the video files -- if I should switch video players to something that works better with subtitles (the way I do it, I lose the subtitles during the Dothrakian sequences), please recommend me something better in that regard, too.

I just use makemkv to rip and handbrake to encode. I don't ever play them back directly.

I hacked together free blu-ray playing with VLC Player and AACS.

http://vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name

Edited April 29, 201412 yr by Dreadhead

Thanks, I will give that a try.

I just use makemkv to rip and handbrake to encode. I don't ever play them back directly.

I use AnyDVD HD to rip and used CyberLink PowerDVD (OEM w/Blu-Ray and 3D support) to play back, I rarely played back directly.  But the problem I've been running into -- admittedly very minor is the loss of the subtitles during Dothrakian dialog, so this time I just wanted to watch the disk directly, because I had better luck with that last time.  And now all of a sudden it's just not playing a disk at all ("prohibited").

 

I probably wouldn't have this problem at all on a linux box, but then I lose my external DAC.

handbrake gives you a lot of options for subtitles

But you said, "to encode" -- I just want to play back, neh?

well right, and I'm not actually on windows, but that has still been my solution.  I almost never actually play the real discs, because my kids destroy them.  Even if it's a 1 time watch, it's ripped and stuck on the apple tv.

I hacked together free blu-ray playing with VLC Player and AACS.

http://vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name

 

VLC plays blu-ray just fine, just not by default.  You do have to set up a few things in windows, but there are a few sites online to tell you how.  It all seems to stem from Sony and their grip on the ownership of the words blu-ray.  Oh brother.