Blu-ray playback on PC

Mastering

Blu-ray playback on PC

Blu-ray playback on PC
Blu-Ray-Playback on PC

Blu-ray playback on PC

It's really practical to be able to enjoy the big Hollywood blockbusters in perfect picture quality on the PC in your own four walls. But before the home cinema experience can start, your PC must meet a few requirements.



The basic requirement

Just as you need a separate Blu-Ray player to play Blu-Ray films on the television, a corresponding Blu-Ray drive must first be installed in the PC. Inexpensive models are already available for less than 100 euros (as of July 2008). Since these drives are connected via SATA, a mainboard with this connection option is a great advantage. Alternatively, you can also use a PATA mainboard, but you still need an IDE-to-SATAAdapter use.

The processor

According to the manufacturer, an Intel Pentium 4 processor with a clock frequency of 3,0 GHz or a comparable AMD model is usually sufficient to display HD material smoothly. In general, this statement is true, but the fun in the movie will probably be lost, since the CPU is then usually fully utilized and there are annoying delays. A multi-core processor (so-called dual or quad-core) is therefore ideally suited for HD playback, as these have more performance reserves.

The RAM

If you are in the process of upgrading your PC so that HD playback runs smoothly, you should not save on RAM. 32 GB of RAM is therefore recommended for the 2-bit version of Windows XP and Vista. Even 64 GB for the 4-bit versions of XP and Vista. If you still have a Pentium 4 with DDR-400 memory, the bandwidth in dual-channel mode is only 6,4 GB/s; In comparison, current DDR2-1066 memory sticks achieve 17,0 GB/s. So you can already see the enormous difference, which in the end could be the reason why the playback doesn't run as smoothly as expected.

The graphics card & the monitor

If you have installed the "wrong" graphics card or are using a "wrong" monitor, an "HD" error message can very quickly appear on your monitor instead of the HD film. To prevent this from happening to you, the output device, i.e. the graphics card, HDCP-be able. The same applies to the monitor. In principle, however, it does not matter whether the data about DVI or HDMI be transmitted. However, the latter option offers the advantage that the audio data as well as the video data can be exchanged digitally.

The operating system

If you use an operating system that is older than Windows XP, you should consider saying goodbye to your "rarity" in order to enjoy HD. Not only because of the Blu-Ray playback, but above all because of the technical and security-related functions.


The implementation

Install your Blu-Ray drive by first removing a bezel blank, which shouldn't be a problem with newer cases.

Is there still space for the drive? If so, slide it into the slot provided from the front and screw it on. Here, too, the owners of newer cases have a clear advantage, because two small screws are sufficient – ​​the rest is taken care of by the snap mechanism.

Now you have to connect the two SATA cables. After the drive is connected to the mainboard and supplied with power, you can already put it into operation. However, the software included in the scope of delivery has to be installed in order to play back Blu-Ray media.

Finally, you may have to replace your graphics card with a new, HDCP-capable graphics card. After you have loosened the screw or the tool-less slot card strip and the power plug, if present, you can now remove the graphics card from its slot by pressing the slot lock (in most cases a simple button). Now simply install the new graphics card and install the on CD supplied driver. Check later whether there is already a newer driver for your model on the manufacturer's website.

Now your PC is ready to play Blu-ray media!

Related Articles