Anyone using a PC as a BD Player?

[timmydawg]

I have been considering adding ad BD drive (Lite-On DH-4O1S-08 $149.99) to my PC and using the PC as a BD player for my TV. Since I already have Nero 8 I would probably use that as the player. The BD plug-in for Nero is $29.99. Has anyone here tried this and if so do you have any drive or software player recommendations?

Thanks

Tim

[Ruined]

I am using a LG GGW-H20L as a BD player.

First, I would recommend spending an extra $70 and getting the LG GGC-H20L from Mwave.com for $229 shipped. In addition to reading both BD and HD DVD, it also has faster read times than the LiteOn and comes with better software - plus it burns DVDs which the LiteOn does not. The LG comes with PowerDVD 7, which is by far the best BD player software available to date:

That being said, PowerDVD despite being the best is not perfect. You might still get occasional strange glitches like the occasional stutter or menu issues. However it is not a bad solution, and I would recommend against using Nero as a BD player, I think you will be dissatised. And if you buy it seperately, PowerDVD costs $100 which makes the LiteOn more expensive and a poor value compared to the LG drive.

So, I'd recommend using PC as a BD player, I would simply buy this LG GGC-H20L instead of your current choice:
Product Details

[timmydawg]

Ruined

Does LG drive come with the full version of PowerDVD or does it need to be upgraded to support 5.1 channel sound? I do not want to spend more than needed as I am looking at this as a stop gap until there is a stand alone player out that I feel I will be satisfied with.

Thanks

Tim

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by timmydawg

Ruined

Does LG drive come with the full version of PowerDVD or does it need to be upgraded to support 5.1 channel sound? I do not want to spend more than needed as I am looking at this as a stop gap until there is a stand alone player out that I feel I will be satisfied with.

Thanks

Tim

The bundled PowerDVD is stereo-only. So if you need 5.1, you need to get the full PowerDVD. However, if your choice is between stereo-only PowerDVD or Nero w/ 5.1, I'd go with the 2.0 PowerDVD because Nero has problems with a lot of titles that affects basic functionality. PowerDVD is by far the best software player for PC, you will likely have a lot of headaches with Nero.