External Blu-Ray drive compatibility with Linux Mint

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Ockie

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Hello guys. I am looking at getting a external Blu-Ray drive and it will be used with Linux Mint. I do know that to watch HD with it on Laptop you need to use MakeMKV or something first...but my question is more to do with the compatiblity of these drives with Linux?

Can you guys confirm that Blu-Ray drives plays well with Linux? I would hate to spend the money and then it turns out it it does not work?

Thank you guys
 
IMHO getting a Blu-Ray drive for a laptop is a waste of money.
First off, can your laptop handle 1080p (1920x1080 screen resolution) or even 720p (1280x720) content? The whole point of Blu-Ray is hi-def, that means 720p or 1080p. I would not even get a Blu-Ray drive for a 720p device.

Secondly you will need either USB3 or eSATA to get the best throughput from your device. Anything slower and you will struggle to enjoy a movie, it will be choppy.

Make sure your laptop can benefit from a Blu-Ray drive before making the jump.

http://www.geek.com/hdtv-buyers-guide/resolution/
That link explains HD a bit, it is for TV's, but can be applied as is to computer monitors.

Compatibility wise, Google the device and see if Linux is compatible with it. I would say yes, it should be compatible 99% of the time, but to be safe, Google the device first.
 
MyWorld said:
IMHO getting a Blu-Ray drive for a laptop is a waste of money.
First off, can your laptop handle 1080p (1920x1080 screen resolution) or even 720p (1280x720) content? The whole point of Blu-Ray is hi-def, that means 720p or 1080p. I would not even get a Blu-Ray drive for a 720p device.

Secondly you will need either USB3 or eSATA to get the best throughput from your device. Anything slower and you will struggle to enjoy a movie, it will be choppy.

Make sure your laptop can benefit from a Blu-Ray drive before making the jump.

http://www.geek.com/hdtv-buyers-guide/resolution/
That link explains HD a bit, it is for TV's, but can be applied as is to computer monitors.

Compatibility wise, Google the device and see if Linux is compatible with it. I would say yes, it should be compatible 99% of the time, but to be safe, Google the device first.
Click to expand...

Regarding the first part....the song "Papa Dont Preach" comes to mind lol hehehehe :p .... just playing

Thanks meneer....I will google the device before purchasing. My friend is getting some prices for me as he sells them. :-)
 
I have a SAMSUNG USB 2.0 blu-ray drive and it works on my laptop running Ubuntu. I mainly use it on a desktop running Windows 7 though.

It plays blu-ray movies on both. Watch out for HDCP on the laptop though. No HDCP and the movie won't play. You can convert it to a MKV file and the restriction disappears
 
MyWorld said:
IMHO getting a Blu-Ray drive for a laptop is a waste of money.
First off, can your laptop handle 1080p (1920x1080 screen resolution) or even 720p (1280x720) content? The whole point of Blu-Ray is hi-def, that means 720p or 1080p. I would not even get a Blu-Ray drive for a 720p device.
t.
Click to expand...

Just had a quick look meneer...according to the specs my laptop does have a HD screen

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/laptops/NP-RV511-A01US-specs
 
BD drives are standard SATA devices. They'll work (as in, be able to read bits off a disc) they'll work with any flavour of Linux that can handle SATA optical drives, which is all of them for at least the last half a decade.

Watching BluRay movies is a different story. It's pretty hit & miss in my experience. Here's a pretty decent write-up of the current status and methods to use:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/BluRay
 
koffiejunkie said:
BD drives are standard SATA devices. They'll work (as in, be able to read bits off a disc) they'll work with any flavour of Linux that can handle SATA optical drives, which is all of them for at least the last half a decade.

Watching BluRay movies is a different story. It's pretty hit & miss in my experience. Here's a pretty decent write-up of the current status and methods to use:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/BluRay
Click to expand...

Thank you kindly

My understanding is that Makemkv have made life a lot easier though. Do you not use this?
 
Ockie said:
Thank you kindly

My understanding is that Makemkv have made life a lot easier though. Do you not use this?
Click to expand...

I have used it, up to about six months ago. I did have some problems with it, but I'll be damned if I can remember now. I ended up using AnyDVD instead. I was just interested in ripping my BD discs so that I can watch them on my HTPC which doesn't have an optical drive.
 
koffiejunkie said:
I have used it, up to about six months ago. I did have some problems with it, but I'll be damned if I can remember now. I ended up using AnyDVD instead. I was just interested in ripping my BD discs so that I can watch them on my HTPC which doesn't have an optical drive.
Click to expand...

Thank you kindly once again. I think it does take them a while sometimes to crack the new versions of BD+ and to implement it in the software. Maybe this was a problem you experienced. Well...once I get my drive I will come back here and tell you guys how it went
 
The paid version of MakeMKV is updated every few months. I have not had one issue with copying or ripping blu-ray discs. I often write the MKV file to a blu-ray blank using Nero 12. Not one failure yet. Esquire have blank blu-ray discs for about R90 for a 10 pack. A bit cheaper in the UK but you have to factor in the postage
 
chrisc4290 said:
The paid version of MakeMKV is updated every few months. I have not had one issue with copying or ripping blu-ray discs. I often write the MKV file to a blu-ray blank using Nero 12. Not one failure yet. Esquire have blank blu-ray discs for about R90 for a 10 pack. A bit cheaper in the UK but you have to factor in the postage
Click to expand...

I will end up getting the paid version of MakeMKV I am sure...but only once I have tested it with my drive and happy it plays nicely with Linux. It is not cheap @ $50.00 ... specially with our rate of exchange @ the moment. :-(
 
Ok...friend is ordering me a LG. Reader/Writer...asked for just the reader but no stock of those. Reader/Writer BD drives are damn expensive still. Shhhheeeez.
 
Well...got it this weekend from my friend. Truned out to be one of those little drives that dont need no power supply...gets power sommer directly from USB. Works like a bomb on Linux Mint. Works well with MakeMKV also on Linux Mint 14
 
Ockie said:
Truned out to be one of those little drives that dont need no power supply...gets power sommer directly from USB.
Click to expand...

That would worry me a bit. Does it have a dual USB connector on the PC side?
 
Ockie said:
Yip...one of those cables with two usb plugs at the end...but it works fine with just the one plugged in. Why does it worry you?
Click to expand...

I would use both plugs. USB ports supply a limited amount of power and optical drives use quite a lot of power. Lack of power could affect drive operation and if it draws current at the max of the usb port then i can't see that being a good thing either.

What's the make & model of the drive?
 
ponder said:
I would use both plugs. USB ports supply a limited amount of power and optical drives use quite a lot of power. Lack of power could affect drive operation and if it draws current at the max of the usb port then i can't see that being a good thing either.

What's the make & model of the drive?
Click to expand...

Oh ok. I will plug both in then next time. I did not realize. I dont know the model off hand. Will have a look when I get home today and post here for you. :-)
 
ponder said:
What's the make & model of the drive?
Click to expand...

Samsung SE 506

Samsung-SE-506ABA.jpg
 
I found it worked better (less hesitation on menu changes) when I plugged it into a USB 3 port, although it has a USB 2 connector.
 
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