Solved Windows 8 Pro Media Pack Upgrade still not adding Blu Ray

[chocoholic]

I am still not able to play blu rays after installing the free media pack offered when I bought the retail version of windows 8 Pro. I am pretty sure I successfully installed and was under the impression that I would not need any additional software to play blu rays in media center, but when I try playing them it says I have no blu ray capable software installed. DVDs play fine.

I am really not liking Windows 8 so far although I do find it very fast when it's not making you waste your time trying to relearn everything, so if someone can please just tell me how to play blu rays, I can tick that off my list and get back to trying to make Windows 8 behave like Windows 7 as much as possible. Thanks in advance.

 

[Mitchell]

Does your PC have a Blu-Ray player?? You need a Blu-ray player to play Blu-Ray dvds... Media Centre is nothing but a programs that can play media files

 

[chocoholic]

Oh, yes, it sure does. I should have mentioned that since there are occasionally people less tech savvy that don't realize that. I have a Liteon Blu Ray burner. It was purchased online new and it reads the blu ray enough to show the title of the movie and show a picture of the Blu ray box cover (I imagine that works the same as when mp3 make media center display a picture of an album cover from an internet database. Thanks.

 

[Mitchell]

Did the player work in the previous version of windows you had e.g. Windows 7?
Do you have the correct drivers and most up to date version of the drivers installed?

 

[theog]

Most DVD blu ray Drives come with a CD to install app for blu ray, like Nero, PowerDVD.

 

[chocoholic]

To try to explain further, the drive came in a factory sealy plastic box that had clearly not been opened as I could barely saw into it, yet there was no software. I can read and write DVDs and it can read the Blu Ray disc, just not play it (ie: WIndows media center claims it does not have the codecs or permission to use them, even though I have installed, successfully as far as I know, the media pack for WIndows 8 Pro.) I have no blu ray data discs or blank discs to try on it, but windows is offering to open or write files to the blu ray upon insertion of a disc, it just doesn't have play in the menu and I can't play from my computer or media player or media center either.

I just installed the blu ray drive and have never had a blu ray player/burner before (other than a standalone player), so I have no idea if it would work in Windows 7. I have never had Windows 7, other than on my laptop and just switched from XP to WIndows 8 and am starting to regret it, although I realize I can't live in XP-land forever. I probably should have forked out the money for Windows 7 instead of 8, but I bought WIndows 8 pro with retail (not upgrade) with a preorder coupon for only $40, so I couldn't resist (I guess I got Borged again)

 

[theog]

This is just one model.


LG BH10LS38 10x Blu-Ray Rewriter DVD-/+RW Lightscribe SATA - Bare with Software | BH10LS38.AUAU

CyberLink Blu Ray Disc Solution


CyberLink’s complete creativity and burning solution offers a broad range of tools for organizing, enhancing and sharing user-generated content. CyberLink’s Media Suite lets consumers make the most of their digital multimedia, providing everything they need for playing with photos, videos, music, movies, and data.

 

[chocoholic]

This is just one model.


LG BH10LS38 10x Blu-Ray Rewriter DVD-/+RW Lightscribe SATA - Bare with Software | BH10LS38.AUAU

CyberLink Blu Ray Disc Solution


CyberLink’s complete creativity and burning solution offers a broad range of tools for organizing, enhancing and sharing user-generated content. CyberLink’s Media Suite lets consumers make the most of their digital multimedia, providing everything they need for playing with photos, videos, music, movies, and data.

THanks but I didn't buy an LG because of some bad user ratings. I can get third party software like that, or whatever, but that's not my question. My question is: should windows media player or media center be able to play blu ray movies without third party software if the microsoft Windows 8 media pack has been installed?

 

[theog]

Without third party software, NO


With third party software, Yes.

Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it. Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

 

[chocoholic]

Without third party software, NO


With third party software, Yes.

Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it. Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

ANd finally the answer. Thanks so much for the clarification. I don't know why my dvds play fine considering what that quote says, but it at least explains why I get no blu ray support.

It is crappy of Lite-on to not include even a LEW version of software for Blu Ray, but I didn't exactly pay top dollar so I can't complain too much. If I'd bought the burner in a retail store in a boxed edition, I would have surely paid another $50 and probably got only a trial version of software or limited features. I'll find myself a deal on some thrid party or freeware solution, either now or in the future...I was mainly just putting this in my new build to future proof it so I can eliminate as many case opens as possible (if you saw where my rig is located and how many cables go in and out, you'd know why I don't like messing around with it once it's set up. Thanks again.

 

[bobkn]

Without third party software, NO


With third party software, Yes.

Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it. Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

ANd finally the answer. Thanks so much for the clarification. I don't know why my dvds play fine considering what that quote says, but it at least explains why I get no blu ray support.

It is crappy of Lite-on to not include even a LEW version of software for Blu Ray, but I didn't exactly pay top dollar so I can't complain too much. If I'd bought the burner in a retail store in a boxed edition, I would have surely paid another $50 and probably got only a trial version of software or limited features. I'll find myself a deal on some thrid party or freeware solution, either now or in the future...I was mainly just putting this in my new build to future proof it so I can eliminate as many case opens as possible (if you saw where my rig is located and how many cables go in and out, you'd know why I don't like messing around with it once it's set up. Thanks again.

As you've seen, Windows Media Center supports DVD playback. It's an added cost extra ($10US, I believe), which Microsoft is currently offering for free. I don't recall when that special offer ends.

I agree that you've missed little by not getting bundled player software. I know of no freeware that will play BluRay disks, although there may be some that'll run if you have copyright circumvention software (like AnyDVD) installed. Probably won't save you money, in the net.

 

[chocoholic]

Without third party software, NO


With third party software, Yes.

Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

ANd finally the answer. Thanks so much for the clarification. I don't know why my dvds play fine considering what that quote says, but it at least explains why I get no blu ray support.

It is crappy of Lite-on to not include even a LEW version of software for Blu Ray, but I didn't exactly pay top dollar so I can't complain too much. If I'd bought the burner in a retail store in a boxed edition, I would have surely paid another $50 and probably got only a trial version of software or limited features. I'll find myself a deal on some thrid party or freeware solution, either now or in the future...I was mainly just putting this in my new build to future proof it so I can eliminate as many case opens as possible (if you saw where my rig is located and how many cables go in and out, you'd know why I don't like messing around with it once it's set up. Thanks again.

As you've seen, Windows Media Center supports DVD playback. It's an added cost extra ($10US, I believe), which Microsoft is currently offering for free. I don't recall when that special offer ends.

I agree that you've missed little by not getting bundled player software. I know of no freeware that will play BluRay disks, although there may be some that'll run if you have copyright circumvention software (like AnyDVD) installed. Probably won't save you money, in the net.

Yes, that sounds about right. The main reason I wanted the blu ray drive was to back up my blu rays like I did with my DVDs as some are rather expensive and I could easily store $500 worth of backups on a $90 hdd, but it looks like no software can do this except encryption circumventing programs which for which I do not know much about the legalities. When I stored my DVD backups, it was legal in my country to rip backups for your own personal use, but I don't know if the laws have changed as I have not bought more than a few DVDs in a long time and they are so cheap I don't bother backing them up.

Nonetheless, I never dreamed I wouldn't even be able to play the blu rays. I really do think I'm going to wish I just bought Windows 7, but I've never been very good at cutting my losses and will probably waste more time trying to make 8 do what I want it too. I also wish I had just not even bothered to by a blu ray drive and I suggest anyone reading this who hasn't bought one consider if they really need it and maybe hold off until they drop in price and the software issues are solved (I looked at reviews of some commercial software like Cyberlink and there was a lot of complaints about blu ray performance.)

Thanks for your input everyone. I've pretty much got my answers so I marked the post as solved, but feel free to post additional questions and comments.