[mythtv-users] Blu-ray drive suggestions

[Brian Wood]

On Tuesday, August 31, 2010 02:15:18 am Stephen Robertson wrote:
> Thanks to all the devs hard work it seems that Blu-ray playback is getting
> pretty mature so I am now pondering getting a blu-ray drive.  I was
> pleasantly surprised by the price of them but I was wondering if anyone had
> any tips on a drive to go for, or more importantly any that they had had
> problems with that should may be avoided.
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liteon-IHOS104-37-Internal-Blu-ray-Software/dp/B002
> BAT1GQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283242351&sr=8-3
> 
> 
> at 41.48GBP (about 64USD according to google) looks like it would be worth
> considering.
> 
> Any thoughts?


Yeah, They are certainly getting cheap. I am finding dual-layer media difficult to find and expensive, though single-layer 
media is getting cheap (< $1 a disk in the USA). I'm sure the dual-layer media will come down. I bought the drive 
primarily for backup, and 50GB/disk seemed very attractive.

I recently bought a Hitachi unit, which could handle HD-DVDs as well as everything else. Just yesterday I was at our local 
FYE store and they were having a "Giant Blow-Out Sale" on HD-DVDs. Given the demise of that format, they should have been 
giving them away. None of the available titles were of interest to me.

But, should you happen to encounter such a "Blow-Out" that happened to include some titles you like (unlikely), it might 
be nice to have a drive that can play back an HD-DVD.

I have no idea if the Myth code would handle HD-DVDs, but you could always rip them and play the files. Certainly other 
software is available that will play them.

I don't think I'd make a decision based on this unlikely situation, but I just wanted to point out that some drives will 
do HD-DVD.

For the price of the above, in the UK, I'd jump on it unless you can find similar prices on HD-DVD capable units.