Blu-Ray on Mac Pro 2006 1,1

[Ibrin]

Working on an overhaul of my Mac Pro 1,1... Looking to possibly replace the SuperDrive with a an internal BD drive. I'm not sure I'd do much BD-ROM backups, so I'm not looking for a writer (I rarely write CDs or DVDs as it is).

So, my questions are:

• Is the drive all I need to watch a Blu-Ray (with Make MKV)?
• Will Snow Leopard (and Lion, with planned upgrade) still see the drive as burn on the few occasions I need?

$80 doesn't seem like a bad deal to watch Blu-Ray on my Mac. I'd surely get a bit more value from my Netflix subscription...

 

[Darth.Titan]

Yes and yes. I have a BluRay burner on my Mac pro 1,1. It works fine in OS X.

Can't watch BluRays in Windows though, as my 30" Cinema Display isn't HDCP compliant...

 

[reebzor]

Keep in mind that your MP's superdrive is IDE. You'll have a hard time finding a Blu-Ray drive that is IDE (not even sure if they make them). So be prepared to buy a Sata data and power cable, and run the sata cable to the OOD SATA ports on the Logic Board.

 

[Darth.Titan]

Keep in mind that your MP's superdrive is IDE. You'll have a hard time finding a Blu-Ray drive that is IDE (not even sure if they make them). So be prepared to buy a Sata data and power cable, and run the sata cable to the OOD SATA ports on the Logic Board.

Good point. I was just assuming that the OP would use the ODD SATA ports. It's not difficult at all.

 

[Ibrin]

The OWC "Mac Pro Kit" comes with all the cables.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/LG/UH12LS28KMPL/

 

[Mr Ski 73]

Mine works fine. I run a Sata cable from behind the fan assy. The only programme that allows you to play blu-ray is macgo blu-ray player

 

[ActionableMango]

Is the drive all I need to watch a Blu-Ray (with Make MKV)?

Yes. Most people rip using MakeMKV, but I prefer to just watch immediately and not store everything. To watch a BD in OS X using free software without ripping:

• Start MakeMKV, select the correct title (usually the largest), and hit the streaming button.
• Start VLC, open network connection. Use the URL and port provided by MakeMKV.

Can't watch BluRays in Windows though, as my 30" Cinema Display isn't HDCP compliant...

Not true. Install AnyDVD HD to ignore HDCP compliance.
http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvdhd.html

Alternatively, for free, I assume you can use MakeMKV to stream to VLC as described above in Windows too, although I've only tried it in OS X.

The only programme that allows you to play blu-ray is macgo blu-ray player

Not true, see above.

 

[Ibrin]

Install on this went well. Found a lot of dust that needed cleaning. Picked up the LG drive from OWC. Used the videos from OWC to help. http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

A couple of things to note for anyone trying this:

• The processor cover is not held on magnetically. I thought I read somewhere that it was (and may be on newer machines), but it was held on with plastic tabs I had to pop loose.
• The fan assembly is only held in by one screw at the top. One of the videos I saw showed two screws, but there is no bottom screw.
• You should use a SATA cable with a right-angle connector, and attach that end to the motherboard, to ensure you have clearance for the fan assembly.
• I removed the PATA cable entirely (I didn't keep the old drive). This was pretty much required to get enough space to feed the SATA cable between the "layers" in the chassis. I had to loosen the SATA port on HDD Bay 1 as well. This port holds the cables in place.

Following the instructions here for using Make MKV and VLC to watch a Blu-Ray worked the first try.

http://sites.google.com/site/ultimatemacupgrades/articles/0000002y/requirements/step-4

Scanning the Blu-Ray disc in Make MKV takes a while, but that's really the only pain. Anyone know of a way to stream the feed to an iPad?

 

[foodog]

Mine works fine. I run a Sata cable from behind the fan assy. The only programme that allows you to play blu-ray is macgo blu-ray player


MP 1.1, 2x2.66 Ghz (Quads) 14GB RAM, ATI Radeon 5770, Crucial SSD Boot Drive, 2x2TB Stripped, Twin 24" ACD

Why did you strip your drives with, I prefer mineral spirits.

 

[ActionableMango]

Anyone know of a way to stream the feed to an iPad?

That would be fantastic. However, I've tried Safari, Opera, and VLC on an iPhone4 with no luck. (Don't have an iPad yet.)

 

[Ibrin]

Today I noticed this "squelching" noise coming from my box every couple of minues after the upgrades. It's obviously not the RAM or SSD (no moving parts). I thought it might be the old HDD's being polled, or something referencing the old install.

I went into Disk Utilities and broke up the old RAID set and wiped the drives. Still hear the noise. If I leave the Blu-Ray open, the noise stops. Any idea how to stop the polling on the Blu-Ray? Just rather annoying...