Dear Apple, WHY NO BLU RAY in the new Macs!?!?! ARGH!

[msmth928]

I think it has more to do with implementing a compromised encryption system that bogs down the computer. This issue is with the studios, not Apple.

What are you on about? It's not a 'compromised encryption system' - no more than Apple's own DRM for it's own players.

The only issue is they _have_ to add some protection to prevent unauthorised apps getting access to any movies being outputted (and that can only be done at kernel level) i.e. to prevent rippers and the like. Nothing unreasonable about that.

Don't believe the Apple BS - unless they specifically come out and say WHY blu ray is 'a bag of hurt' it's nothing more than marketing and fud to mask their real reasons. (But not all of us are that gullible.)

 

[rayward]

If you want Blu-ray on your iMac, just connect a Blu-ray Disc player to the video-in port of the 27" iMac. Or get yourself a Blu-ray drive and rip them onto you iMac for playback. It can be done, just not in one nice package.

This is a real shame, but quintessentially Apple at the same time. At least with quad-core processors and up to a 2TB HDD, ripping and storing HD movies on an iMac became much more viable. It just requires the external Blu Ray drive.

Anyone know Santa's email addy?

 

[Cave Man]

What are you on about? It's not a 'compromised encryption system' - no more than Apple's own DRM for it's own players.

This isn't true. AACS encryption has been defeated many times over. Apple's FairPlay for video has been much more difficult to defeat. Quite frankly, I'm surprised the studios haven't switched to it since it's clearly the best out there. But I guess they don't want to be under Apple's thumb anymore than they already are (i.e., iTunes Store).

The only issue is they _have_ to add some protection to prevent unauthorised apps getting access to any movies being outputted (and that can only be done at kernel level) i.e. to prevent rippers and the like. Nothing unreasonable about that.

So the studios should adopt FairPlay (which they have for movies and TV shows on the iTS). Why should Apple include decryption code for a system that's already been defeated? That sounds rather pointless.

Don't believe the Apple BS - unless they specifically come out and say WHY blu ray is 'a bag of hurt' it's nothing more than marketing and fud to mask their real reasons. (But not all of us are that gullible.)

I understand Apple's reluctance to incorporate code in the kernel of OS X. I mean, that really is intrusive. Combine that with the fact that the decryption has already been defeated for DVDs and Blu-Rays (see all the apps that rip these discs) simply strengthens Apple's position.

Don't misunderstand me - I'd like to see native Blu-ray support on Macs, too. But I also see Apple's point in not implementing it.

 

[northy124]

Just as I thought, they wouldn't add Blu-ray.

To me it isn't that much of an issue but I'd rather watch the actual Blu-ray in a drive than rip the film with MakeMKV to my Mac, just simpler IMO.

Did I see somewhere that there is Video In or was I seeing things? as if there is Video In could one in theory connect ones PS3/Blu-ray Player and watch through that?

 

[Nermal]

Did I see somewhere that there is Video In or was I seeing things? as if there is Video In could one in theory connect ones PS3/Blu-ray Player and watch through that?

The 27" model has a DisplayPort input.

Playback software would be better in the long run though; once laptop drives are available for a reasonable price then I'd rather put one in my MBP than lug a player around

 

[Bartman01]

Sigh. I said $40 movies. The fact that you brought up DOWNLOADABLE HD MOVIES, kind of makes my point for me. Thanks for that.

What are you talking about with "$40" movies? BluRay around here (in the US) are $15-$30 at major retailers and less at discount stores. The new transformers for example is $25 right now and for DVD it is $22.99 from the same retailer.

 

[northy124]

The 27" model has a DisplayPort input.

Cool that is the one I was looking at, so glad I didn't buy a MBP (don't need portability ) or an MP (thought I'd wait for the iMac update)

Playback software would be better in the long run though; once laptop drives are available for a reasonable price then I'd rather put one in my MBP than lug a player around

Yh it would be, and wish someone would come out with one already lol

 

[tflournoy95]

What the hells blueray?

wow. lol

 

[Mr Dobey]

And of they added Bluray macs would be more expensive.

Right now you can get a LG Blu-Ray player for $119 new.

I bought an external USB 2.0 Blu-Ray drive for $99 new.
Take away it's casing it would be a standard 12.7mm drive that could sell for about $89 new.

If I as a consumer can buy a Blu-Ray drive for that cheap right now, it would cost Apple a whole whopping $20 bucks or so to put one in there iMac/mini/Mac Pro/17" MacBook Pro.

Price is definitely not the issue. IMO it's because they're so stuck on the next generation download only world.

 

[panzer06]

why should i pay for something i dont use?

That's just silly. My wife has never burned a CD or DVD but every system she's used over the past 3 years has a DVD burner. Your logic says all these systems should just have a CD or DVD ROM drive for loading software?

There is no rational reason to not make Bluray a BTO option. Even $800 Windows laptops have them (granted those lot come with Intel 4500 GPU).

I have Macs and PCs and plenty of TVs and Bluray players for standalone watching but with 24, 27 & 30 displays, sometimes I just watch a movie at my desk.

*Sigh* It would just be nice to have more options from Apple.

Cheers,

 

[Cave Man]

If I as a consumer can buy a Blu-Ray drive for that cheap right now, it would cost Apple a whole whopping $20 bucks or so to put one in there iMac/mini/Mac Pro/17" MacBook Pro.

Price is definitely not the issue. IMO it's because they're so stuck on the next generation download only world.

Hardware isn't the issue at all. It's the rules that go with Blu-ray.

 

[barkomatic]

I've really stopped waiting for Apple to catch up with every other computer maker and include blu-ray. At this point, windows 7 is coming out on Thursday and it will be followed by a ton of new hardware from other computer makers.

I think those people who don't care about blu-ray should buy a mac if they want one. I however, consider blu-ray a standard feature at this point and if Apple refuses to include it soon I will purchase another--and probably much cheaper--computer that has it. Windows 7 is a stable, solid operating system so I no longer need to fear Vista anymore.

Other makers have even started to move on from Core 2 duo on their laptops -- but of course Apple's high end MBP still has it. When Apple finally gets around to upgrading months from now probably, they'll be going on and on about how much more advanced they are. lol Slick marketing can fool so many. . .

 

[Bryan Bowler]

I've really stopped waiting for Apple to catch up with every other computer maker and include blu-ray. At this point, windows 7 is coming out on Thursday and it will be followed by a ton of new hardware from other computer makers.

<cut>

When Apple finally gets around to upgrading months from now probably, they'll be going on and on about how much more advanced they are. lol Slick marketing can fool so many. . .

Then you should move along to Windows. Nothing to see here...

Bye bye.

 

[Michael CM1]

Apple - Blu-ray = epic fail

Apple will spend all the time in the world developing a crappy remote control (ooh, it's aluminum now!) that doesn't address the suckitude of Apple TV nearly three years in, but these guys can't put Blu-ray in a computer? Effin' PC notebooks have Blu-ray drives in sub-$1,000 models. If a 3 GHz-based iMac can't handle what the hell it is that makes/made Blu-ray a "bag of hurt," Apple has bad engineers.

As for the fools who still ask why people would want to watch movies on a computer, I would like to point out that most people who buy movies or TV shows from the iTunes Store aren't rushing out to buy Apple TV. There's a small segment that uses Mac Minis for media servers, but most use iTunes or Front Row to watch video. With a 1080p screen in these new iMacs, it boggles the mind that Blu-ray isn't available.

Now for the arse-clowns who know nothing: You know what you call a $40 Blu-ray set? A TV series. Most movies and TV shows sold on Blu-ray are within $5 to $10 of their DVD counterpart. If you shop around for sales, you can find PLENTY of good movies for $15 or less. Whoever the idiot was who pulled the $40 movie claim out of his bum should beat himself with a $40 Blu-ray movie. Geez. And while I'm at it, you can find a Sony BD player for $129, other brands for $100. They may not have the bells and whistles of the more expensive models, but they play the movies. Not everybody needs Netflix streaming (I do!).

 

[Cave Man]

While I love the new word "suckitude" and may, in fact, start using it as part of my daily vernacular, I want to re-re-re-re-emphasize that the terms for Blu-ray Disc playback are the real problem since they require kernel-level code. I understand Steve's apprehension regarding them ("bag of hurt"), and for that reason this is a problem for the studios, not Apple.

 

[zbasarab]

bluray = movies for rich people and hipsters.

y'all are idiots. bluray will never be on a apple machine. by the time apple gets a license, hard media will have been phased out or impractical.

bluray will not overcome dvd's market share for years if ever.

stop complaining

 

[hitekalex]

the terms for Blu-ray Disc playback are the real problem since they require kernel-level code. I understand Steve's apprehension regarding them ("bag of hurt"), and for that reason this is a problem for the studios, not Apple.

+1.

I hope Apple never ever pollutes MacOS with BluRay DRM crap (AACS/BD+/HDCP/etc). It's been tried on Windows and it's a disaster.

Studios have made it prohibitively difficult to playback BD movies on computers, so screw them. I will just rip my disks and get around their ridiculous DRM sandboxes that way. And believe it or not, MacOS already includes all the necessary support for BD reading/burning.

Could care less about lack of "native" BD movie playback - in fact I hope it stays this way.

 

[wesrk]

Whoever the idiot was who pulled the $40 movie claim out of his bum should beat himself with a $40 Blu-ray movie.

LOL! Made my day!

 

[Michael CM1]

bluray = movies for rich people and hipsters.

y'all are idiots. bluray will never be on a apple machine. by the time apple gets a license, hard media will have been phased out or impractical.

bluray will not overcome dvd's market share for years if ever.

stop complaining

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht...1_grlink_3?ie=UTF8&plgroup=3&docId=1000427441

Yes, a format for those uber-rich people who can't shell out $10. Seriously, there are PLENTY of quality titles for $20 or less. That list is just Amazon's $12.99 and under. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is pre-ordering at $18.99 for a BD/DVD/digital copy pack. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is $19.99. When DVD first came around, new stuff was usually about $17-18 on a good first week sale and then went to $20 or $25 until the goobers selling the movie wised up and dropped it back down. Blu-ray is no different, and we're a decade later (inflation, hello).

I won't disagree with you on the market share because DVD is the base for digital video formats. Both HD DVD and BD players also play DVDs and CDs, which is why CDs and DVDs rocked so hard. BD is just a huge enhancement on picture and sound quality, and the hardware is a lot more connected to the Internet than any standalone DVD player. People are also going to buy HDTVs before a BD player. There's absolutely no reason to buy a BD player if you have an older TV. But one way DVDs made inroads was the inclusion of DVD-ROM drives in computers. Now you can't find a computer without a DVD burner.

Others can blab all they want about kernel-level DRM and whatnot. That means bunk to the majority of computer users. There are likely hundreds of thousands of Mac users who want a Blu-ray option. If Apple is going to treat Apple TV as a hobby, then they should at least give us BD drives, a technology that I swear is five years old already. How long do you think it'll take USB 3 ports to hit Macs?

 

[willcodejavafor]

'Cause no one really needs BR in their iMac

 

[pastrychef]

Once you let these people dictate what you put in your OS it will open up floodgates. We are moving towards digital media and physical media's days are numbered anyway. Why succumb to them?

Those who are willing to sacrifice the usability of Mac OS X and go to Windows just for the sake of watching some Blu-ray discs on their computer, good luck and have fun.

 

[barkomatic]

bluray = movies for rich people and hipsters.

y'all are idiots. bluray will never be on a apple machine. by the time apple gets a license, hard media will have been phased out or impractical.

bluray will not overcome dvd's market share for years if ever.

stop complaining

If blu ray is for the rich and hipsters, then how come the drive is included on PC's that are half the price of a mac? That statement doesn't make any sense.

You might be right that blu-ray will never make it to a mac though. Everyone besides apologists would prefer it though.

 

[cube]

You might be right that blu-ray will never make it to a mac though. Everyone besides apologists would prefer it though.

I have been waiting for native Blu Ray support, but not anymore if it infects the whole system with DRM.

 

[pastrychef]

You might be right that blu-ray will never make it to a mac though. Everyone besides apologists would prefer it though.

I'm not an apologist. I, personally, just don't need or want blu-ray. I don't have a blu-ray player for my TV nor will I ever get one.

 

[barkomatic]

I have been waiting for native Blu Ray support, but not anymore if it infects the whole system with DRM.

My understanding of this issue is that a person would still be able to easily rip a DVD on a Blu-ray equipped mac but not be able to easily rip a blu-ray.