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Solving the dilemna of no Blu-ray on current iMacs?

N

NJRonbo

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 10, 2007
3,239
1,237
Listen, I know everyone is disappointed
that there is no Blu-ray included with
the latest refresh of iMacs. Some are
refusing to buy now and wait till the
next refresh anticipating that Blu-ray
will be included then. I anticipate they
will be doing the right thing.

However, for the rest of us buying a
new iMac today....

Once Blu-ray is introduced, then won't
there be an update in Snow Leopard to
support it?

And if that is the case, isn't it a simple
matter of just adding an external USB
Blu-ray recorder? I would expect the
cost of doing so to be $200.

I'm hoping it's going to be that simple,
for if it is, none of us should be too
disappointed for the expensive purchases
we are making today.

Just want clarification on how easy
it will be for us to upgrade to Blu-ray
if and when it becomes available standard
in Apple hardware.
 
Well yes, it would be that simple. But that kinda applies to most new technologies. If we, as consumers, are willing to spend the cash on buying the hardware separately later, all the manufacturer really had to do is provide us software support for it and we have ourselves a solution

It's not something specific to Blu-ray, but it is annoying for those of us who have or are in the process of switching to Blu-ray to not have this capability on any Mac... especially with these new iMacs and their gorgeous screens, to not have Blu-ray drives even as an option.
 
Rex,

Completely understood.

But you know what? I suddenly feel a lot
better about my iMac purchase.

Yes, it doesn't have Blu-ray support (and
if it did it would come at a premium) -- but
one day soon it will and all it will cost me
is $200 or less to add an external drive to it.

Thanks Rex!
 
NJRonbo said:
Yes, it doesn't have Blu-ray support (and
if it did it would come at a premium) -- but
one day soon it will
Click to expand...

I personally think Macs will never have Blu-ray support. There isn't a need for it, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm guessing Apple feels the same way.

They'd rather you use cloud storage or the Time Capsule for storage.
They'd rather you obtain entertainment from iTunes.

In general I get the sense that Apple isn't enthralled with hard media. This has manifest itself numerous times over the past 5-6 years. They've made sure we understand that we live in a digital age.


I could be very wrong on this, but that's my thoughts.
 
Gavin,

You may be right.

I just look at its value for data support --
especially when iMovie has become a
phenomenal high definition editing tool
but no way to save and share those
movies in high definition.

...at least make the software support
Blu-ray.
 
Tech is moving away from old fashion media, blue ray will come and go and soon everything will be on the net via downloads and streams.. The DVD/Blue Ray Disc's will go the same way as 33 and 1/3:D 8track :) CD's:rolleyes: VHS:p Beta:rolleyes:45's:apple:

Im thinking of moving forward and jumping from DVD to HD downloads
 
I am
not really
bothered by
the lack
of Blu-ray
support, but
that might
change in
the future.
So, I
hope eventually
software support
will be
inevitable.
 
While it may seem that we are going totally digital I definitely think there will be a good market for physical media for the foreseeable future, although I also agree that if Apple supports Blu-Ray in their machines there has to be something in it for them.
 
It makes absolutely no difference at all

This is really simple. If Apple never offers BluRay, then it doesn't matter that you bought an iMac today - you lose nothing. If Apple offers it on the next iMac (or the one after that), then since it will have to offer software support (in the OS), you can always pop open the iMac you bought today, and put in a BluRay drive... and while you are at it, you may also upgrade the HDD to a SSD (my personal wish), and perhaps even change the GPU or even the CPU (since they are socketed) if you want to get ambitious.

I am buying the 27" quad iMac (haven't decided on i5 or i7) come January 2010. It is totally worth it. The CPU is a modern architecture that will not change for a couple of years at least. There is enough RAM expansion possibility at 16GB. The screen is brilliant (though matte option would be nice). Even the speakers are very good. This iMac will last. The only flaw is no SSD option, but it's not fatal, as you can put in a drive yourself (with some effort), once the prices come down and the capacities go up.

PEOPLE, THIS IS A BUY!!

There are products that come out that are transitional tech, or short term. This iMac is not one of those - it is a very, very good buy. If you don't buy this edition of iMac when you need a computer and want to wait on another update, you're the kind of person who will never ever be happy with any update. This update is IT. Time to buy!
 
OldCorpse,

Thank you so much!

Easy to open the iMac and switch out the
drive with no mishaps?

I take it the iMac and its software will
recognize the update?

You certainly made me feel more secure
about this i7 purchase.
 
NJRonbo said:
Easy to open the iMac and switch out the
drive with no mishaps?

I take it the iMac and its software will
recognize the update?

You certainly made me feel more secure
about this i7 purchase.
Click to expand...

There's a thread about a guy doing just that here, on the new iMac - swapped for a SSD drive. It works. That said, I wouldn't say it's trivial. It demands some care lifting the glass etc. (there's are instructions and teardowns on ifixit.com), and especially taking care not to leave dust behind the glass monitor panel. Personally I wasn't thrilled with how the guy here did it (he shorted some wires which he claims had to be done and no harm ensued), but as more people do it, I expect the process will become easier. I have no doubt that in time, ifixit will have a detailed guide on how to do it (since they already have it for older iMacs). The main issues are going to be economical - SSDs are still very, very expensive and the capacities are silly (realistically the biggest ones without paying an insane amount of money, are the 250GB ones). The floodgates will open when they get to $200 for 500GB... when that will happen, I don't know, but perhaps in a year to 18 months.

And yes, this is the iMac to buy. I'm waiting till January so that I can see tests run on the quads, then I can make my decision to go with the i5 or i7 (I need the iMac to run FCS and LS), and also to hear of feedback on how bad the rev. A problems are. Plus, by then I hope they'll polish SL a bit more. Regardless, I think this is an exceptional product to buy from Apple - the 27" quads are a no-brainer.
 
I don't how not having Blu-Ray is a problem?

Honestly, how many times do you use Blu-Ray? Except for odd movie or two, it's useless. All that trouble and risk for something so minor and insignificant.
 
Don't agree.

How many people on this forum have
high definition camcorders?

I know a lot of people would love to
take that high definition footage, edit
in iMove and then burn it to a disc that
can be shared with family and friends that
have a Blu-ray player that can take
advantage playing back the high
resoultion recording.

I mean, Macs are heralded for their
movie making abilities. Why inhibit users
from being able to archive their high
definition content to Blu-ray?
 
If supported by Apple through software, I would love to put that slimline Panasonic that iFixit mentioned in a new iMac.
 
Of the 200+ people or so that I personally know

Only 10 or so have a bluray player, and think 7 of those are because they have a PS3...

Maybe after $50 bluray players hit this xmas -- perhaps that number will go up -- but Im doubting its gonna be a lot more
 
The best option, at least for now would be the Panasonic UJ-235-A. This a BD writer as well as a reader. Cost, at least at the moment is $280-$370 depending on where you buy. I expect it will drop in price over time.

Will it work in the iMac? Based on this thread I expect it will. At some point Apple may add the playback option, only time will tell.

As for my reasons for wanting one, I need backup (yes physical backup) of all my photos. I'm not planning to wait for Apple to add it, I'll simply do it myself.
 
NJRonbo said:
Listen, I know everyone is disappointed
that there is no Blu-ray included with
the latest refresh of iMacs. Some are
refusing to buy now and wait till the
next refresh anticipating that Blu-ray
will be included then. I anticipate they
will be doing the right thing.

However, for the rest of us buying a
new iMac today....

Once Blu-ray is introduced, then won't
there be an update in Snow Leopard to
support it?

And if that is the case, isn't it a simple
matter of just adding an external USB
Blu-ray recorder? I would expect the
cost of doing so to be $200.

I'm hoping it's going to be that simple,
for if it is, none of us should be too
disappointed for the expensive purchases
we are making today.

Just want clarification on how easy
it will be for us to upgrade to Blu-ray
if and when it becomes available standard
in Apple hardware.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I'm hoping.
I have no blu-ray discs yet, and don't buy too many movies anyway, but I do have a full HD camcorder which I would love to burn home movies onto using iMovie to show my friends.
I have no TV, so using it to play the odd blu-ray I buy or rent will be great as well.
I am quite confident buying this iMac knowing that at some time when decent speed external blu-ray burners come down to $150 or less I will be able to plug one in.
And if Apple does not release software to allow me to playback the movies on OSX, its not the end of the world, I'm happy to fire up Parallels and play it in windows, and there already is Mac software existing to allow burning to blu-ray in osx and I'm sure these solutions will become more prevalent the longer Apple holds off incorporating the solution into os x.
People are overreacting with the no blu-ray issue.
Anyone who calmly thinks it over will see there is no cause to panic, there are other solutions.
Cheers.

Ben
 
When Apple first introduced iDVD, there was a hardware check in there to stop you from using it with a third-party drive. I'd like to hope that Apple doesn't do something similar to prevent you from using an updated DVD Player app with a third-party BR drive, but I'm not holding my breath. Although, honestly, I suspect that "hacks" will become available to make it all functional.

Apple can't ignore BR forever. iTunes may be Apple's preference but I don't see it becoming popular until the prices drop. There's no real benefit to buying from iTunes when the BR is the same price for higher quality and with more features.
 
external Bluray drives dont even cost $200. They can be had for about $75 for a tray loading one, $120 for a slot loading one, $150 for a trayloading burner drive and $190 for a slot loading burner.
 
external Bluray drives dont even cost $200
Click to expand...

Guess that kjnd of shows you I haven't
been shopping for Blu-ray recordable
drives lately.
 
Dont forget, there is a way around this NOW even though :apple: doesnt support it. Get an external BD burner and fire it up through boot camp. Not to tough.

If ripping BDs is what you are after, you can also accomplish that now without :apple: software or support. Im using my PS3 to rip BD iso files, then throwing them into my Mac and use Handbrake to convert it to an m4v file. Works like a charm.

I know it isnt the same as having native support, but if you want or NEED BD that bad, there are ways to get it without waiting for :apple: to officially support it.
 
Why oh why worry about Blu-Ray?
If you want it,
it is only a purchase away.

Don't sweat the details
if you want a new iMac
Don't get derailed.

Of more importance is the way you rhyme.
I can't understand your posts
And I don't have the time.

My new 27" iMac will be here soon
And I will be enjoying it
While some of you act like baffoons.

I hope you get out and enjoy life
there's so much more
then causing a strife

And soon you'll learn how to make a normal post
and stop bothering us
with your silly-written posts.
 
personally, i dont want bluray playback support. it doesnt bother me that my mac cannot play a bluray movie. what bothers me is that we dont have a bluray drive.

i am a digital person, i convert my movies to a digital copy and watch them on my computer/ipod etc. i will do the same for my bluray movies, a 35GB movie wont bother me space wise, but i hate risking the longevity of my physical movies that i have paid for.

there are mac programs to convert the BD discs into a uncompressed .mkv file (which can then be down converted into .mp4 if you wish). perfect for me. perfect for the 27" iMac screen. perfect for my z5500s that i plan on purchasing :D
 
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