Hi, i just wondered which one of these two was the best drive for Blu-Ray play back: the Pioneer BDC-202BK or LiteOn DH-4O1S. The LiteOn DH-4O1S seem to vary in price from the same supplier so i guess there may be differences in this model and i was told the Pioneer BDC-202BK is the one used in the PS3? Is it possible to use these drives with the correct hardware, graphics cards etc and watch Blu-Ray dvd's on my HDTV linked to my PC as i've just read some post and it seems that many people are having problems with this. Would it be best just to buy a dedicated Blu-Ray player, in the computer magazines they seem to suggest it's quite straight forward but i'm beginning to have doubts. Thanks for any help and advice.
If you don't want to bother with HDCP issues, hardware and software compatibility issues, and the possibility of underpowered PC specs - then a dedicated player would make more sense. There are a few threads here regarding standalone choices. I'd pay attention to posts especially from eatsushi and dblbogey7. They know what they're talking about. OTOH if you're willing to deal with the above possibilities then by all means go the PC route. Just remember you'll need the minimum specs required for BluRay playback. Here's an excellent guide: Guide to Building an HD HTPC If you gave me a choice I'd go with the Lite-On as my previous Lite-On drives have been really good performers.
Thanks for the advice and link, much appreciated, the main reason for my post was that i'm building a new higher spec PC and thought why not go the whole hog and imclude a BLu-Ray player and have a media centre. But i have read that it's not possible to play true Blu-Ray or HD video disc's from a PC to a HDTV because of HDCP?
