Blu-ray not coming to mac anytime soon?

[jbg232]

If there was one product to support blu-ray in it would the mac mini for it's use as a media server on a tv. Now that the mini has been updated without blu-ray I foresee a continued wait for blu-ray to come to mac unfortunately.

Of course, it could come to the mac pro or a laptop but my bet was on the mini.

 

[dh2005]

Yeah, it's the only bad news in the new Mini, for me. Not that I was surprised...

... though it's not as bad as the Super Drive - which is noisy, slow and generally crap. It really needs to go.

 

[tuna]

Its pretty strange to me. Apple has taken the lead on adopting a lot of good technologies, and Blu-ray is pretty much the best quality video and audio that you can get. I would think that Apple would be able to sell a lot of people on high quality HD technology in their Mac Minis, iMacs, maybe larger MBPs, Blu-ray video editing on their Mac Pros, etc. Movies on Blu-ray are what, like 20GB to 30GB? And that's using a relatively advanced compression technology, its not like DVDs where you can get the same quality video in a third of the data using the latest divx and h.264. The latest of those technologies are only a 10%-15% improvement over the compression that blu-ray uses. So movies are still going to be 20GB+. That's still a lot of space relative to a 2TB hard drive, much less the 320GB hard drive that the Mini comes with. Also large relative to the flash drives that people carry around with them.

 

[alent1234]

the best reason i've heard is that since OS X is partly open source, Apple would have to provide the source code for blu ray. since it's protected under copyright and patents they would get sued.

this is the reason linux doesn't have blu ray support as far as i know

 

[dh2005]

I can only imagine that it concerns licence fees to the Blu-ray consortium.

We can see from the latest iMacs that Apple have prioritised producing the most fabulous, beautiful screens in mainstream computing - the 27" iMac's screen is 1440p, for God's sake...!!! So how come we're denied a Blu-ray drive, and handicapped to 720p downloads from iTunes?


It doesn't stack up.

 

[Alrescha]

As I understand it, in order to comply with Blu-Ray licensing requirements, Apple would have to incorporate Blu-Ray DRM code into OS X itself (not just in a Blu-Ray player application). I can see why some folks at Apple would bristle at that.

A.

 

[old-wiz]

As I understand it, in order to comply with Blu-Ray licensing requirements, Apple would have to incorporate Blu-Ray DRM code into OS X itself (not just in a Blu-Ray player application). I can see why some folks at Apple would bristle at that.

A.

The DRM code has to run in ring 0 as well - I think that has a lot to do with it.

 

[dh2005]

But why not 1080p content from iTunes? If it's just Blu-ray they have a beef with, fine - but for a company that trades so heavily on aesthetic appeal, it's bizarre that Apple don't allow users to access top-quality video.

 

[justaregularjoe]

But why not 1080p content from iTunes? If it's just Blu-ray they have a beef with, fine - but for a company that trades so heavily on aesthetic appeal, it's bizarre that Apple don't allow users to access top-quality video.

Because that would be suddenly much more taxing on thier servers. 1080p comprises much more data to stored and be downloaded. And 720p is not that bad. Though I know people always want more.

On the debate of drives, I really feel that optical media is dead. Apple just does not care about it anymore, and really just includes SuperDrives because they are ubiquitious. I can't wait for the day that Snow Leopard (or 10.8) comes on an SD card.

That's why we have OptiBays!

 

[dh2005]

Because that would be suddenly much more taxing on thier servers. 1080p comprises much more data to stored and be downloaded. And 720p is not that bad. Though I know people always want more.

All reasonable points, but I think it's still poor.
1080p isn't 'bleeding edge' technology, and Apple aren't short of money - they can upgrade their servers, and charge extra for the 1080p content to those who want it.

 

[mrfoof82]

The chances of Blu-Ray coming to Apple hardware is epsilon. I guarantee this.

Why? Blu-Ray is probably the last physical media for movie distribution. The future is distribution without physical media. Physical media will be relegated to the purposes of backups.

 

[Saar]

I think you also need to take in the fact that most ISP's have a monthly cap (whether explicit or hidden in the ToS) on data transfer.

 

[HLdan]

The chances of Blu-Ray coming to Apple hardware is epsilon. I guarantee this.

Why? Blu-Ray is probably the last physical media for movie distribution. The future is distribution without physical media. Physical media will be relegated to the purposes of backups.

Agreed. Technology is moving away from clutter, at least with Apple that's true. I'm more tired of hearing the beaten horse of Blu-ray than others are with the word "Magical" when describing the iPad.

 

[mrfoof82]

I think you also need to take in the fact that most ISP's have a monthly cap (whether explicit or hidden in the ToS) on data transfer.

Companies like Netflix aren't going to care about that. Netflix can make more money through better margins if they eliminate their huge physical media distribution operation. Netflix will do everything possible to sunset this process of sending discs around.

Companies like Hulu are placing an entire business model that doesn't involve broadcast television or physical media.

Cable companies are also getting in on this, with on-demand and set-top boxes. This is why a lot of folks get angry when cable companies start limiting bandwidth over IP, because it's an obvious conflict of interest and anti-competitive.

Companies like Apple are aligned with Netflix and Hulu's interests. This is the way forward. I'm not saying there's not going to be setbacks and lawsuits, but this is where it's going. Blu-Ray is the last new physical media for movie distribution. I see no reason for there to be another successful physical media format.

 

[tuna]

I think that 720p is "all that bad". The screen on a 13" macbook is over 720p. The screen on a 17" MBP is over 1080p. In fact, other laptop makers will sell you a 15.4" 1920x1200 screen. If you're watching on a 40" screen there will be a huge difference between 720p and 1080p. If you're watching on a 60", 1080p doesn't even look all that great.

Also, Blu-ray was designed to have a growth lifecycle. Its not just 25GB/layer, max two layers. They are testing 400GB discs that work with current hardware with a firmware update.

 

[245fredrik]

Is it possible to replace the Superdrive with a 12.7mm slot in Blu-ray drive. Or is Apple using the new 9.5mm Superdrive that ships with the MBP's? If so, is there a 9.5mm slot in Blu-ray around, unfortunately this is a dealbreaker for me

 

[mrfoof82]

Is it possible to replace the Superdrive with a 12.7mm slot in Blu-ray drive. Or is Apple using the new 9.5mm Superdrive that ships with the MBP's? If so, is there a 9.5mm slot in Blu-ray around, unfortunately this is a dealbreaker for me

No offense, but if no Blu-Ray is a deal breaker for you, an Apple computer will never be a viable solution. For desktop/laptop hardware Apple is usually one of the first to deliver something, and they stick to their guns. They're never late to the game. It's like wondering about eSATA ports - they'll never happen, because they didn't happen when eSATA was brand new (that and how many laptops have eSATA ports? Virtually none.)

OS X also does not have support for Blu-Ray playback.

If you're willing to run a different OS, it may be possible with an older chassis since some older chassis (GMA950-equipped Minis) used 12.7mm drives. I think the only 9.5mm Blu-Ray drives are tray-loading.

 

[Westyfield2]

Is it possible to replace the Superdrive with a 12.7mm slot in Blu-ray drive. Or is Apple using the new 9.5mm Superdrive that ships with the MBP's? If so, is there a 9.5mm slot in Blu-ray around, unfortunately this is a dealbreaker for me

I think it's 12.7mm, but am not 100% sure yet...

 

[245fredrik]

No offense, but if no Blu-Ray is a deal breaker for you, an Apple computer will never be a viable solution. For desktop/laptop hardware Apple is usually one of the first to deliver something, and they stick to their guns. They're never late to the game. It's like wondering about eSATA ports - they'll never happen, because they didn't happen when eSATA was brand new (that and how many laptops have eSATA ports? Virtually none.)

OS X also does not have support for Blu-Ray playback.

If you're willing to run a different OS, it may be possible with an older chassis since some older chassis (GMA950-equipped Minis) used 12.7mm drives. I think the only 9.5mm Blu-Ray drives are tray-loading.

No offense, but an Apple computer is very viable for me. I'm extremely happy with my MBP. Best computer I've ever owned, period. What I need now is a smaller one to be used as a media computer. I'm well aware that I cant directly play Blu-ray discs in OS X. But I can rip them to my drive and play them from there. Plex is just to damn good to not use.. If the mini used a 12.7mm optical reader, it would have been perfect for me.

Thank you for answering my question tho.

 

[245fredrik]

Sorry for bumping but ifixit just updated their mini teardown guide, and confirms that the mini comes with a 12.5mm optical drive Hopefully this means that a 12.7mm will fit too.


"The optical drive is 12.5 mm thick, giving everyone a glimmer of hope for a sweet Blu Ray installation..."

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mac-Mini-Mid-2010-Teardown/3094/3