Alright, so you wanna watch them fancy Blu-ray movies on your Linux thingamajig, huh? It ain’t as easy as stickin’ it in and pressin’ play, like them regular DVDs. Nope, it’s a bit more… fiddly, you know? But don’t you worry none, I’ll tell ya what I know, and we’ll get you watchin’ them movies in no time.
First off, you gotta understand, Linux ain’t got no built-in thingy for playin’ Blu-rays. It’s like tryin’ to bake a cake without no oven. You need somethin’ extra. That “somethin’ extra” is usually a program, a software, whatever you wanna call it.
Now, I’ve heard folks talkin’ about this “VLC” thing. Seems like it’s the go-to for most stuff. VLC Media Player, they call it. You can get it for free, which is always nice. Why pay when you don’t have to, right? Heck, even I know that much! They say you can download it from some website… videolan dot org, somethin’ like that. I ain’t no computer whiz, so don’t ask me to spell it!
But just havin’ VLC ain’t enough, see? It’s like havin’ flour but no sugar for that cake. You need some other little helpers. Folks are callin’ ’em “libaacs” and “libbdplus.” Sounds like gibberish to me, but apparently, they’re important. They help VLC understand them fancy Blu-ray discs.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky. Some folks say you gotta “rip” the Blu-ray first. Rip it? Sounds like you’re tearin’ it up! But no, they mean copyin’ it onto the computer. Then you can play it with VLC. They say you put the disc in, open up VLC, and there’s a place that says “Open Disc…” Then you click on “Blu-ray” and hit “Play.” Sounds easy enough, I guess. But this ripping thing…it just sounds wrong to me. Why can’t they just make it simple?
- Get VLC Media Player, that’s the first thing.
- Then you gotta get them libaacs and libbdplus things, whatever they are.
- Some folks say you gotta rip the Blu-ray to your computer, then play it. I don’t like this ripping idea much.
Now, if you’re one of them Windows or Mac folks, things are apparently a little different. They got this other program called MakeMKV, and it helps VLC play Blu-rays easier. But on Linux, you don’t need it, they say. I wouldn’t know, I ain’t never touched one of them fancy Apple machines.
There’s also talk about other Blu-ray player programs out there. PowerDVD is one they mention. But I ain’t tried it myself, so I can’t say if it’s any good. Folks online seem to like it, though. Always testin’ things out, them youngsters.
I tell you what, this whole Blu-ray thing on Linux is a bit of a mess. Why can’t they just make it simple, like them old VHS tapes? Stick it in, press play, and bam! Movie time. But no, these computer folks gotta make everything complicated. Always with the updates and the plugins and the whatnots. Makes my head spin, it does.
But look, if you’re determined to watch your Blu-rays on Linux, don’t give up. Start with VLC, get them extra thingamajigs, and see if you can make it work. If not, well, there’s always the option of pluggin’ in a regular Blu-ray player to your TV. That’s what I do, and it works just fine. No fuss, no muss.
And one last thing, make sure you got a newer version of VLC. They say 2.0 or later is best. Don’t ask me why, I just heard it from some fella on the internet. He seemed to know what he was talkin’ about. Maybe. You can never be too sure these days. Too much information, if you ask me. Back in my day, things were simpler.
Anyways, that’s about all I know about playin’ Blu-rays on Linux. Hope it helps ya out. If not, well, ask one of them young whippersnappers. They seem to know everything about computers these days.
In short, playing Blu-rays on Linux is a bit of a hassle. You need VLC and some extra files, or you gotta rip the disc first. Or, just plug in a regular Blu-ray player and be done with it!
Tags: [Linux, Blu-ray, VLC, libaacs, libbdplus, Media Player, Movies, How to, Playback, Open Source]
