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AT0MAC
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Joined: 21 Jul 2008
Posts: 185
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
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 Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:53 pm Post subject: BluRay for Mac Mini |
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Im thinking about getting a BD drive for my Mini.
I have one requirement: Slot loading!
Have found a drive by Panasonic called the UJ-235A, any one knows a better drive?
And in the same thread, anyone tried MacGo's BluRay player?
http://www.macblurayplayer.com/index.htm
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geeji
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 149
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:48 am Post subject: Re: BluRay for Mac Mini |
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See the test made by MacWorld : not really encouraging...
Furthermore, I hate (and don't trust) the need for an Internet connection.
Sad since I would love AT LAST to be able to read Blu-Rays, with full menu capabilities, on my HTMac... |
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Macmini76
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Joined: 06 Aug 2011
Posts: 1
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:40 am Post subject: Re: BluRay for Mac Mini |
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| AT0MAC wrote: | Im thinking about getting a BD drive for my Mini.
I have one requirement: Slot loading!
Have found a drive by Panasonic called the UJ-235A, any one knows a better drive?
And in the same thread, anyone tried MacGo's BluRay player?
http://www.macblurayplayer.com/index.htm |
1st time poster here / long-time forum reader though.
(forgive the format of my response - newbie !!)
I've just sold my old 2009 Mac mini in preparation for the 2011 Mac mini i've ordered.
I considered the Panasonic you mentioned above as well as Hitachi/LG and Sony/NEC (optiarc) drives available.
I upgraded the Superdrive (Optiarc) with this Sony/NEC model :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-BC-5640H-Loading-Blu-Ray-Combo/dp/B00432QV5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312623243&sr=8-1
OS X recognised it fine and worked well.
Windows 7, via Bootcamp, worked well and played BR movies great.
I recommend the upgrade. If Apple hadn't omitted the Optical drive this time around I'd have sold my 2009 MM with the stock Superdrive back in
and kept the BR drive for re-installing in the 2011 Mini.
I can see why Apple have done this, but for HTPC use - an optical drive is a nice feature to have even if it isn't used that often. Instead, they have
taken the choice away from the HTP Mac Mini enthusiasts, such as me, from having the BR option built-in - which I think would be superb given the specs of the new 2011 version !
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macmanmacman
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Joined: 25 Oct 2007
Posts: 1691
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:15 am Post subject: |
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Internet Connection??????
Are you kidding me i am using mac blu-ray player and i love it well worth the 39.99 for it because it also plays iso's and even avi wma mp4 and even blu-ray and dvd's i haven't had to be connected to the internet at all not unless you are using the blu-ray live features |
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bink
New Member
Joined: 23 Sep 2011
Posts: 3
Location: Amsterdam
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| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 7:56 am Post subject: |
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I have succesfully installed this drive: SONY BC-5600S Blu-Ray Combo Slot DVD RW SATA Drive, bought in on eBay from a HongKong based seller.
I used this guide: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac-mini-Model-A1347-Optical-Drive-Replacement/3167/1
I use my mac mini with Windos Media Center so I use PowerDVD to view bluray discs. It all works very well.
Thanks for the tips I found on this forum. |
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geeji
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 149
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| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 1:22 am Post subject: Re: BluRay for Mac Mini |
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I just downloaded the latest 1.9.1 version of MacGo's BluRay player.
I tested it on a few Blu-rays, and the video playback is much smoother than with the August version; seems it now uses effectively Nvidia GPU acceleration on Snow Leopard.
The video playback quality, on my 2.66GHz Mac Mini 2009, is comparable to Plex (without the kludgy interface) and better than VLC.
Congratulations to MacGo for the timely improvement  .
On the other hand, the player still suffers from severe limitations :
- no HD audio, except Stereo PCM (although MacGo's website seems to suggest they support HD Audio streams)
- no Blu-ray disc menu support
- no subtitles
- still needs Internet connection when the Blu-ray starts playing
At the rate they progress, they could have a great product by early 2012.
Presently, the lack of HD audio is a deal breaker, and the MakeMKV + Plex route remains the least unacceptable one (although I continue to hate Plex, which is definitely not Apple simple). |
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CaliforniaMini
Veteran Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 857
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| Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:32 am Post subject: Re: BluRay for Mac Mini |
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| geeji wrote: |
I just downloaded the latest 1.9.1 version of MacGo's BluRay player.
I tested it on a few Blu-rays, and the video playback is much smoother than with the August version; seems it now uses effectively Nvidia GPU acceleration on Snow Leopard.
The video playback quality, on my 2.66GHz Mac Mini 2009, is comparable to Plex (without the kludgy interface) and better than VLC.
Congratulations to MacGo for the timely improvement .
On the other hand, the player still suffers from severe limitations :
- no HD audio, except Stereo PCM (although MacGo's website seems to suggest they support HD Audio streams)
- no Blu-ray disc menu support
- no subtitles
- still needs Internet connection when the Blu-ray starts playing
At the rate they progress, they could have a great product by early 2012.
Presently, the lack of HD audio is a deal breaker, and the MakeMKV + Plex route remains the least unacceptable one (although I continue to hate Plex, which is definitely not Apple simple). |
Not sure why you dislike Plex so much. It works and is fairly simple. No, its not an Apple app and doesn't have that Apple look, feel, or interface, but not everything does. I've been using it for quite a while and like it - but of course everyone is different.
Glad to see that positive update on MacGo's player. While still not perfect, that is a big leap forward. If they get it going, that may be the motivation I need to swap out my internal. I'm currently running an external BD. Thanks for the update!!!
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geeji
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Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 149
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:13 am Post subject: |
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The accelerated flow of updated and improved versions continues.
Just downloaded 1.9.6, a big improvement over 1.9.1.
Now supports subtitles and HD audio thru digital optical out (not sure about HD audio thru HDMI, for those who have the latest Macs).
Only two annoying limitations remain :
- no Blu-ray disc menu support
- still needs Internet connection when the Blu-ray starts playing
Still not totally stable (crashes sometimes), but MacGo's Blu-Ray player has now reached the point where it is definitely usable, and also for me a much better alternative to Plex (mmmuuuccchhh simpler...) when playing back .mkv files.
I just bought it !  |
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CaliforniaMini
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Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 857
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| Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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It definitely does work, and beautifully at that. I just played a few minutes of one disc, so I can't comment on its stability, but if it works as well as it looks like it does and the improvements continue, this is definitely a game changer on the Mac htpc scene in my opinion. It may almost be time to install that internal Blu Ray and get rid of the stand alone.
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Mini 2.16GHz C2D, 2GB RAM, 320GB 72k RPM HD, 1TB External, Slingbox
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Mini 2.0GHz (Early 2009), 4GB RAM, 320GB 72k RPM HD |
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geeji
Member
Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 149
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| Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 2:19 am Post subject: |
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| CaliforniaMini wrote: | | It may almost be time to install that internal Blu Ray and get rid of the stand alone. |
If you find a slot-load BD reader internal drive which can be made region free, I am VERY interested.
Living in France, my BD collection is a mixture of DVD regions 1/2 and BD A/B, and unfortunately, none of the slot-load BD readers (or writers) I found can be made region free.
What a pain... |
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jezzy
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Joined: 09 Dec 2011
Posts: 18
Location: Montreal
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geeji
Member
Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 149
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| Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 3:03 am Post subject: |
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It is a 12.7 mm drive which AFAIK cannot be made RPC1.
Likely a rebranded Sony Optiarc or Matshita BD drive.
And unfortunately, not compatible with the Mac Mini 2011 case.
You may want to look at the LG BP06LU10 external drive, w/ USB connection : it can be made RPC1 and sits nicely on top of a Mac Mini. |
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eresende
New Member
Joined: 16 Apr 2013
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 2:37 pm Post subject: Can I connect a PATA Blu-Ray optical drive to Mac Mini |
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| I want to connect a blu ray optical drive removed from a Dell laptop (model: Panasonic UJ-225) that has an IDE/PATA connection to my Mac Mini 2012. Is that possible via USB or other way? Can I use an external caddy, because all enclosures I've seen are for SATA connection only. |
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Smithcraft
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Joined: 09 Nov 2008
Posts: 3031
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:13 am Post subject: |
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You should be able to, but you would have to search around for an older external case.
SC
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Make sure it has pins! |
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