Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)[See updates below: I would now give this unit only two stars.]
Summary: At time of writing, it is cheaper to install this drive in a reasonably powerful HTPC than to buy a blu-ray disc player, assuming you have the HTPC already. As with any new technology, there are problems; these will be worked out as the technology matures. You should upgrade the firmware (CP56 recommended). The bundled software, PowerDVD, has limitations and problems which you can work around.
NOTE: This drive is a READER only. It does not write any kind of disc. This is stated clearly in the product description and I am not complaining: it is much cheaper than a writer, and fine for my HTPC.
THE DRIVE
The drive itself works fine so far (one month). As a very standard optical drive, it is as easy to install as any DVD drive. SATA is required for this model, of course, but the advantages of SATA is one reason I bought this drive. In operation, the drive is reasonably quiet.
Blu-ray content requires a reasonably powerful computer. My do-it-yourself HTPC is based on an Intel E6600, an Asus/Nvidia EN9600 video card, and Windows Vista SP1. These are adequate for quality playback on most discs, but I see a stutter occasionally (no more than once every 3 seconds) on Batman Begins, but not others. Blu-ray requires a video card and display or TV that supports HDCP. I was pleased to find that my 3-year-old Sharp Aquos LCD TV does support HDCP; I assume most or all modern LCD TVs and monitors do now.
My drive came with firmware version CP54 installed. I had two serious problems that were corrected by upgrading to CP56 (visit lite-on's support page):
1. Windows Media Center complained that the region number was incorrect, so I was unable to play a conventional Region 1 (USA) DVD, even after setting Region 1 in the control panel.
2. Using PowerDVD 7.3, I was able to play blu-ray movies for awhile, but then one day, every time I tried, I got an Information box that told me that certain key parts of the program needed to be updated (sorry, I don't have the exact message). It gave me the opportunity to update, to which I said yes, and after a brief pause, it said it was successful. Pressing the Play button again put me through the same sequence; I was no longer able to play movies I had already played on the same equipment.
Since both problems were corrected by upgrading the firmware, I recommend that all users upgrade to CP56 or newer by visiting lite-on's support page.
THE BUNDLED SOFTWARE
PowerDVD 7.3 BD, two channel edition, is included. It is capable of playing some blu-ray discs (Blade Runner, Stargate), and not others (Batman Begins).
Some people complain that the two-channel edition does not provide surround sound. For sure it does not provide Dolby Digital 5.1, but I do hear surround effects on my system, at least for Blade Runner blu-ray edition. There are two possible explanations: it could be that the movie includes a two-channel soundtrack with Dolby Pro-Logic (an early surround technology that is inferior to Dolby Digital 5.1); it could be that my updated Accurus digital processor is simulating surround sound in the same way it expands stereo music into full surround. I don't know which, but the surround I heard on the two-channel edition sounds appropriately surrounded, and comments from others on a different forum report the same thing (suggesting that the Pro-Logic theory is correct).
When I start Batman Begins (blu-ray edition), I get the piracy warning and the Warner logo, followed by an icon suggesting a disc read, then a black screen. For most movies, the black screen lasts a second or two, then the movie begins. For this movie, it stays black, and the application appears to be hung (can only terminate with Windows Task Manager). I worked around this problem by installing the trial (30-day) version of PowerDVD 8 Ultra, and it played fine, so I believe this is a problem with PowerDVD 7.3 BD, or some incompatibility with Windows.
One feature I really like is the speed control. You can set playback speed to 1x, 1.1x, 1.2x, 1.5x, 2x and higher, and similar speeds for reverse. For forward speeds less than 2x, it still plays the audio! but in a sped-up fashion. When watching The Wire (HBO series), we have often wanted to replay the previous episode, and this allows us to review some parts carefully and others more quickly.
One feature I really dislike is the permanent splash screen, which is visible at all times that the program is active but a movie is not playing/paused. It is bright red, shows their logo in a large size, and includes a cheesy picture. They should allow us to have a black background, or to substitute our own image.
You can upgrade to PowerDVD 8 Ultra for eighty five dollars (which is ten dollars less than if you bought it without upgrading from the bundled version). For me, there are just a few reasons for doing so: bug fixes (e.g. a fix to allow me to watch Batman Begins), full digital sound including some modern formats, and DVD-Audio (but: NO SACD!!).
There is a whole lot of stuff in PowerDVD 8 that I will never use. I wish there was a simple blu-ray CODEC that would allow those discs to be played through Windows Media Player instead.
I have found only one alternative blu-ray player software offering: WinDVD from Corel. It is on sale for eighty dollars. Unfortunately, their trial version does not allow you to watch blu-ray, and I am unwilling to take a chance without knowing it works properly. No doubt in the future there will be better alternatives.
While I think that the PowerDVD upgrade is too expensive, the cost of the drive plus the upgrade still makes a less expensive option for watching blu-ray than buying a dedicated blu-ray DVD player.
UPDATE: Windows Media Center again complains about a standard DVD with Region 1, even though Region one is set, which forces me to use PowerDVD. The only thing that has changed since it worked before is playing a blu-ray movie (with PowerDVD). I suppose it is possible that... nah, Cyberlink wouldn't disable the free competition, would they?
UPDATE: I have seen the hardware/software refuse to believe that a disc was present in the drive, even after open/close to check. The solution is a power cycle of the computer. I saw this once before writing the original review (but forgot) and was reminded of it when it happened again yesterday.
If I were writing this review today, I would call it 2 1/2 or three stars because of the various bugs that it seems I have to live with. Perhaps the firmware will improve eventually.
UPDATE: The BluRay of "The Dark Knight" is not recognized by this drive. The player says no disc is in the drive, and that is confirmed by the Windows Explorer, even when the disc IS in the drive. "The Dark Knight" advises getting the latest firmware for your player, but the LiteOn site has a version from March 2008, which does not correct this problem. On encountering this error, I tried inserting another BluRay disc, which was recognized as before, so restarting the computer won't help (as it sometimes does). I would now rate this two stars for lack of working firmware for latest releases.
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