I am looking for recommendations on a Blu-ray drive (USBC) and software that I can use with my MacBook Pro to watch these disks and to convert into proper files for storage on my Synology NAS and Plex.
Specifically, I am wanting to work at this time on the following discs : Star Trek (2009); Star Trek: Picard The Legacy Collection [Blu-ray] (54 disc set); Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1 – Episodes 11-20 [Blu-ray]; Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1: Episodes 1-10 [Blu-ray]
How to view and convert BluRay and BluRay 4k on macOS
Re: How to view and convert BluRay and BluRay 4k on macOS
Any of the drives listed in the Flashing Guide will work on macOS. Pioneer drives are held in high regard, although it is very hard to find one at retail with old enough firmware to work. Pioneer firmware update February 2023
There are sellers on this forum (organized by region, listed in the flashing guide) that properly flash and test drives before selling them.
Once you managed to get the bits off the disc, VLC can play just about anything. I like to use MPV on my Mac (installed via HomeBrew). IINA is another reasonable choice on macOS. If you're going to send the files to Plex, you can just use the macOS Plex app or Infuse to watch on your Mac from your Plex server.
There are sellers on this forum (organized by region, listed in the flashing guide) that properly flash and test drives before selling them.
Once you managed to get the bits off the disc, VLC can play just about anything. I like to use MPV on my Mac (installed via HomeBrew). IINA is another reasonable choice on macOS. If you're going to send the files to Plex, you can just use the macOS Plex app or Infuse to watch on your Mac from your Plex server.
Re: How to view and convert BluRay and BluRay 4k on macOS
Is there an easy way to identify if a Blu-ray is 4K or UHD?
Wondering if going through the extra hoops at the moment regarding uhd is something that I should do as the stuff I’m looking at archiving is not stating uhd.
All the info I can find on Amazon for the disks Im looking at just say BluRay.
Wondering if going through the extra hoops at the moment regarding uhd is something that I should do as the stuff I’m looking at archiving is not stating uhd.
All the info I can find on Amazon for the disks Im looking at just say BluRay.
Re: How to view and convert BluRay and BluRay 4k on macOS
The packaging will usually be pretty clear if it is a UHD.
blu-ray:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Top-Gun- ... ay/258949/
UHD:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Top-Gun- ... ay/258948/
Notice the black 4K UltraHD strip across the top. Most titles these days seem to be available as a UHD with a regular blu-ray in the case for a couple bucks more than just the regular blu-ray. In my view, it makes sense to buy the UHD + blu-ray combo pack over just the plain blu-ray. Now that I have a 4K TV set, I'm happy for the UHDs I bought even before I had a 4K TV.
In any case, if you have a DVD drive or a blu-ray drive sitting around in a closet or old computer, it is certainly worth putting it in a case it necessary and trying to use it with MakeMKV. If you're going to buy a new optical drive, I would recommend just getting a UHD capable drive. The cost difference is low.
blu-ray:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Top-Gun- ... ay/258949/
UHD:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Top-Gun- ... ay/258948/
Notice the black 4K UltraHD strip across the top. Most titles these days seem to be available as a UHD with a regular blu-ray in the case for a couple bucks more than just the regular blu-ray. In my view, it makes sense to buy the UHD + blu-ray combo pack over just the plain blu-ray. Now that I have a 4K TV set, I'm happy for the UHDs I bought even before I had a 4K TV.
In any case, if you have a DVD drive or a blu-ray drive sitting around in a closet or old computer, it is certainly worth putting it in a case it necessary and trying to use it with MakeMKV. If you're going to buy a new optical drive, I would recommend just getting a UHD capable drive. The cost difference is low.