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Blu-Ray with my M17x not playing alot of movies

post #1 of 14
7/18/08 at 9:58pm
Thread Starter 
Hello
I am wondering if anyone else has seen this issue.
I got my M17x and been trying to figure out why I am having trouble playing Blu-Ray movies. I had the drive replaced (which is another story I will put up later, this customer service was really bad), which came as a bare drive, and I had to unscrew most of parts on the smart bay and replace the drive (I am glad I am a technical person, if I was someone that does not know much about it I guarantee I would be lost), and I still can not play movies,
example:
I can not play Spiderwick Chronicles (but it works on my desktop (non alienware using LiteOn drive)
I can however play 5th Element

I am using the PowerDVD that came with the notebook.
I have also tried PowerDVD 8.0, WinDVD 10, all same results.

Any ideas?

Mark
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post #2 of 14
7/19/08 at 12:38am
my blu-ray drive has shipped and will be here tuesday. i have a bunch of blu-rays, ill let you know what i see...
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post #3 of 14
7/19/08 at 12:46am
make sure u have an up-to-date codec installed....
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post #4 of 14
7/19/08 at 1:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlefrankus View Post
make sure u have an up-to-date codec installed....

I was not aware that Blu-Ray playback with PowerDVD (that says Blu-Ray) would require any kind of codecs.
I know alot of Divx or Xvid encoded flix would require that.

If I am missing something when it comes to the coded, please let me know which it is.
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post #5 of 14
7/19/08 at 1:25am
I know with DVD's new codecs are needed to play some DVD's...I would guess that blue-ray would be the same way...
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post #6 of 14
7/19/08 at 11:12am
I have a UJ-220 2x BD-RE Blu-ray drive in my 5790
I am using Powerdvd Ultra 8 8.0.1730.50 (build DVD080411-04)newest release.

I have no issues playing spiderwick. Check your build/patch and version.(right click powerdvd screeen and click "about") The new releases contain new codecs.

Further note- Powerdvd ultra 7/8 has a bug in the software that prevents BD-Java titles- the interactive menu creates a glitch in the player resulting in inability to play movie/some special features/and black screen/prohibited!error (most newer releases from Sony, Disney, Fox) from playing back. Player crashes. Cyberlink aware of the issue, and will be issuing a patch (i.e., update version in the future).


Cyberlink Update patch dvd080411-04:
http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/downl...DVD080411-04_0
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post #7 of 14
7/19/08 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rive0108 View Post
I have a UJ-220 2x BD-RE Blu-ray drive in my 5790
I am using Powerdvd Ultra 8 8.0.1730.50 (build DVD080411-04)newest release.

I have no issues playing spiderwick. Check your build/patch and version.(right click powerdvd screeen and click "about") The new releases contain new codecs.

Further note- Powerdvd ultra 7/8 has a bug in the software that prevents BD-Java titles- the interactive menu creates a glitch in the player resulting in inability to play movie/some special features/and black screen/prohibited!error (most newer releases from Sony, Disney, Fox) from playing back. Player crashes. Cyberlink aware of the issue, and will be issuing a patch (i.e., update version in the future).


Cyberlink Update patch dvd080411-04:
http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/downl...DVD080411-04_0

I have the BC-5500A model of the player, which is what is coming with the M17x.
I have downloaded the PowerDVD8, and upgraded it to latest version. The version I got is the Ultra.
Same problem
I get a message saying "Sometimes PowerDVD needs to update in order for the newest movies to play, would you like to go and check for update now?"
if I say yes then it goes to the site, and then after a moment it tells me I do not have compatible software to play Blu-Ray or HD movies, and it directs me to their regular version.
If I say no, I get a wonderful BLANK screen with some button that does not even have a message. (guess that is one way to tell people to quit trying, in universal language)

All of this, I am trying, on my Fantastic Four 2 movie, which is working on the 7.X version that came with the notebook.
But 8 will not touch it.
Interesting.

And, on top of this, when i created case with Cyberlink, their answer was, " I assure you it will work if you purchase our software, not using trial versions or older versions"

Mark
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post #8 of 14
7/19/08 at 6:12pm
Fantastic 4 is a BD-Java movie and will not play with powerdvd ultra 8 because of a bug in the playback software.
if you have a full retail version of 7/8 uninstall the OEM version and reinstall the full version, or contact Alienware regarding the BD-Java issue. They are already aware of it.

I never used my Alienware powerdvd version. I own both the retail versions of 7 and 8 ultra.


Here is the firmware update for the Sony NEC Optiarc BC-5500A

BC-5500A - Firmware update 1.05
http://www.sonynec-optiarc.eu/en/sup...re-update-2.05


Opps. heres the firmware download link:
http://www.sonynec-optiarc.eu/en/sup...loads/blu-ray2
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post #9 of 14
7/19/08 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rive0108 View Post
Fantastic 4 is a BD-Java movie and will not play with powerdvd ultra 8 because of a bug in the playback software.
if you have a full retail version of 7/8 uninstall the OEM version and reinstall the full version, or contact Alienware regarding the BD-Java issue. They are already aware of it.

I never used my Alienware powerdvd version. I own both the retail versions of 7 and 8 ultra.


Here is the firmware update for the Sony NEC Optiarc BC-5500A

BC-5500A - Firmware update 1.05
http://www.sonynec-optiarc.eu/en/sup...re-update-2.05


Opps. heres the firmware download link:
http://www.sonynec-optiarc.eu/en/sup...loads/blu-ray2
Below are linkgs to videos showing what is happening to my player when i try to play virtuallly any movie in PowerDVD 8, so far I have not found a movie I can watch using this version of the program.

http://mpsdesigns.net/cap%202/cap%202.htm
http://mpsdesigns.net/cap1/cap1.htm

and at this point i just purchased the ULTRA version from Cyberlink, and downloaded the update. Still nothing.
Hope i get this working, or get my $100 back
Mark


P.S. The oddest thing is that I can play the movies on my desktop with my Lite-On without any issues using the 8.0 version.
So I think it has something to do with the player that comes with the M17x
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post #10 of 14
7/21/08 at 8:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by keram View Post
Below are linkgs to videos showing what is happening to my player when i try to play virtuallly any movie in PowerDVD 8, so far I have not found a movie I can watch using this version of the program.

http://mpsdesigns.net/cap%202/cap%202.htm
http://mpsdesigns.net/cap1/cap1.htm

and at this point i just purchased the ULTRA version from Cyberlink, and downloaded the update. Still nothing.
Hope i get this working, or get my $100 back
Mark


P.S. The oddest thing is that I can play the movies on my desktop with my Lite-On without any issues using the 8.0 version.
So I think it has something to do with the player that comes with the M17x

Could be the drive. Notebook blu-ray drives are profile 1.0, while your desktop drive maybe profile 1.1 or 2.0. Notebook drives are soley dependent on the software player while desktop drives may have better firmware that addresses the issues. Might be something worth checking into.
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post #11 of 14
7/21/08 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rive0108 View Post
Could be the drive. Notebook blu-ray drives are profile 1.0, while your desktop drive maybe profile 1.1 or 2.0. Notebook drives are soley dependent on the software player while desktop drives may have better firmware that addresses the issues. Might be something worth checking into.

That is more and more looking like it
guess i will wait for Cyberlink to do something about it

the odd thing is that even the trial version of WinDVD did not work.
unless the trial version does not support Blu-Ray.
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post #12 of 14
8/18/08 at 11:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by keram View Post
That is more and more looking like it
guess i will wait for Cyberlink to do something about it

the odd thing is that even the trial version of WinDVD did not work.
unless the trial version does not support Blu-Ray.
Something else you may want to try:
From experience I know the UJ-220 BD-RE has not the issues your drive is having, so...

why not replace the BD-ROM drive and then contact Alienware, tell them you have a defective drive and get a refund. You will probably pay less for the new drive (that actually works) and get your money back on the one that doesnt.

NEW Blu-ray 12.7mm notebook optical drive (UJ-120 DL DVD-+RW/BD-ROM) $249:
note- This is the ebay store I purchased my drive from. I had the drive in less than a week. (1 year warranty on drive)
http://cgi.ebay.com/UJ-120-Laptop-Bl...QQcmdZViewItem


Walkthrough on how to disassemble the smartbay, and switch out/replace the 12.7mm BC-5500A optical drive:
note-The optical drive smartbay uses a standard 12.7mm optical drive in it.
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread220247.html
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post #13 of 14
9/6/08 at 2:25am
Cyberlink just released ultra 7/8 updates (Full Retail/Download) that resolve the blu-ray playback issues regarding bd-java interactive menus and AACS keys (BD LIVE). (i.e., locking up of player and/or black screen and failure of movie/preview playback with Fox/Sony/Disney releases)
The new player updates fixes the glitch that locks player up when using bd-java interactive menus, and allows bd-live to connect and retrieve updated player keys to decrypt movie, and reduces movie loading time.

Download and install the following updates:
Build 2021(pdvd8); Build 4407 (pdvd7)
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post #14 of 14
9/14/08 at 4:43pm
Sometimes it's the graphics display driver that's the problem.
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