Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Not all Blu-ray players built for use in PCs will play Blu-ray 3D discs. Some
of the less expensive models are not even intended for media playback, but
just for disc burning. For this reason, I recommend the LG WH14NS40 Blu-
ray drive (as seen in the next figure).
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It might not be the fastest disc-burning
drive on the market, but it supports all the major Blu-ray media formats,
including 3D.
Figure 71—LG's WH14NS40 Blu-ray drive
Installing the Blu-ray drive is identical to the steps we followed for the DVD-
ROM drive installation. Swapping out an existing DVD-ROM with a Blu-ray
drive takes only a minute since you already have all the cables in place. You
don't even have to unscrew anything, since we used the side clamps built
into the PC case's drive bay to secure the DVD-ROM drive earlier. Unhook
the cables and squeeze the clamps to release the old DVD-ROM drive. Then
slide the old drive out from the front of the PC case, and slide the new Blu-
ray drive in until you feel the click of the side clamps holding the drive in
place. Connect the SATA and power cables to the back of the Blu-ray drive,
and you're ready to go.
Operating systems like Linux or Microsoft Windows 8.1 do not include built-
in support for Blu-ray movie playback, so you need a Blu-ray-playback
application to watch Blu-ray movies on your PC. I recommend PowerDVD
Ultra since it can be used to play back both Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D discs.
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The program also supports the new Ultra HD 4K video format for when you're
ready to make the leap to a display capable of showing resolutions of 3,840
7.
