Blu-ray was a nightmare on PC when it first came out, not sure how it is now. I would suggest a separate Blu-ray player.

I haven't done it myself but you should be able to do it relatively easily on both, Linux and Windows.

- setup your controllers
- setup your steam to launch in big picture mode on launch.
- add a media player (Laewo Player for example) to your steam library: steam library -> Add a Game (bottom left corner) -> add a player.
It will be selectable like a game similar to what consoles do.

and that's about it.

Any Linux distro, install Kodi on it.

Kodi supports gamepads out of the box. If you want to also access the desktop with the gamepad you can use a Dualshock controller touchpad as a mouse. Or use software such as AntiMicroX to convert your gamepad input to keyboard and mouse.

Use an external USB Bluray.

Good builds with good airflow means no more 5 1/4 slots

@CIREX
I think you can't log into windows without mouse and keyboard? Or is that possible nowadays?

@Omega
Thanks for the tip, I will look into this Kodi thing. :)

@Bad Motha
Nah, that's not true. The 5 1/4" drive isn't even in the way of the airflow. There are good HTPC cases with drive cages. My PC also has a Blu Ray drive and there is no problem with airflow or heat. The main heat sources in a PC are the GPU and CPU and they are not even close to the drives. Airflow is absolutely no reason not to use internal drives.


My goal here is more or less to replace my old XBox One, which I use as a Blu Ray Player at the moment, with a PC, so that I can also play more games, not only modern games, but also things that aren't available on console or where I want to use the save files from my main PC to play in the living room. I could also use streaming, but that has other problems, and I have some older PC parts lying around, so why not build something out of them and put them to use.^^

Originally posted by Masterluck:

@CIREX
I think you can't log into windows without mouse and keyboard? Or is that possible nowadays?

You can and I personally have auto login set up myself.

https://youtu.be/Z8N_YUK_DSw?si=Kjrt-xkT0G6YH6in

Define "full bluray support"? I assume you mean 4k also? You willing to pay for Powerdvd/other software or no? Also, you require an actual remote support? or like ps4 controller or something like that is enough? no "tv-like" control support is a dealbreaker?

Best option is an external USB Bluray and make sure it supports the 4K format discs.

If you do go with an internal drive you can easily turncoat into an external. This way any PC you have could be able to use it.

You will also need latest version of PowerDVD which is appro $100

Be aware that while PowerDVD advertises general "4K" and "8K" support, it dropped support for the actual Ultra-HD 4K Blu-ray Disc format (due to Intel dropping support for SGX from consumer CPUs).

As of November 2023, the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc ("UHD BD") playback feature is no longer supported in CyberLink PowerDVD 20/21/22 and PowerDVD 365.[www.cyberlink.com]

BluRay isn't very intuitive on the PC. The platform was always locked down behind very abusive copyright protections.

OP you should look into "MakeMKV" as well as their forums. Frequently they post beta codes on there so people can use it for free, though I think you can pay for the software as well. They have lists of "UHD-compatible Drives" but you will often have to flash the firmware in order for it to work. Some of the people on there sell pre-flashed drives however they are pretty expensive. Unless you get lucky with an older drive from a bulk listing (less likely by the day) you are probably looking at $100-300 for a bluray drive that can rip 4k UHD.

I dove into this a while back. Ended up getting a completely-wrong drive from an ebay seller (he gave me a full refund and let me keep it though) and after that I kind of just gave up on the UHD stuff for now. I don't have many of those UHD Blu-Rays anyway.

I would suggest some of the common and more user-friendly Linux distros like Ubuntu, Mint, or Pop OS.

Kodi for media center.

And use AnydvdHD for Bluray decoding. But don't bother with a lifetime licence.

Originally posted by temps:

I would suggest some of the common and more user-friendly Linux distros like Ubuntu, Mint, or Pop OS.

Those can definitely be made to work, but they're not adapted out-of-the-box for a proper HTPC experience. LibreELEC is the closest thing I know of to the "right answer", but my experience with it (years ago) wasn't exactly plug-and-play, so I'm not in a position to recommend it.

I see no point or reason anyone would have ever even bought Blurray, period.

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

I see no point or reason anyone would have ever even bought Blurray, period.

When it originally came out, there was basically nothing like it (other than the ill-fated HD-DVD). Even now, if you want movies that are both suitable for a modern display and can't be retroactively deleted from your account 5/10/20 years later due to corporate nonsense, there aren't exactly a lot of alternatives.