We are almost on the verge of completely making optical drives obsolete. Even the highest quality Blu ray is not getting any more popular than it was three to five years ago. And the fact that Windows 10 does not directly support Blu ray anymore says a lot. So this article is about a brief guide on how to get a free Blu-ray player Windows 10. To play DVDs in Windows 10, go to the Microsoft Store and download Windows DVD Player or another DVD-playing tool. This article also includes several free DVD player options.
To clarify, there is still a handful of Blu-Ray player software available online that can play Blu-ray discs. But most of them are not for free. That means you will need to pay for it specifically for a couple of bucks, somewhere from $5 to $30.
Not many people are willing to pay extra unless those Blu-ray discs contain some important media files or personal videos. But if you just want to get a DVD drive and free Blu-ray Windows 10, this article is the help you need.
Must Check – Best Webinar Software Platforms to Use.
How to Watch DVDs and Blu-rays for Free in Windows 10
Be reminded that this tutorial is not applicable if you do not have a DVD ROM drive or Blu-ray drive. Now that we got that out of the way, we can now start.
For Playing DVD Discs
The DVD for Windows 10 has native support. In fact, most of the DVD media content can be played by the Movies and TV app and the old Windows Media Player. So DVD drive for Windows 10 should not be much of a problem.
But if you want to have a powerful DVD player for Windows 10, we suggest using the VLC media player. It is the most versatile media player and one of the most useful apps today. Here is what you should do.
- Get the VLC media player from this link. And if you are thinking of the VLC app from the Windows Play Store, that is not it. That app is nothing like a VLC that usually comes in EXE formats.
- Ensure that you are getting the VLC version 3.03 and up because this has the latest code to play all formats of videos.
- Once the download finishes, double-click on the file installer to initiate the installation.
- Follow the on-screen prompts and make sure to check the Discs Playback. By default, it is already checked, but just in case, keep an eye on it before you proceed to finalize the installation.
- Once done, you will be able to play any media content from the DVD drive through VLC.
NOTE: In case VLC is still not your default DVD player software, you can always do it manually by opening the VLC media. Click the Media button on the top-left of the video player and choose Open Disc.
For Playing Blu ray Discs
The Blu-ray discs do not play well with Windows 10. That is why most people use third-party apps to perform this task. But a dedicated free Blu-ray player Windows 10, is not always free. And we are not here to tell you to spend money on something that you can be avail for free.
Instead, we will be using the VLC player again. Blu-ray discs are not like DVDs. These optical drives have a plethora of features that are not suitable for basic players. So we will need to do some tweaking on VLC before this player can handle Blu-ray.
- Get the VLC installer from this link.
- Install immediately.
- Once done, download the KEYDB.cfg from this link.
- By default, the ProgramData folder is hidden. So click on the View tab on the top left side of the File Explorer.
- Click on the Hidden Items and put a check on the box next to it.
- Go to the ProgramData folder on your Local Disk C. it should be visible now that you tick on the Hidden Items option
- Create a new folder and name it as aacs .
- Paste the KEYDB.cfg on the aacs folder.
- After that, download the AACS Dynamic Library (libaacs.dll). Click here if you installed the VLC 32bit version. Or click here for VLC 64bit version.
- Now, if you are on the 64bit VLC version, go to the Local Disk C > Program Files > VideoLAN and paste the libaacs.dll for 64bit.
- If you are using the 32bit VLC version, go to the Local Disk C > Program Files(x86) > VideoLAN and paste the libaacs.dll for 32bit.
- You may now open the VLC player and click on the Media tab on top. Choose Open Disc. On Disc Selection, tick on the Blu-ray option.
- Click on the Play button to enjoy!
Another option is to use the LEAWO Blu-ray Player. A great choice and a 100% free Blu-ray player Windows 10. It is not much of a player and supports up to 4K resolution. All you have to do is download, install and play. Please note that this Blu-ray player is still under development and might show some bugs while in action.
On the other hand, the VLC media player is a lot more stable. If you do not mind the tweaking part and are among the many avid VLC users, we recommend this.
The most effective method to convert your Blu-ray discs to be digital
This isn’t for the carefree, generally because it requires investment, and it’s difficult to commit an error. However, there is a method to do it using two software items, and it all for free.
Handbrake and MakeMKV have been highlighted before in our gathering of DVD cloning software, and all things considered: Both are free. While MakeMKV is still a beta, it’s still amazing.
Use MakeMKV to pull the info from the Blu-ray. And then run it through Handbrake to pack it down. You can skip Handbrake. However, each record from a Blu-ray will be colossal. So except if you have a terrible part of capacity available, going through Handbrake is a significant step to lessen the file size to the detriment of outright quality.
Watch your Blu-ray discs on Windows 10
You can watch the genuine plates on your Windows 10 PC without changing over them to a digital file. The main alternative to referring to is the old-fashioned Swiss Army Knife, VLC. Locally, VLC won’t merely play your Blu-ray discs, so you’ll have to do some tweaking. It’s not the best alternative, however in case you’re one of the already substantial VLC users, it’s, at any rate, a choice.
Maybe a superior, likewise free, the strategy is the Leawo Blu-ray player application. It also bolsters DVDs, and keeping in mind that you’re not paying for it, you’re just getting an essential Blu-ray player. It ‘reliable, and it gets the job done.
In case you’re keen on something somewhat more feature-filled, there are various applications out there. The best is Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 19. It offers support for 3D Blu-ray just as standard plates, high frame rate playback, HDR, throwing, and 4K UHD Blu-ray.
Furthermore, PowerDVD will likewise play any of your ISO records from Blu-rays or DVDs straightforwardly, so you have all that you need under one rooftop. It’s a convenient bit of software to have on a media PC, and you can even utilize it to pull in content from Vimeo and YouTube, including 360-degree videos.
For the most part, Microsoft has abstained from giving software to play DVDs since it needs to pay a licensing expense to remember it for the working system. PC makers ordinarily add it to the PCs that ship with a DVD or Blu-ray drive, regularly including Roxio, Cyberlink, or similar third-party software.
Purpose of confusion
Many variants of Windows included two separate utilities in videos: Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player. Tragically, most web analysts appeared to be not able to recognize the two. Subsequently, when Microsoft reported dropping Windows Media Center from Windows 10, there was a mass shock from individuals who thought it was a falling Windows Media Player. It wasn’t. But it removed WMP’s built-in DVD codec.
Advertisement
Quickly, Windows Media Player is a media player that can tear and copy sound CDs and match up with portable devices. It first showed up in Windows 3 in 1990. Windows Media Center was a media player and digital videos recorder with TiVo-like DVR usefulness. It likewise lets you watch and pause a live TV, and it could play movies from Netflix.
Windows Media Center was initially produced for Windows XP Media Center Edition in 2001 and showed up on boxes that could sit under TV sets. It was in this manner intended for a 10-foot TV experience instead of a 3-foot computer experience.
Microsoft filled the DVD’s hole in Windows 10 with the Windows DVD Player application, which you can download from Windows Store. I don’t prescribe this since it’s not right, it just plays optical discs, and it costs £11.59 or $14.99. Nonetheless, Microsoft made the application accessible to individuals who had Windows Media Center uninstalled by Windows 10.
In this way, if you had a copy of Windows 7 aside from the Home Basic and Starter renditions, or Windows 8/8.1 Pro with Media Center, then Windows 10 ought to have installed the DVD Player application consequently. Notwithstanding, if you did a clean installation of Windows 10 rather than the setup redesign, you missed out because your copy of Windows Media Center was not identified and replaced.
Alternate players
The least complicated approach to reinstall DVD functionality to Windows 10 is to download a free, open-source media player that incorporates the necessary MPEG-2 codec. The most well-known alternatives are the VLC Media Player and Media Player Classic. Both accompany numerous codecs to deal with a wide range of peculiar and significant positions in videos.
Which to pick?
VLC Media Player is a cross-stage system, and it runs on Solaris, Syllable, BSD Unix, Apple iOS, Android, BeOS, Linux, Mac OS X, IBM OS/2, QNX, and Windows. There are two renditions for Windows. You need the conventional desktop program, not the application variant, i.e., VLC for Windows Store.
Geek break: customary Windows programs are kept in touch with the Win32 applications programming interface (API) and can do risky things to your PC. The modern Windows applications are kept in touch with another Windows Runtime API, which implies they run in secure sandboxes and can undoubtedly be installed and neatly uninstalled – much like Android and iPhone/iPad applications. It’s safer to utilize an application if it does all you need and one is accessible.
Media Player Classic is a Windows-only program displayed after the old yet cherished Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4. The most recent adaptation is called Media Player Classic – Home Cinema, otherwise known as MPC-HC. However, it’s ideal for installing it as a feature of the K-Lite Codec Pack. Go for the Mega form since this incorporates the most significant number of codecs, including a LAME MP3 encoder. Additionally, unlike VLC, all the codecs are accessible to all the applications you have installed. There’s no reason behind why you can’t install the two players.
Replace the Windows Media Center
If you were genuinely offended to lose the old Windows Media Center, there are bunches of alternatives. As I’ve referenced already, Media Portal is perhaps the nearest option and one of the slickest. It plays DVD and Blu-ray discs, and it lets you watch and record live TV and tune in to the radio. You can likewise control it from an Android or Apple cell phone.
I also suggest XBMC, which is accessible for Apple TV, Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, the Raspberry Pi, and many other devices. It initially showed up as the Xbox Media Center yet has now been renamed Kodi. In any case, it’s vital to download Kodi just from the official site and to maintain a strategic distance from any informal “Kodi boxes.”
Media Portal, Kodi, and VLC are free, open-source programs, yet each of the three requests donations. VLC proposes €4 or $5. However, £/€/$20 would be progressively proper for Media Portal or Kodi. More is better, yet something is superior to nothing.
FAQ
VLC Media Player is a cross-stage system, and it runs on Solaris, Syllable, BSD Unix, Apple iOS, Android, BeOS, Linux, Mac OS X, IBM OS/2, QNX, and Windows. There are two renditions for Windows. You need the conventional desktop program, not the application variant, i.e., VLC for Windows Store.
You can watch the genuine plates on your Windows 10 PC without changing over them to a digital file. The main alternative to referring to is the old-fashioned Swiss Army Knife, VLC. Locally, VLC won’t merely play your Blu-ray discs, so you’ll have to do some tweaking. It’s not the best alternative, however in case you’re already a substantial VLC user, it’s, at any rate, a choice.
The VLC player is the best media player around and considerably a free Blu-ray player Windows 10, Android, iOS, Mac OS, and even Linux. So it would be wise to go for the VLC media player for all your media consumption.
Conclusion
The VLC player is the best media player around and considerably a free Blu-ray player Windows 10, Android, iOS, Mac OS, and even Linux. So it would be wise to go for the VLC media player for all your media consumption.
Do you have any media player that can play Blu-ray better than VLC and LEAWO Blu-ray player? If you know one or two, please tell us in the comment section. It would be much help for people looking to find better ways to get a free Blu-ray player Windows 10.
Blu-ray/DVD disc playback, Blu-ray Disc, CSS-DVD discs, DVD disc player, protected Blu-ray/DVD discs, settings on disc menu, Container formats, external subtitles, multi-angle Blu-ray and DVD discs, disc player software app, video disc folder, disc protection removal technology, optical disc drive, Video formats, advanced disc protection removal, ISO disc image file, or anything from the article.
If you have questions, you may also leave your message down below. We will try to respond to them as soon as we can!