In my testing, I found the interfaces to be exactly the same, aside from some different colors. That’s not the only way these two programs are alike. These two About boxes look surprisingly similar. I tried two such programs: Aurora Software’s Blu-ray Player ($30 for a one-year license or $40 for lifetime usage) and Macgo’s Mac Blu-ray Player ($60 for a lifetime license, but discounted to $30 until July 1).

But if you take a closer look, you’ll discover that they are often the same software but with different monikers, sold by companies with different names. So if you’re planning to get an external drive to connect to a Mac that is devoid of such a device, think about getting one that includes Blu-ray support.Īt first blush, there are a number of different Blu-ray playback software options for Mac users. OWC also offers both internal and external Blu-ray drives, but you’ll need to bring your own software to the party.īear in mind that a Blu-ray drive can also play DVDs and CDs. MCE Technologies sells a USB Super-BluDrive for $79, which includes software that can play Blu-ray movies (the same program I’m going to look at below, Mac Blu-ray Player). MCE Technologies’ $79 USB Super-BluDrive includes Blu-ray playback software for your Mac. You won’t need any special drivers to mount the Blu-ray discs, but once they’re mounted, there’s not much you can do with them. (The cheaper models are usually from unknown vendors and often get poor reviews from users.) Many of these models are bus-powered, so you don’t need a power supply just connect them to a Mac that has powered USB ports, and you’re up and running. You can get an external, USB Blu-ray drive for less than $50, though you might want to look around the $80 to $100 range to find a good one.

The first step to be able to play Blu-rays on a Mac is to purchase a Blu-ray drive. Sold on Blu-ray yet? Then it’s time to learn how you can watch and even rip Blu-ray discs on a Mac.

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