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Blu-Ray Player in Computer Won’t Work: How Do I Reset my Blu-Ray Player?

 

Blu-Ray drives are different from other optical drives in that the technology you need to play them is proprietary to Sony. What this means is that the software required to play a Blu-Ray disc on your PC isn’t always free. While free software exists, the features are limited as the developers aren’t associated with the Sony Company, and usually it’s an adapted version of another type of media player, extended to play the Blu-Ray format.

Blu-Ray Discs are now the standard high-capacity data transmission method for commercial products such as movies, TV series, and games. In order to play the disc on a Windows PC, you need to download the software from the Microsoft Store.

Installing Blue Ray Compatible Software

The Microsoft Store offers a free product called Blu-Ray Pro that can play Blu-Ray movies on a compatible drive.

  1. Hit the Windows Key and then type Microsoft Store. Then select the Icon from the results.

  1. Wait for the application to load.

  1. Once the application is open, click on the search Icon to search the entire store.

  1. Type Blu-Ray Pro into the search box and hit Enter.

  1. From the results, choose the first application.

Note there are other free Blu-Ray players available. If you are experiencing issues with your current application, you may want to try one of the others from the Microsoft Store. Each application will have different features, so trying out different ones may provide better playback results.

  1. Scroll down until you see the get button, then click it.

  1. You can track your progress while the software downloads.

  1. Once the download completes, Windows will automatically install it and the Launch button will be available. Click Launch to start the application.

  1. Blu-Ray Pro will show a splash screen while the software loads.

If you are prompted to rate the software, you can either allocate a star rating or simply click the arrow to close down the window. As mentioned earlier, the software is independently developed, and the star rating helps developers appear higher in search results.

  1. You will now see the Blu-Ray Pro interface and can add files. If the Blu-Ray disc is already in your drive, it should show up in the Blu-Ray Pro playlist.

Note: you can also play ISO files with Blu-Ray Pro if you have a file instead of a disc. The software will automatically start playing the movie once you mount the ISO file.

Mounting Blu-Ray ISO File

Windows 10 provides a free version of CyberLink Power2Go that includes a virtual drive.

  1. To start Power2Go Virtual Drive, hit the Windows Key and type Virtual Drive. Then click on the top result.

Note: you can use any other virtual drive system to mount the Blu-Ray ISO file if you do not have CyberLink Power2Go installed on your PC.

  1. Enable the Virtual Drive and then click on the ellipses to navigate to your ISO file.

  1. Navigate to the folder on your PC and locate the ISO File.

  1. Once you select the ISO file, you can choose Open to return to the Virtual Drive interface.

ISO Files are mountable just like any physical disc, and the PC will interpret the contents of the ISO package the same as any other CD or DVD loaded into the tray.

  1. The Virtual Drive interface will now show the folder selected in the Image Location Section. If you prefer (and depending on how many drives you have), you can select a different Drive Letter from the drop down options.

  1. Click OK to Mount the ISO File in the Virtual Drive.

  1. You’ll receive a prompt about the success or failure of the mounting process.

Note: If you experience issues at this step, it may be due to a corrupt file.

  1. Restart Blu-Ray Pro and the movie will automatically start playing in the application.

Troubleshooting Drive Issues

Blu-Ray Drives are the same as other optical drives. However, the technology uses a different wavelength in order to increase both the speed and amount of data read during operations.

History of Blu-Ray Drives

Sony developed Blu-Ray technology due to the constraints with the laser diodes used in DVD drives. While DVDs were much better than its predecessors were, Blu-Ray uses blue laser diodes that allow for more dense storage of data on the disc.

At the time that Sony was developing Blu-Ray, other attempts at crunching more data onto a single disc were also underway at Toshiba based on proposals received from Warner Bros and other movie studios. The concern with Blu-Ray was it required an additional protective film that increased the manufacturing costs, and the discs were prone to fail if mishandled. DVD had already overcome most of this, manufacturing durable discs that lasted much longer and could take more damage before becoming unreadable.

Microsoft’s Xbox range of game consoles initially backed the new HD DVD format of compression, while Sony implemented the Blu-Ray format on the PlayStation 3. This meant that Blu-Ray movies worked on the PlayStation console without requiring additional hardware or software. While the same was true for the Xbox platform and HD DVDs, once the studios started releasing movies in the Blu-Ray format, the HD DVD compression method quickly fell from favor.

Blu-Ray Optical Disc Drivers

Currently, the latest PCs will use the blue diode optical drive technology, although this is not necessarily the standard. If you find yourself asking “how do I reset my Blu Ray player?” and are facing issues with the drive itself, you may want to check your CD/DVD drivers.

  1. Hit the Windows Key and type Device Manager. Then select the top result.

  1. Once the Device Manager Application opens, select the CD/DVD drives section and right click.

  1. From the right-hand context menu, select properties.

  1. On the Properties window, you’ll find driver details, device status, as well as options to update or rollback the driver.
  • Driver Details – See the details of the currently used driver.
  • Update Driver – Lets Windows check for a newer driver online.
  • Roll Back Driver – Reverts to the previous driver. If you’ve recently updated the device driver before the issues occurred, try rolling back to the previous driver and this may solve your problem.
  • Disable Device – In order reset your Blu-Ray drive, disable it and then enable it again.
  • Uninstall Device – You may need to uninstall the device entirely and reinstall it in the event that any of the software is corrupted.

Why is My Blue Ray Not Playing: Use Driver Support to Manage Your Blu-Ray Drive’s PC Drivers

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