Blu-ray support on Macbook Pro M1 Max (Ventura 13.0.1)?

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Blu-ray support on Macbook Pro M1 Max (Ventura 13.0.1)?

I have an external Samsung SE-506 Blu-ray/optical disc player which works fine on my old MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Air (both Intel) using either Leawo or MacGo Blu-ray software.

I have a new MacBook Pro 14 M1 Max running Ventura 13.0.1 which refuses to even recognise any Blu-ray disks loaded in the external player, even with MacGo Pro Blu-ray Player software installed. The disks do not appear in Disk Utility. The disk player whirrs for a minute or so before shutting down.

DVDs and CD-ROMS work fine.

Is this a fundamental limitation with M1 MacBooks, or perhaps a compatibility issue with this particular external optical drive?

Has anyone successfully managed to play Blu-ray disks using an external player on an M1 MacBook?

MacBook Pro Apple Silicon

Posted on Nov 27, 2022 11:24 AM

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Answer 1

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VikingOSX

Level 10

122,076 points

Nov 28, 2022 05:37 AM in response to semuadmin

The Pioneer Electronics site will state whether their drives are Mac and/or Windows compatible, and in the case of bundled software, it will always be for Windows. Their newest 2022 drives all use a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface and USB-A format cable and are presented on the top row of their linked site. These are Windows 11/Monterey/Ventura compatible. If you plan to use these with a Mac USB-C port, you will need a USB-C to USB-A adapter cable.

Pioneer does not state if their drives are Mac Intel or Apple Silicon compatible, nor recommend other third-party Blu-ray software. The MacGo software should be fine.

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,076 points

Nov 27, 2022 12:16 PM in response to semuadmin

I have a new Pioneer BDR-X13U-S Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray writer that Pioneer states is compatible with Monterey. It is currently connected to my M1 mini with Ventura 13.0.1 installed and is playing the Blu-ray (not Ultra HD) disk from the movie 1917. It plays on my 2021 16-in MBP M1 Pro running Monterey 12.6.1 too as a Blu-ray disc. I have no Mac 4K UltraHD compatible player software, and do not wish to purchase DVDFab products for their country of origin.

The player I am using is v3.3.21 of MacGo's Blu-ray Player Pro. VLC won't work with the player and Blu-ray discs.

See if Samsung offers a firmware update for your Blu-ray device.

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Answer 3

semuadmin Author

Level 1

11 points

Nov 29, 2022 06:53 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks again. For the record, I bought a Pioneer BDR-XD07TUHD external optical disk reader/writer (about £160 in the UK) and it appears to work fine with my MacBook Pro 14 M1 (Ventura 13.0.1) via the supplied USB-A to USB-C cable/adapter, at least for CD, CD-R/W, DVD, DVD+RW and non-UHD Blu-ray disks. I haven't tested with writeable Blu-ray media.

With 4K UHD Blu-ray disks I get an error in MacGo Pro saying "Ultra HD Blu-ray disc is not supported in current version. (902)", which I was expecting. I'm not holding my breath for UHD support in MacOS.

Thanks for the responses - appreciated.

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Answer 4

VikingOSX

Level 10

122,076 points

Nov 29, 2022 07:53 AM in response to semuadmin

Well, the Chinese company DVDFab does make Mac 4K UltraHD player software. Depends on how much you trust a Chinese software company to not send your privacy information back to the Chinese govt. I don't use it solely for that reason.

The Pioneer XD08UMB-S is newer, faster interface, and cost $140USD. You get to pay Inland Revenue VAT though.

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Answer 5

semuadmin Author

Level 1

11 points

Nov 29, 2022 09:35 AM in response to VikingOSX

Couldn't find the Pioneer XD08 on sale in the UK anywhere - the XD07 seems to work fine.

Re. data privacy, I fear that ship has long sailed in most national or corporate jurisdictions. But having already forked out for Macgo Pro I'm happy to wait and see if they offer a UHD upgrade at some point.

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Answer 6

Dec 27, 2022 07:58 PM in response to VikingOSX

VLC 3.0.18 that I just downloaded for the MAC indicates that it is Intel 64 bit software and not native to M1.

It works on my Mac Mini M1 with Monterey 12.61 and an older Pioneer Blu-ray burner BDR-XD05S with DVD disks. I can also get Apple's DVD player App to work on a DVD. However, so far no luck with Blu-ray disks. Probably not much help.

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Answer 7

semuadmin Author

Level 1

11 points

Nov 28, 2022 04:01 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks for that. The Samsung SE-506 is quite old now and it appears no firmware upgrade is available. I may look to get a newer Pioneer BDX player if they're known to work with M1 Macs and MacGo Pro.

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