Sony to provide playback solution for BWU-100A PC drive
Sony had a mess on their hands a few weeks back when they produced a PC Blu-ray drive but it couldn't playback commercial Blu-ray discs out of the box. It's not that the BWU-100A doesn't have the ability to play 'em but there is this whole thing about lack of supported software and a secure playback environment that is compliant with AACS that Sony didn't have a solution for. Well, beginning in October, Sony will provide a a free upgrade to the included CyberLink PowerDVD software that will finally allow for out-of-the box playback of commercial discs. That's if your computer can provide that secured playback environment with a HDCP compliant graphics card and if not, most of the commercial stuff will playback but it is unclear the quality you will receive. The addition of the software to this drive marks the start of PC media centers transformed into a Blu-ray box for less then the cost of a set-top Blu-ray player thanks to the BWU-100A $750 price tag.
