14 DAY TRIAL // Playing Blu-ray discs these days is not that simple a task, especially for the free media players on the market, since they lack certain capabilities not necessarily related to reading and rendering the file.
Fortunately, plenty of alternatives are ready to tackle the issue and offer a cinema-like experience on your PC. Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player can be among your choices if the list of features hits your needs and fits the bill.
The application is regularly priced at $39/€28.51 (VAT not included), but at the moment the developer offers it with a 25% discount, which makes it available for $35.39/€25.87 (VAT included).
Nevertheless, the program can be tested free of charge for a period of ten days, with only a few limitations: when starting the program you are prompted to register, and a watermark image is applied on the video screen.
Blu-ray Player from Aiseesoft does not take too much effort to install but you have to go through a total of seven screens to complete the process.
The main application window is straightforward, showing the main functions of the app in full view: you can either open a locally stored file or play the media available on the inserted disc.
Despite the name, Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player can be used not only with Blu-ray discs but also with DVDs and popular video formats like MKV, MP4, MPEG, AVI, WMV, ASF, MOV, or FLV. The list of supported file types includes audio formats and lossless APE, FLAC, and WAV along with lossy ones: MP3, OGG, and WMA.
However, the product is designed primarily for playing lengthy video in particular and, in lack of a playlist function, it is utterly impractical for listening to music (unless you’re running a single large file) or short clips.
The application detects the inserted disc automatically, and after spending a short while loading the content, it displays the main menu, if available, which allows you to play the movie, start from a specific chapter, or select between the available audio and subtitle tracks. We noticed that the bonus features are listed under “Other Chapters” section.
The video window sports only the basic options. There is the seekbar, a limited amount of control buttons: stop, play/pause, skipping to the next chapter, volume control, and activating the fullscreen mode.
There is also the possibility to return to the navigational panel and take a snapshot; an image is grabbed silently, with nothing to give away the action, and the results are sent to the default storage location.
Watching a movie with Aiseesoft's utility is utterly simple since the program does not have any room for anything else; no options for adjusting video (brightness, contrast, hue, saturation) or audio (balance, equalizer, profiles) are present.
In fact, all it has to offer is available straight in the interface, the only option that requires right clicking in the video is choosing the title or chapter. The mouse is essential in handling the program because there are no shortcuts (a hotkey would come in quite handy for taking a snapshot).
Changing the audio or the subtitle track can be done on the spot, while the video is playing. The same goes for the audio channel and the output device.
Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player makes available the possibility to choose between ten deinterlace modes, the same that are present in VLC media player: Discard, Blend, Mean, Bob, Linear, X, Yadif, Yadif (2X), Phosphor, and IVTC.
The configuration panel is just as poor in options as the other parts of the program. The main choices at hand include defining the storage folder for the snapshots and their format: JPEG, PNG, and BMP. You also get to define the frequency for automatic checking for updates, on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player is definitely aimed at users who want a straightforward experience that does not involve going through settings and tweaks. Simply insert the movie disc and watch it with only a handful of adjustments at your disposal and none of them being absolutely necessary for most users.
During our tests we noticed that returning to the navigation panel from one chapter and opting to play the movie would resume the play from said chapter.
The Good
You can switch to a different video, audio, or subtitle track easily, while the movie is playing. It bypasses region restrictions.
The Bad
The Truth
NOTE: We have 10 lifetime licenses to give away for Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player. In order to win one of them, you are expected to come up with a smart post, positive or negative, about the application in the comments section below.
The campaign ends on Monday, December 08, 23:59 UTC. Winners will be notified by the end of the next week; needless to say that we need valid email addresses in order to contact you.
