4K BluRay Playback on Windows

Both.

The issues with 4K BluRay on Windows can be solved by using MakeMKV (to either create an MKV or use it as an backend for an Video Player like VLC to decode the disk on-the-fly in the background).

So this issue can be solved on Windows using that workaround. But then i run into other issues like poor Hardware Acceleration from DirectX depending on settings, subpar HDR Support and so on which i do not have in Linux .

As Linux is just a Kernel, these issues are actually solved by a bunch of Technologies in combination (KDE/Plasma 6, Wayland, MESA, Vulkan, VA-API, mpv and so on) but that is going to deep into an unrelated issue.

But you can play 4K HDR BluRay Discs on the fly on Windows and even better on Linux using MakeMKV no matter what CPU or GPU.

So it is possible. Neither Microsoft nor Intel are telling the truth when they say it doesn't work, they do not want it to work for whatever reason nobody understands. But it does work, perfectly fine, on AMD CPUs, on ARM CPUs, everywhere. You do not need SGX CPU Support for Decoding (the reason for Microsoft to not support it).

And as said in my initial post, all gaming consoles (without this CPU feature) and every BluRay Player does it too, without issues. There is no technical limitation, this is an intentionally implemented software Limitation by Microsoft and hence i am asking to remove it.

1. Owning a Key file is not legal (or better said, there is no legal way to create/get an key file)
2. VLC plays 4K BluRay without SGX perfectly fine. SGX is needed for the Copy Protection, if you have an Key file, this is no longer necessary
3. Intel dropped SGX support since generation 11/12, new CPUs don't have it
4. I would actually pay for streaming if the image quality wouldn't be as crappy. An FullHD BluRay has higher Image and Sound Quality than 4K Streaming.

Netflix (random example, it's basically the same for most) uses 5mbit/s for FullHD and 15mbit/s for 4K with 192kbps/s for Audio

An BluRay uses 40mbit/s for FullHD and 130mbit/s for 4K with 1440kbps/s for Audio

Even with Anime the difference is instantly noticable in colors/contrast/artifacts

I am willing to pay, but not for ****.

5. I am using MakeMKV and Linux because it solves all the Problems Windows gives me (Non Working HDR even though my Screen is HDR10 certified, Hardware Accelerated decoding that actually works and so on) so I do have an solution for my self. I opened this because I still want it to get fixed for everyone

Ravi I believe the question is specifically about 4K UHD BluRay from the original source, like the disc, not from a muxed MKV file etc.

1080p/2K BluRay discs play just fine in Windows. Are you sure your suggestions enable playback of 4K BluRay discs?

Dear Ravi,

thank you for your reply.

Sadly no Application can play 4K BluRay on Windows. They all rely on Wnidows DRM System to decrypt the BluRay and this only works with an CPU that does have the SGX Extension (which no CPU has anymore and AMD never had it).

I asked the Cyberlink PowerDVD Support and they told me, its an Windows issue, there is nothing i can do.

I mean obviously there is the way to just crack the copy protection and then every application can play it, but that is, as far as i know, illegal in most countries.

So there are illegal solutions to this issue, but no legal solutions.

I will post an request on the Feedback Hub, thank you for pointing that out and your time.

VLC Player will play 4K Blu-rays as long as you follow the instructions and download the Key file and place it where it needs to go. Your computer will still require a processor that supports SGX. No new intel processors support it. It would be nice if Microsoft would create an SGX emulator for software that requires this, but I fear that it is the movie industry that is causing this issue. They want you to pay for streaming services instead of owning a copy. Any way to pick your pocket continuously. Just like HP wanting people to pay a subscription fee to print 100 pgs/month on your printer (anti-capitalism at its best - abuse the system until the system becomes communist - you shall own nothing and be happy ;-/ ).