Digital Home Thoughts: Blu-ray on XBMC? Oh Yes!

"No one has written any open-source software that can play back Blu-ray movies, nor is there any software library capable of decoding the DRM encryption on-the-fly yet. However, previously mentioned DVD-ripping application MakeMKV does have a few advanced features that, coupled with an XBMC plug-in, can give you a pretty close experience on Windows or Linux (it works on Mac OS X in theory, but we aren't going there)."

The solution provided by LifeHacker is not perfect, but it is a step forward and a hint of things to come. For those who like to tinker, this seems like the latest advance that you can show off to your friends. For those who like a polished solution with few quirks, it looks like you will have to plunk down that cash to get a proper Blu-ray player after all. Most home theater systems I have seen usually come with a mix of various components, each designed for a different task. Even new things like Netflix's streaming box are still single purpose devices. The closest one I know if is the PlayStation 3, so it is nice to see another option for an all-in-one device crop up for your TV viewing pleasure.