How to Connect a Laptop to a Blu-ray Player Wirelessly
Table of Contents
Connecting a Blu-ray player to your laptop is not as simple as it seems. Unless your laptop has an HDMI input port, which is very rare, your options will be severely limited. In almost all cases, connecting a Blu-ray player using a USB cable will not work. This is because the laptop’s USB ports are reserved for devices like an external keyboard, mouse, and USB dongle.
Using an external optical drive via USB is not an option. Thankfully, there are still a few ways to connect your Blu-ray Player with your laptop. Bear in mind that your mileage may vary, depending on both your Blu-ray player and your laptop. So, here is how to connect a laptop to a Blu-ray player wirelessly.
Using Bluetooth
If both your Blu-ray player and your laptop have Bluetooth, you could try connecting it via that. Even if your laptop does not have Bluetooth, you can get a cheap Bluetooth USB dongle and it will allow you to connect to the Blu-ray player.
Once you have all that you need, here is the procedure:
- Turn on Bluetooth on both devices and place them close to each other.
- Open the Bluetooth menu on your Blu-ray player.
- Go to the playback screen option and choose “Bluetooth Device”.
- Go to the “Device List” and connect to your laptop. You may have to enter pairing mode on the Blu-ray player before connecting to the laptop. You can check the user manual on how to do this as it depends on the manufacturer and model.
This is made to primarily work with TVs, so there is a big chance that this method will not work. The next best thing would be to connect your Blu-ray player to your local area network (LAN) and use the Blu-ray player on your TV. You will be able to access the files from your laptop this way.
Connect to LAN
Your LAN is essentially the network inside your house that connects all your smart devices. While you will not be able to use the Blu-ray player to watch content on your laptop, you will be able to share files among the devices. This is very useful and convenient if you prefer to download content using your laptop and then simply stream it to the TV.
Here is how to connect your Blu-ray player to your LAN:
- Turn on the Blu-Ray player and go to the settings.
- Locate the “Network Settings” or similar option on the device.
- Find “Internet Settings” and/or “Wireless Settings”.
- Choose your Wi-Fi network and connect to it by typing your password.
- If prompted, choose automatic acquisition for the IP address.
Now that your Blu-ray player is connected to your LAN, it is time to share files from your laptop. This is very simple, assuming that your laptop is already connected to the network.
Here is how to share files:
- Right-click on the file you wish to share.
- In the drop-down menu, go to “Give access to”.
- Choose “Homegroup”. You can either give only view rights or both view and edit rights. It is up to you which one you select.
All in all, this is a great method if you already have a Blu-Ray player, a TV, and a laptop. But if you have to watch videos and movies on your laptop, then you have one of the following options.
Use Third-party Software
The only proper way to connect your Blu-Ray player to your laptop wirelessly is by using programs that do that. Or you can use third-party software that directly decodes Blu-ray without the need for a Blu-ray player. A prime example of such a program would be Cyberlink. Their PowerDVD program allows you to watch Blu-ray on your laptop.
If your Blu-ray player has a built-in program that allows you to connect the player to your laptop, you can try your luck with it as well.
Use the Laptop’s HDMI, USB, or a Capture Card
Most laptops only have an HDMI output port, which means that you can only use the port to connect the laptop to another display. Connecting your Blu-ray player to the laptop via the HDMI port using an HDMI cable will simply not work. However, some laptops have both HDMI input and output ports that allow you to connect external devices to them, such as a Blu-ray player.
The most popular laptops with HDMI input ports are some older Alienware laptops, such as the Alienware 17 and the Alienware M17X R4. If your laptop does not have an HDMI input port, you can use a capture card for the same purpose. A capture card is a device that allows you to connect an HDMI input to a USB. Most high-quality capture cards are very expensive, so unless you already own one, this is not the most cost-effective method.
If your Blu-ray player has a USB port, you can try your luck with that as well. Even though most laptops will not recognize the external drive, there is still a small chance that it actually does. You just may have to install the Blu-ray player’s software to make it work.
Check Also: How to Use Your Laptop as a Monitor for Switch
Conclusion
Connecting your laptop to a Blu-ray player is not as stress-free as it might seem at first. If you want to connect it wirelessly, then you can only use some third-party programs or do it indirectly by connecting it via your LAN. You can also try Bluetooth to see if it works.
Note that if you connect the laptop and the Blu-ray player to the same network, you will not be able to play Blu-rays on your laptop. What you can do is connect the Blu-ray player to your TV and then share files from your laptop to watch it.
The only real way to use your Blu-ray player with your laptop is by using an HDMI cable. You can either use the HDMI input port on your laptop, if it has one, or use a capture card.
You May Also Like: How to Use a Laptop as a Monitor for Xbox One
About the Author Marcus
Marcus has a graduate degree in computer engineering and has many years of experience in cutting-edge technology research and development in both startups and Fortune 500 corporations. In his free time, he enjoys RTS gaming.
Related Posts
How to Remove a Battery from a Lenovo Laptop
How to Play Xbox 360 on a Laptop with HDMI
How to Use a Laptop as a Monitor for Xbox One
How to Remove the Hard Drive from a Dell Laptop
How to Fix a Laptop Power Jack Without Soldering
How to Use Your Laptop as a Monitor for Switch
