I recently bought an external Blu-ray writer (Pioneer BDR-XD05TB) to grab Disc IDs for DVD Profiler.
For this reason, it is perfect. However, it now comes to my attention that I CAN'T actually play Blu-rays on it as the monitor and computer I am using it on are slightly old models and are not HDMI compatible.

I feel like I've gone back to the '80s where you'd buy a VHS film and couldn't watch it because the Macrovision interfered with your television and messed up the picture.

Surely, there's a way round this? Otherwise I have to buy a new computer AND a new monitor just to use this external device fully.

The software supplied with the device works fine and so I'm running PowerDVD 12, if that helps.

Thanks in advance,
Neil

In order to gauge how capable your PC setup is for Blu-ray playback, I would suggest you download Cyberlink's Ultra HD Blu-ray advisor software tool:
https://www.cyberlink.com/prog/bd-support/diagnosis.do

Install the downloaded software and click on the "Blu-ray Disc" button.

It will check you setup and produce a table of results, and if everything is OK, you will see something like this:

Minimum Requirements                      Result

Windows 7 or above                            Pass
4 GB System Memory                          Pass
AVC/MPEG-2/VC-1 Codec (GPU)            Pass
HDCP (GPU/Display)                            Pass
Blu-ray Optical Disc Drive                    Pass
Windows Media Player 9 or above        Pass
Dual Video Hardware Decoding (GPU)  Pass

Please remember, this test assumes your are using HDMI connecting HDCP compliant hardware (say, GPU <==> Monitor).

You don't say which video connectors are being used (VGA or DVI) and if it is VGA to VGA, have you tried connecting using the DVI (monitor) to DVI (PC)?

Quoting GSyren:

Quote:
Technically, what is needed is a HDCP compatible graphic card, a HDCP compatible monitor and a HDPC compatible connection. DVI to DVI could work, I think, but only if both graphic card and monitor are also HDCP compatible. From GreyHulk's description I assumed that they are not.

Yes, I can confirm DVI will work as that is what I've been using all these years.  My monitor supports HDMI (and DVI), but my graphics card does not.  All of which is over a decade old.