Instruction: Generate an answer to the question by utilizing the information contained in the document.

Input:
Question: what software is available/recommended that can playback (e.g. off-the-shelf movies on BD) and/or burn BD (data/movie) discs?
Document: Works great, no problems on my Windows 7 system using NERO12 to burn. Don't expect to use it for playing Blu-ray unless you have the right playback software and a monitor that supports copyrighted material playback. I use it to burn data and playable Blu-ray and DVDs. I can read the data from them with no problem but use a PS3 to play Blu-ray discs.
I really bought it mostly so I could store some data off of the hard drive anyway. I was able to get some software to watch a movie on and it worked just fine, and also I got some software for burning discs (it didn't come with that either) and it did MOSTLY ok here too. The only problem I've had with it was that my motherboard came with some kind of special drivers (Marvell drivers?) and I had to disable those or it would interfere with the blu-ray burning.
I installed this drive in my MacPro and I had zero issues with it. Keep in mind that this is a SATA drive not IDE. I did need to add an IDE to SATA power cord and then just plugged in a SATA data cable to the drive. No drivers needed and it was recognized automatically. The drive does not come with any software or discs. I have watched a few movies through the drive and they look unbelievable on my 22&#34; 1080p monitor. Better than expected. This drive is also very quiet and loads very quickly.
I don't have any commercial Blu-ray player software but after some research I can play Blu-ray movies with the VLC Media Player (freeware) but it doesn't support menus so I can only play the main movie. Overall very satisfied with this purchase and it costs almost 2/3 less than a reputable external USB 3.0 Blu-ray writer.
I archived my personal data on a single disk vs 5 DVD's in an hour.Video, With my own EXISTING software (WinDVD pro 11 AND VLC with a few modifications.... You will have to Google them), I can say the playback is VERY good. Recording, I can not say as I haven't dove into Blu Ray Video recording YET. However with the recent drop in Media prices, I plan on it soon.
It's easier at this point to play your BD movies discs in a standard BD player. I didn't know this, and so I thought I'd put it out there for others with the same conundrum.
Received the burner a few days ago. Tested the burning capabilities on CD/DVD / BlueRay discs. Did not have a problem whatsoever. Pleased with the speed performance & functionality of the unit. Will probably purchase a second burner to allow me to make copies of BlueRay discs even faster. This unit will also burn data/video to double layer discs (50GB). The less expensive BlueRay burners will not have this capability.Good product!
I've used to to watch several Bluray movies, burn a couple of DVDs, and install some software from disc. The drive has functioned as expected and is very quiet.
Had this for a year or so now. I love it. I don't burn Blurays very often but when I do, it really comes in handy. Not to mention the fact that it also allows me to play Bluray movies on my computer. The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't come with any software that allows you to play those movies. I had to find a third party application in order to watch movies, and they're not cheap to buy.
So while I think this player is an excellent choice, I wish I'd spent the extra $50 over a straight DVD/CD burner on a standalone BD player.Edited April 8, 2013: Originally, I said this unit doesn't burn BR discs, and repeated that in a comment below. Of course, it DOES burn blu-ray disks. I wasn't looking for a burner when I bought this; just a player. So I totally ignored the obvious, and put it in my review as well. Mea culpa.
Answer: Totalmedia Theater for playback and DVDFab for burning/ripping