Solved Help needed to play UHD Blu Ray

Hello! As explained in this thread: External BDRXL drive doesn't read UHD Blu Ray disc I had bought an external BD-R XL drive that could not play 4K discs. I replaced it with one that can play UHD Blu Ray movies. Apparently my USB 2.0 ports cannot supply enough power and the drive tried to identify the disc unsuccessfully. Fortunately, I recently added a USB 3.0 PCIe card and after connecting the drive there it identified the disc. My third generation Intel core i7 system (see 2nd system specs) doesn't have Intel SGX extensions, so even with AnyDVD HD I could not trick PowerDVD into playing the movie. I then tried MPC HC it opens the disc and instantly pauses. Any attempt to resume play fails, it is stuck at pause. I tried to manually open an m2ts file but I got an error message it cannot render the file. I have the latest K-Lite codec Mega pack installed, but if you think I need any codec, please do tell. If anyone knows how to properly configure MPC HC to play UHD Blu Ray discs, please guide me. I also tried to open the disc with VLC but I have to add AACS library or something. I will investigate tomorrow as it is too late now.

Any help appreciated.

PS: Before you ask, the disc I am trying to play is original, legitimate and I own it. Also please don't bother to tell me I need a newer faster PC. Only useful posts please.

Don't you need at least a 7th gen CPU for that? And an HDCP compliant monitor?

I don't know about the CPU, probably not if you can bypass Intel SGX requirement. The HDCP compliant monitor is needed for PowerDVD, can be bypassed with AnyDVD HD. WMC and VLC don't require it, as fas as I know.

High resolution videos are cpu intensive tasks.

My nVidia GTX 1050 Ti should not have a problem playing 4K video. However I plan to play at 1080p first or at my display's 1440x900 resolution. I downloaded the AACS library and copied to the appropriate folder. Now VLC tries to open the disc, it displays a thumbnail of the movie, then it displays a black and white Universal logo and then a black screen without progress. Please guide me to the correct configuration to play UHD Blu Ray discs in either MPC HC or VLC. I don't plan to buy a new PC or standalone UHD Blu Ray player any soon. I know my hardware is capable of playing the movie, but is restricted by software. Please tell me how to bypass this restriction.

PS: I tried connecting my monitor via HDMI cable but it is limited to 1280x720 resolution. That's why I connected it via DP to VGA adapter because the VGA input supports up to 1440x900 and the image is a little better. If I need to use the HDMI output I will try it, but I would prefer the larger 1440x900 resolution over 1280x720.

spapakons said:

Hello! As explained in this thread: External BDRXL drive doesn't read UHD Blu Ray disc I had bought an external BD-R XL drive that could not play 4K discs. I replaced it with one that can play UHD Blu Ray movies. Apparently my USB 2.0 ports cannot supply enough power and the drive tried to identify the disc unsuccessfully. Fortunately, I recently added a USB 3.0 PCIe card and after connecting the drive there it identified the disc. My third generation Intel core i7 system (see 2nd system specs) doesn't have Intel SGX extensions, so even with AnyDVD HD I could not trick PowerDVD into playing the movie. I then tried MPC HC it opens the disc and instantly pauses. Any attempt to resume play fails, it is stuck at pause. I tried to manually open an m2ts file but I got an error message it cannot render the file. I have the latest K-Lite codec Mega pack installed, but if you think I need any codec, please do tell. If anyone knows how to properly configure MPC HC to play UHD Blu Ray discs, please guide me. I also tried to open the disc with VLC but I have to add AACS library or something. I will investigate tomorrow as it is too late now.

Any help appreciated.

PS: Before you ask, the disc I am trying to play is original, legitimate and I own it. Also please don't bother to tell me I need a newer faster PC. Only useful posts please.

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VLC can play m2ts files -- the problem though with DVD's of any sort is the wretched DRM and encryption that's in them -- you could try ripping the disc to an iso and then using things like VLC to play it. Redfox dvd ripper will "De-DRM" Blu Ray's but not sure about the newer 4K UHD stuff.

(I get SKY TV stuff saved to m2ts files for later playing on a computer via a video hardware capture device - VLC plays these perfectly !!).

VLC (Free video /audio player --very good indeed) will play "4k UHD" video if there's no DRM / encryption but standrad blu rays and 4K video (2160) have encryption / DRM in them. I'm surprised you didn't get an appropriate software player bundled with your drive though.

Possible "De DRM-er and De-crypter" that might work. - Not free though. Illegal in some countries -- not in all so check before purchase. EU / EEA countries -OK, UK and N.Korea - Not OK. !!! USA , NZ, AUS ??.


I think you need some more research on whether your problem is hardware or software or both.
Sorry I can't be more specific than that.


Cheers
jimbo

Try asking on videohelp.com

DVDFab reported it cannot process the disc because my drive is not compliant to Libre Drive. Fortunately I found a similar utility, Leawo Prof. Media that can decrypt the disc and save the movie to file. Don't start with Copyright! As long as I have purchased the movie I have the right to make a backup for my own use. Mind your own business please. I am now decrypting the movie and then hopefully I can watch it with either MPC HC or VLC. I will report back.

SUCCESS!!!
I coppied the file libaacs.dll and keydb.cfg both into VLC's folder and at C:\ProgramData\aacs folder and then it worked! It could finally decrypt the movie and play it directly from the UHD Blu Ray disc! Of course if anyone can guide my how to play the movie in MPC HD, I would prefer it over VLC.

Just another question for you. My main computer is located at my office. Not at the living room. I have at the living room a Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 laptop, which isn't powerful enough to play UHD discs. How can I make my main PC play the movie and stream the result in my laptop to watch it. Of course I will watch at 1080p, since at 2160p the laptop stutters. Thanks

spapakons said:

SUCCESS!!!
I coppied the file libaacs.dll and keydb.cfg both into VLC's folder and at C:\ProgramData\aacs folder and then it worked! It could finally decrypt the movie and play it directly from the UHD Blu Ray disc! Of course if anyone can guide my how to play the movie in MPC HD, I would prefer it over VLC.

Just another question for you. My main computer is located at my office. Not at the living room. I have at the living room a Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 laptop, which isn't powerful enough to play UHD discs. How can I make my main PC play the movie and stream the result in my laptop to watch it. Of course I will watch at 1080p, since at 2160p the laptop stutters. Thanks

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You are better off watching Netflix from your laptop. The resolution will be much better that will suit yout screen's resolution. No decrypting. No complications.

badrobot said:

You are better off watching Netflix from your laptop. The resolution will be much better that will suit yout screen's resolution. No decrypting. No complications.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I already watch Netflix.. But the whole point of this thread is to make my UHD Blu Ray drive play movies on my PC.

Total success! I managed to play the disc with MPC HC. All I had to do is set each of the external filters LAV Splitter, LAV Audio Decoder, LAV Video Decoder and MadVR to "preferred". Now I have to tweak their settings to improve performance. Thanks to all.

PS: For streaming I have a 1080p second monitor. I can play the movie there in 1080p and connect from my laptop via AnyDesk. Then I set the movie playing full screen and the AnyDesk to full screen mode. With an adequately fast network connection the image quality is very good and the video doesn't stutter. If you have a better workaround please post.

I connected the external UHD Blu Ray drive to my laptop just out of curiosity. It tried for ever to load the 4K movie, of course without success. I then swapped the UHD disc with the standard 1080p disc (it is a dual format movie, one 4K and one standard disc). It managed to play the 1080p version without any issue. If I want to play the 4K version I must use my main computer. To avoid moving the computer to the living room, I can play at 1080p and watch via AnyDesk as explained above. I would move the computer to the living room (temporarily) if I wanted to play the movie at its full 4K 10-bit color glory. I guess I will have to wait when my wife is out of the house, or she would spoil the experience with a lot of complaining about how I mess with the living room.

spapakons said:

Thanks. I already watch Netflix.. But the whole point of this thread is to make my UHD Blu Ray drive play movies on my PC.

Total success! I managed to play the disc with MPC HC. All I had to do is set each of the external filters LAV Splitter, LAV Audio Decoder, LAV Video Decoder and MadVR to "preferred". Now I have to tweak their settings to improve performance. Thanks to all.

PS: For streaming I have a 1080p second monitor. I can play the movie there in 1080p and connect from my laptop via AnyDesk. Then I set the movie playing full screen and the AnyDesk to full screen mode. With an adequately fast network connection the image quality is very good and the video doesn't stutter. If you have a better workaround please post.

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I mean all you are trying to do is pointless. Why go through all the trouble of trying to make UHD/4K player if you are watching in 1080p.

My TV is 4K, so eventually I will be able to watch the movie in its full quality. Until then I can watch it at 1080p which is far better than Netflix 1080p since it uses 4-5 times greater bitrate and Dolby Digital True HD audio.

spapakons said:

SUCCESS!!!
I coppied the file libaacs.dll and keydb.cfg both into VLC's folder and at C:\ProgramData\aacs folder and then it worked! It could finally decrypt the movie and play it directly from the UHD Blu Ray disc! Of course if anyone can guide my how to play the movie in MPC HD, I would prefer it over VLC.

Just another question for you. My main computer is located at my office. Not at the living room. I have at the living room a Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 laptop, which isn't powerful enough to play UHD discs. How can I make my main PC play the movie and stream the result in my laptop to watch it. Of course I will watch at 1080p, since at 2160p the laptop stutters. Thanks

Click to expand...

Congratulations on getting this working! The files that you copied to the aacs folder, were those from the from the 4K disc and if so, does one need to do that for every 4K disc in order to play it in Windows?

No it needs to be done once. If you manage to play one disc, it should play the others.

Update: To play UHD Blu Ray from Media Player Classic (MPC-HC) you must add the following filters in External filters section: LAV splitter, LAV video processor (I think that's the name), LAV audio processor and MadVR. Then click each filter and change it to "preferred" at the right side of the screen. Double-click the filters to configure them. In the Output section of MPC-HC settings select MadVR. Now you should be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs directly from the drive! As fas as I remember no other tricks needed.

spapakons said:

No it needs to be done once. If you manage to play one disc, it should play the others.

Update: To play UHD Blu Ray from Media Player Classic (MPC-HC) you must add the following filters in External filters section: LAV splitter, LAV video processor (I think that's the name), LAV audio processor and MadVR. Then click each filter and change it to "preferred" at the right side of the screen. Double-click the filters to configure them. In the Output section of MPC-HC settings select MadVR. Now you should be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs directly from the drive! As fas as I remember no other tricks needed.

Click to expand...

Thank you, this is much appreciated. I'm looking at building a new rig and wouldn't want to buy a 10th gen Intel CPU with SGX support if I could rather buy a current gen Intel or AMD Ryzen CPU and play my 4K discs using the 4K UHD drive in the PC. Some additional questions:
1. This workaround should work for Ryzen as well, right?
2. Where do you get those files "libaacs.dll and keydb.cfg"?

I think I downloaded the files from here, don't remember: libaacs - VideoLAN
Yes, it should work for either Intel or AMD. If 4K video stutters because your CPU or GPU cannot cope, try changing the scaling settings in MadVR to bilinear.

spapakons said:

No it needs to be done once. If you manage to play one disc, it should play the others.

Update: To play UHD Blu Ray from Media Player Classic (MPC-HC) you must add the following filters in External filters section: LAV splitter, LAV video processor (I think that's the name), LAV audio processor and MadVR. Then click each filter and change it to "preferred" at the right side of the screen. Double-click the filters to configure them. In the Output section of MPC-HC settings select MadVR. Now you should be able to play UHD Blu Ray discs directly from the drive! As fas as I remember no other tricks needed.

Click to expand...

View | Options... | Internal Filters |

As for playing the movies over a LAN, you can use RedFox AnyDVD HD or DVDFab UHD Ripper to rip the main movie title to your local storage and then set up a network share (e.g. through Windows file and printer sharing). For personal use, backing up (ripping) commercial movies from an optical disk that you have purchased (and own) is not illegal in the EU so, because you live in Greece, you're good to go. If you play a movie directly from the optical disc, both the optical drive unit and the optical disc istself will run warm/hot. This, then, causes unnecessary additional wear and tear on them. Some people also don't like the slight humming/buzzing noise of an optical drive while watching a movie or listening music. So, they use a separate PC in a different room to rip the optical disks, and for the living room and/or personal home theater they use a silent laptop or HTPC (or silent desktop PC that doubles as a HTPC).

By ripping only the main movie title you exclude all extras such as the movie's startup menu, additional video footage like "deleted scenes" or "behind the scene documentary" type stuff, and etc.. To help save some additional disk space, it also is possible to further reduce the ripped main movie title's filesize by delving into the topic of remuxing UHD Blu-rays to .mkv files. Doing this will allow you to remove more (unnecessary) stuff like audio streams that are spoken in another language and/or have less than the highest possible audio quality that your audio hardware can support.

LAV Audio decoder settings also lets you set up audio bitstreaming over HDMI. So, if your TV supports ARC/eARC it will be possible to hook up an AVR or prepro to the TV to let the TV pass the audio stream on to it via a separate HDMI cable connection. If it doesn't, then it should still be possible to hook the 4k TV up to the AVR/prepro via HDMI, BUT... if your AVR/prepro is old (like my UMC-200) and doesn't support 4k signals, then it won't be able to pass the 4k signal from the PC on to the 4k TV. It means that you'll need ARC/eARC on the 4k TV if the goal is to avoid the problem of older AVRs/prepros being limited to Full HD signals. That's just because ARC/eARC lets you send the signal from the PC to the TV to the AVR/prepro (as opposed to send the signal from the PC to the AVR/prepro to the TV) so as a result of this it can effectively let you bypass this specific limitation.

As for VideoHelp, it's a good forum website to start with, but if you really want to learn your stuff about these kinds of topics, then the place to be is Doom9. In a previous life, I used to spend multiple hours per day on average reading up on a huge variety of digital audio/video related subjects/details. In fact it became my main hobby at one point, and stayed that way for many years. I jumped into DIY room acoustic treatments by reading mostly on Gearslutz (now called Gearspace) forum for quite some time also. It's been almost 15 years since I ditched VLC in favor of MPC-HC (with the old LAV CUVID, which became mostly obsolete a very, very long time ago, even though I still remember it like it was yesterday... lol).

That being said, downscaling 4k to Full HD with custom pixel shader code in madVR is not necessarily too intensive even if you use older hardware. During playback you can press Ctrl+J repeatedly to cycle through the info overlay; it can show dropped frames so if the total dropped frames are increasing you'll know that something in your chain isn't able to stay perfectly in sync with the actual framerate of the video file. There's always some clock deviance, but on Intel Haswell or later "Core" CPU model from Intel there should be not more than 1 dropped/duped frame in every so many hours when playing 23.976fps (24000:1001) movies after it stabilizes if you set the vertical refresh frequency of the Intel HD Graphics (or Intel Iris Xe if you have an Intel 11th Gen or newer) to 23p (i.e., 23.976Hz, commonly denoted as "23p Hz", where p stands for progressive and i stands for interlaced). You can also configure madVR to let it automatically change the vertical refresh frequency for you. You may have to experiment with various quality and optimization related settings to get the best results.

There is no need to rip the movie. I have shared the BD-R XL drive on my main PC (see 2nd system specs), so I can put the disc in the drive and access it from my Fujitsu Stylistic hybrid tablet/laptop in the living room which is connected to the TV. I can see DVDs and Blu Ray discs (up tp 1080p) fine, but my humble Fujitsu (4th gen Intel Core-i5, 4GB RAM, Intel HD 4000 graphics) cannot play 4K. If I ever need to play 4K, I must connect my main PC to the TV via HDMI. For the time being I have only one title, so I don't care that much.

I did tried to rip it with DVDFab, but it won't open the movie on my BD-R XL drive, because it is not in the list of compatible drives and there is no appropriate firmware to put it in the list. MakeMKV also didn't work. The only one that worked was Leawo Professional Media, but this was a trial application and I am not willing to buy it just to rip one title. Also the audio is in TrueHD format ( .thd) which is too large to use in the MKV file. I tried to convert it to Dolby Digital ( .ac3) but eac3to could not handle it (it gave an error after some seconds). The only application that worked was Total Audio MP3 Converter. Don't be confused by the name, it handles many different audio formats, not only MP3. I just wanted to share my experience here to save you the trouble finding suitable applications. Anyone knows of another application to rip UHD Blu Ray discs (for our own legitimate backup of course, we own the movie), please post.