More on Blu-Ray playback with VLC Player

[GHender3]

In case anyone is having problems with the method mentioned in the sticky, I'd like to mention this - I started out with MakeMKV in a folder within my /Applications folder that I use for video-oriented applications - Handbrake, etc., etc.

So, I created symlinks to MakeMKV within that folder. The symlinks were fine - show original pointed to libmmbd.dylib.

But every Blu-Ray I tried to open with VLC yielded an error stating that the disc was corrupt.

I was also able to confirm that an instance of MakeMKV was not being launched (Activity Viewer).

Moving MakeMKV Beta into the /Applications folder corrected the problem for both AACS and BDPlus encrypted discs. An instance of MakeMKV (makemkvcon) launched and the main title played.

VLC can be anywhere you wish to keep it. But it appears that MakeMKV needs to be in the main applications folder on the boot drive, and not in a a subfolder.

This pertains to MakeMKV 1.10.5, and the VLC 2.2.4. I tried a few other versions of VLC going back to 2013, and all failed if MakeMKV was in a subfolder.

[MetalDave]

Hey, GHender3.

Thanks for the input. I hope you might humor a little discussion to help me clarify a few things that have been plaguing me for a little while now.

This pertains to MakeMKV 1.10.5, and the VLC 2.2.4.

Just to be clear, I'm running the same thing.

I created symlinks to MakeMKV within that folder. The symlinks were fine - show original pointed to libmmbd.dylib.

Please clarify: Which folder did you create the symbolic links? My understanding is they should be in: ~/lib

Via Terminal, they’re created this way:

Code: Select all

mkdir -p ~/lib
ln -s /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/lib/libmmbd.dylib ~/lib/libaacs.dylib
ln -s /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/lib/libmmbd.dylib ~/lib/libbdplus.dylib

To yield:

Code: Select all

compooter-name:lib metaldave$ ls -al *dylib
lrwxr-xr-x  1 metaldave  staff  52 May  3 15:26 libaacs.dylib -> /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/lib/libmmbd.dylib
lrwxr-xr-x  1 metaldave  staff  52 May  3 15:26 libbdplus.dylib -> /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/lib/libmmbd.dylib

I’m guessing that’s what you did, but I just wanted to be sure that’s what you meant.

But every Blu-Ray I tried to open with VLC yielded an error stating that the disc was corrupt.

Did the error literally say the disc was corrupt, or did it output something like:

Code: Select all

Blu-ray error
This Blu-ray Disc needs a library for AACS decoding, and your system does not have it.

Please clarify.

I was also able to confirm that an instance of MakeMKV was not being launched (Activity Viewer).

I never thought to look if VLC was causing the makemkvcon process to start. The symlinks to libmmbd.dylib create aliases in the names of the libraries (libaacs.dylib and libbdplus.dylib) VLC expects to find in ~/lib. I assumed that libmmbd.dylib contained those library functions and the aliases (symlinks) were a way to satisfy VLC to have access to those functions.

Moving MakeMKV Beta into the /Applications folder corrected the problem for both AACS and BDPlus encrypted discs. An instance of MakeMKV (makemkvcon) launched and the main title played.

I duplicated your scenario by moving the application and updating the symlinks accordingly. Sure enough, it works flawlessly and the makemkvcon process is running.

FYI: If you do not update the symbolic links to reflect the change in location, you'll receive this error:

Code: Select all

Blu-ray error
This Blu-ray Disc needs a library for AACS decoding, and your system does not have it.

VLC can be anywhere you wish to keep it. But it appears that MakeMKV needs to be in the main applications folder on the boot drive, and not in a a subfolder.

I'd love to figure out why. Perhaps VLC cannot start the makemkvcon process if the app is anywhere but the /Applications directory? Of course, you could also keep the MakeMKV.app wherever you’d like by placing a symlink in the /Applications directory instead:

Code: Select all

ln -s /Applications/makemkv_v1.10.5/MakeMKV.app /Applications/MakeMKV.app

I confirmed that works as well.


I know that’s a lot to chew, I know, but I think this is a big help in understanding the functionality of the macOS implementation (which is severely lacking in documentation).

Cheers, man!

- Dave

[ravedog]

I know this is an old thread but I tried making this work and no luck. My MakeMKV was in a subfolder but now lives at root of Applications. Check. Symlinked the files correctly to my ~/lib folder. Check. Run VLC and get the AACS error in VLC.

Running Mac OS 10.4.1
VLC 3.0.6
MakeMKV 1.14.2

No instance of MakeMKV is being launched in activity.

Any ideas?

Follow up. Was able to get Handbrake to work with a disk (Make mental note: Don't use Hell or High Water as a test: 216 playlists!) Anyway - Handbrake worked. Quit HB, went back to VLC - this time no AACS message but "Your input can't be opened
VLC is unable to open the MRL 'bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'. Check the log for details."

main debug: processing request item: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV, node: Playlist, skip: 0
main debug: resyncing on bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV
main debug: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV is at 0
main debug: starting playback of new item
main debug: resyncing on bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV
main debug: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV is at 0
main debug: creating new input thread
main debug: Creating an input for 'bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'
main debug: requesting art for new input thread
main debug: using timeshift granularity of 50 MiB
main debug: using default timeshift path
main debug: `bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV' gives access `bluray' demux `any' path `/Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'
main debug: creating demux: access='bluray' demux='any' location='/Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV' file='/Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'
main debug: looking for access_demux module matching "bluray": 14 candidates
main debug: looking for meta fetcher module matching "any": 1 candidates
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Users/ravedog/Library/Application Support/org.videolan.vlc/lua/meta/fetcher
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/lua/meta/fetcher
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/meta/fetcher
main debug: no meta fetcher modules matched
main debug: looking for art finder module matching "any": 2 candidates
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Users/ravedog/Library/Application Support/org.videolan.vlc/lua/meta/art
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/lua/meta/art
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/meta/art
main debug: no access_demux modules matched
main debug: creating access: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV
lua debug: Trying Lua playlist script /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/meta/art/00_musicbrainz.luac
main debug: (path: /Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV)
main debug: looking for access module matching "bluray": 23 candidates
main debug: no access modules matched
main debug: dead input
main debug: changing item without a request (current 0/1)
main debug: nothing to play

Not sure what's not working....

[GHender3]

I know this is an old thread but I tried making this work and no luck. My MakeMKV was in a subfolder but now lives at root of Applications. Check. Symlinked the files correctly to my ~/lib folder. Check. Run VLC and get the AACS error in VLC.

Running Mac OS 10.4.1
VLC 3.0.6
MakeMKV 1.14.2

No instance of MakeMKV is being launched in activity.

Any ideas?

Follow up. Was able to get Handbrake to work with a disk (Make mental note: Don't use Hell or High Water as a test: 216 playlists!) Anyway - Handbrake worked. Quit HB, went back to VLC - this time no AACS message but "Your input can't be opened
VLC is unable to open the MRL 'bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'. Check the log for details."

main debug: processing request item: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV, node: Playlist, skip: 0
main debug: resyncing on bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV
main debug: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV is at 0
main debug: starting playback of new item
main debug: resyncing on bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV
main debug: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV is at 0
main debug: creating new input thread
main debug: Creating an input for 'bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'
main debug: requesting art for new input thread
main debug: using timeshift granularity of 50 MiB
main debug: using default timeshift path
main debug: `bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV' gives access `bluray' demux `any' path `/Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'
main debug: creating demux: access='bluray' demux='any' location='/Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV' file='/Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV'
main debug: looking for access_demux module matching "bluray": 14 candidates
main debug: looking for meta fetcher module matching "any": 1 candidates
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Users/ravedog/Library/Application Support/org.videolan.vlc/lua/meta/fetcher
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/lua/meta/fetcher
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/meta/fetcher
main debug: no meta fetcher modules matched
main debug: looking for art finder module matching "any": 2 candidates
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Users/ravedog/Library/Application Support/org.videolan.vlc/lua/meta/art
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/lua/meta/art
lua debug: Trying Lua scripts in /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/meta/art
main debug: no access_demux modules matched
main debug: creating access: bluray:///Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV
lua debug: Trying Lua playlist script /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/meta/art/00_musicbrainz.luac
main debug: (path: /Volumes/HELL_OR_HIGH_WATER_BD/BDMV)
main debug: looking for access module matching "bluray": 23 candidates
main debug: no access modules matched
main debug: dead input
main debug: changing item without a request (current 0/1)
main debug: nothing to play

Not sure what's not working....

OK - I was able to duplicate your bad experience using Mojave 10.4.2, also with VLC 3.0.6. I too got an AACS error, when I knew everything looked fine. I had been running VLC 3.0.2 prior to my updating to Mojave, and I had a backup of my files, so I trashed VLC 3.0.6 and fired up VLC 3.0.2. No problems whatsoever. No error, menus, and playback. You can download any version of VLC you want here: https://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/vlc/. I may try 3.0.5, 3.0.4 to see where the "train derailed". Anyway, it's all about VLC. On the Windows side, NO version of VLC 3 will play a BluRay using MakeMKV's library - you have to use VLC below a certain version of VLC 2. Therefore, no menus. Too bad VLC is breaking this for everyone.

[GHender3]

VLC 3.0.4 works fine. Later releases do not.

[GHender3]

I looked up the changelog for VLC - saw the following:

macOS:

* Starting with VLC 3.0.5, VLC will be distributed with runtime hardening
enabled on macOS Mojave.
All external VLC plugins need to be signed by a DeveloperID certificate in order
to continue working with the official VLC package.

Did a little bit of reading on that, and found this applies to unsigned .dylibs. Just on a hunch, reinstalled VLC 3.0.6, turned off SIP on my Mojave (10.14.2) Mac, and tried playing both the BluRay that I got the missing AACS error on, and another randomly chosen one. Both played fine, with menus, good playback. Plenty of instructions available on turning off SIP, so I won't go into that. 2 choices - turn it off and use the newest VLC, or stick with 3.0.4. UNLESS there is a way to find a modified (unofficial) VLC package.

[MetalDave]

Incidentally, I (kind-of) gave up maintaining the symbolic link in the /Applications directory to the executable in the MakeMKV sub-directory. I still copy the entire contents of the DMG file to my /Applications directory as a subdirectory (e.g. /Applications/makemkv_v1.14.3), but I just make a duplicate copy of the MakeMKV.app executable and put it into the parent directory (/Applications). I'm a little lazy about getting into the terminal to update the symlinks, but it would, I'm sure, still work if I pointed to the copy in the subdirectory.

UPDATE: It looks like I am broken on v3.0.6. It turns out I was running an earlier version (which still works fine) in parallel with v3.0.6. I know I was running with Blu-ray menus and everything, so I'll have to do a little more digging. I didn't upgrade to Mojave until recently, but I was running High Sierra prior to that.

For convenience, you can download VLC v.3.0.4 here.

[MetalDave]

Just checking in on one of my favorite threads.

Starting with MakeMKV v.1.15.0, the application will auto-install the appropriate back-end configuration with VLC to enable decryption. Just look under MakeMKV Preferences, and you'll find an option in the last tab to enable VLC.

http://www.makemkv.com/libmmbd/
https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7008