Microphone Check Blu-ray - Not Playable

[Watcherine]

I just received a new, rather unknown Blu-ray called Microphone Check: The Hidden History of Hip Hop that is definitely not in the database. I was able to copy it with MakeMKV to my desktop, but there is no way to play or convert it. What do I need to do to get this done? Is there some type of file I need to provide you all with?

Even BDRebuilder can't read it, nor can VLC or MPC-BE play the m2ts files.

[MrPenguin]

I just received a new, rather unknown Blu-ray called Microphone Check: The Hidden History of Hip Hop that is definitely not in the database.

There should be enough publicly available device keys and host certificates on the Internet for libaacs to play any "standard" (i.e. non-UHD) BluRay. Obviously I cannot post any of those here though.

Having said that, MakeMKV also contains an implementation of the libaacs ABI which VLC should be able to use to play your disk directly.

[Watcherine]

There should be enough publicly available device keys and host certificates on the Internet for libaacs to play any "standard" (i.e. non-UHD) BluRay. Obviously I cannot post any of those here though.

Having said that, MakeMKV also contains an implementation of the libaacs ABI which VLC should be able to use to play your disk directly.

I appreciate your response, my friend!

I had to break out my old Blu-ray player to make sure the disc was actually playable and sure enough, it is.

Isn't there a case of some disc needing hash files to crack protection, if that's what's going on?

Also, I noticed redfox.bz is currently down, as I usually use AnyDVD HD to transfer discs to my PC. Would this affect anything with regard to being unable to crack protections and play the files?

Will providing the discatt.dat help here?

[MrPenguin]

Also, I noticed redfox.bz is currently down, as I usually use AnyDVD HD to transfer discs to my PC. Would this affect anything with regard to being unable to crack protections and play the files?

I've never noticed any need for redfox.bz when playing standard BluRays, and so I would say "No".

[MrPenguin]

Will providing the discatt.dat help here?

discatt.dat is a binary file, and it should contain the disk's Volume ID (VID). However, you would also need the disk's Media Key (MK) to convert the VID into a Volume Unique Key (VUK). And so discatt.dat isn't useful on its own.

Have you installed the aacs_info tool? This tool should be part of the libaacs installation, and (assuming you have also installed a suitable minimal KEYDB.cfg file) should be able to compute the disk's VID, MK and VUK, and then store them into your local cache. Note that aacs_info isn't strictly necessary, but is a much faster way of checking whether libaacs can decrypt your disk than launching VLC every time.

[Watcherine]

Will providing the discatt.dat help here?

discatt.dat is a binary file, and it should contain the disk's Volume ID (VID). However, you would also need the disk's Media Key (MK) to convert the VID into a Volume Unique Key (VUK). And so discatt.dat isn't useful on its own.

Have you installed the aacs_info tool? This tool should be part of the libaacs installation, and (assuming you have also installed a suitable minimal KEYDB.cfg file) should be able to compute the disk's VID, MK and VUK, and then store them into your local cache. Note that aacs_info isn't strictly necessary, but is a much faster way of checking whether libaacs can decrypt your disk than launching VLC every time.

I really do appreciate all of this detailed information, but I don't ever remember needing to do any of this to get a new Blu-ray to be read in the past. I remember people submitting requests on a forum sites like https://www.redfox.bz/ or somewhere else. Has something changed (other than redfox being currently down) where that's not available or possible anymore? Is it due to this disc not being widely available that a more manual approach is necessary?

[MrPenguin]

I really do appreciate all of this detailed information, but I don't ever remember needing to do any of this to get a new Blu-ray to be read in the past.

MakeMKV's implementation of libaacs (which is libmmbd.so.0 on Linux) should be able to decrypt any standard BluRay automatically, which is presumably what you have been using before now. I can only assume that your VLC is no longer using this MakeMKV / libaacs integration, for some reason.

Edit: Yowza! This disk has been crowd-funded! I think we need to get this disk working by the very principle of the Internet .

[Watcherine]

I really do appreciate all of this detailed information, but I don't ever remember needing to do any of this to get a new Blu-ray to be read in the past.

MakeMKV's implementation of libaacs (which is libmmbd.so.0 on Linux) should be able to decrypt any standard BluRay automatically, which is presumably what you have been using before now. I can only assume that your VLC is no longer using this MakeMKV / libaacs integration, for some reason.

Edit: Yowza! This disk has been crowd-funded! I think we need to get this disk working by the very principle of the Internet .

Dude, the content is AMAZING! I prize it as the best gift my brother has given me.

And you have also been amazing, my friend!

[MrPenguin]

Dude, the content is AMAZING! I prize it as the best gift my brother has given me.

Is it playing in VLC now? Or are you using your dedicated BluRay player instead? (Check PM)

[Watcherine]

Dude, the content is AMAZING! I prize it as the best gift my brother has given me.

Is it playing in VLC now? Or are you using your dedicated BluRay player instead? (Check PM)

I just played it on my dedicated Dynex Blu-ray player that actually circumvents Cinavia (I haven't heard anyone talk about that in a while ).

I replied to your PM.

[MrPenguin]

I just played it on my dedicated Dynex Blu-ray player that actually circumvents Cinavia (I haven't heard anyone talk about that in a while ).

Just checking, but have you added the full path to your VLC.exe into MakeMKV's "View/Preferences/Integration" tab? (I use Linux myself, but I suspect that you are using Windows.)

But even if the MakeMKV / VLC integration isn't working, I would still expect MakeMKV to be able to create a decrypted backup on your hard drive, and then VLC would be able to play the backup successfully.

[Watcherine]

I just played it on my dedicated Dynex Blu-ray player that actually circumvents Cinavia (I haven't heard anyone talk about that in a while ).

Just checking, but have you added the full path to your VLC.exe into MakeMKV's "View/Preferences/Integration" tab? (I use Linux myself, but I suspect that you are using Windows.)

But even if the MakeMKV / VLC integration isn't working, I would still expect MakeMKV to be able to create a decrypted backup on your hard drive, and then VLC would be able to play the backup successfully.

I actually don't play anything through VLC. I first convert movies I own to a smaller HEVC file with BDRebuilder and then play that through MPC-HC, JRiver, or Kodi on my HTPC.

[MrPenguin]

I actually don't play anything through VLC. I first convert movies I own to a smaller HEVC file with BDRebuilder and then play that through MPC-HC, JRiver, or Kodi on my HTPC.

Ah, OK. I am unfamiliar with this approach, and have naively been assuming that you are using MakeMKV to process your BluRay data .

Have you tried opening this disk in MakeMKV?

[Watcherine]

I actually don't play anything through VLC. I first convert movies I own to a smaller HEVC file with BDRebuilder and then play that through MPC-HC, JRiver, or Kodi on my HTPC.

Ah, OK. I am unfamiliar with this approach, and have naively been assuming that you are using MakeMKV to process your BluRay data .

Have you tried opening this disk in MakeMKV?

Oh, yes... MakeMKV is how I transferred it to my PC.

After that, I usually use BDRebuilder to shrink the size of the file.

[MrPenguin]

Oh, yes... MakeMKV is how I transferred it to my PC.

And did you also ask MakeMKV to decrypt it while transferring it to your PC?