"automatic sdf downloading is disabled or failed" while decrypting

[Billycar11]

Apologies in advance for my ignorance, but I can't understand most of the solutions in this thread!

Is it just safe to say that something is broken and will be fixed in a future update?

No your dns is broken

[SamuriHL]

More to the point, there's nothing Mike can do to "fix it". This is a DNS problem and those can't be solved the end point. It's that simple.

[Woodstock]

I decided to ask the Oracle of Google for insight on "127.0.0.54" responses from DNS calls. Lots of chaff, but some hits on DNS servers that time out while making upstream requests, and return 127.0.0.54 as a default response. It isn't just the domains in use for the hash key file.

A post from earlier this month said Spectrum Communications DNS servers were doing this, and the fix was changing to Google. Some mail servers rely on getting proper reverse-DNS lookups get back 127.0.0.54 instead, so sending mail to them fails. There is even some traffic about a popular way of encrypting your DNS traffic that returns 127.0.0.54 for a lot of domains.

Long and short of it is, there appears to be quite a number of almost, but not quite, broken DNS servers out there, that are sensitive to timing out on requests and giving bogus responses.

[SamuriHL]

Which, again, bolsters the case for using a proper DNS server. It's more important than merely resolving the MakeMKV HK file. Broken DNS servers are a real pain in the ass for many reasons.

[kingston12]

Apologies in advance for my ignorance, but I can't understand most of the solutions in this thread!

Is it just safe to say that something is broken and will be fixed in a future update?

No your dns is broken

Thanks. I’m up and running on my other machine now, so I’ll have to work out how to fix the main one.

[theirongiant]

Apologies in advance for my ignorance, but I can't understand most of the solutions in this thread!

Is it just safe to say that something is broken and will be fixed in a future update?

No your dns is broken

In situations like these I like to recite: "DNS Haiku" by Reddit user SSBroski:

It's not DNS.
There's no way it's DNS!
...it was DNS.

[Billycar11]

This is a one time kinda thing i dont know if these work on mac windows linux but here is the latest windows version as of the day of this post.
It has updated sdf and hashedkeys in this
delete your privatedata.tar and replace it with this one
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SSo_O- ... sp=sharing updated 12/20/2020

[mvcoder]

Hi all, I'm new here.

I've recently noticed I am getting this error also. I can manually download sdf.bin from https://www.makemkv.com/svq/sdf.bin and place it in the .MakeMKV data directory, but this doesn't stop the error message, nor does the file _private_data.tar appear to be updated (at least since 21 Sep 19)

My drive is a Pioneer BDR-209D 1.34 with no LibreDrive support and I have no problems at all successfully decrypting the latest BD disc titles into mkv files.

As I don't decrypt 4K, have no UHD drive, and no LibreDrive support, is the sdf.bin file redundant in my case?

Up until recently, I'm fairly certain my makeMKV (1.14.5) has been successfully downloading sdf.bin.

Any help appreciated.

[cappy1]

Based on an earlier suggestion, I tried using my iPhone Personal Hotspot temporarily and this worked without any DNS gymnastics.

[Billycar11]

Hi all, I'm new here.

I've recently noticed I am getting this error also. I can manually download sdf.bin from https://www.makemkv.com/svq/sdf.bin and place it in the .MakeMKV data directory, but this doesn't stop the error message, nor does the file _private_data.tar appear to be updated (at least since 21 Sep 19)

My drive is a Pioneer BDR-209D 1.34 with no LibreDrive support and I have no problems at all successfully decrypting the latest BD disc titles into mkv files.

As I don't decrypt 4K, have no UHD drive, and no LibreDrive support, is the sdf.bin file redundant in my case?

Up until recently, I'm fairly certain my makeMKV (1.14.5) has been successfully downloading sdf.bin.

Any help appreciated.

redundant the keys are only for UHD

[video_newb]

I've done this as well on a laptop; used a mifi connected to Verizon. Same issue.

I reported a few days ago that the error disappeared on it's own but it has now returned. For both machines, regardless of Spectrum or Verizon or iPhone connection (tried that as well).

I get that it is probably DNS but this seems to be a pretty widespread and continuing issue. Why, as an alternative, does downloading the sdf binary and placing it in the data directory manually not work?

[SamuriHL]

Because the SDF does not contain the hashed keys.

[dhenderson]

I'm having this problem as well. No matter PC or Mac, regardless of Wi-Fi connection. Any suggestions for a work around or possible download that may fix would be greatly appreciated.

[Billycar11]

I'm having this problem as well. No matter PC or Mac, regardless of Wi-Fi connection. Any suggestions for a work around or possible download that may fix would be greatly appreciated.

6 posts up I put a temporary solution
No one seemed to notice though still geting emails about it and most didn't even buy a drive from me I still answer them though

[EmKayVe]

I just wanted to reiterate a fix to this problem. It was a DNS issue for me. I changed the following:

Internet Protocol Versions 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties:

If using a static IP address leave the "obtain an IP address automatically" alone. If not using a static IP address then check the box "obtain an IP address automatically".

Check the box "use the following DNS server addresses".

Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

Check the box "Validate settings upon exit". Ignore or cancel any troubleshooting dialog boxes.

Hit Windows and type CMD. Left click CMD and run as admin.

Type “ipconfig /flushdns” without quotations and hit enter. Then relaunch makemkv and you should be good to go.