Columbia Classics 4K (EU/UK)

[amanm]

Hi there,

I've just tried to backup the Columbia Classics 4K discs collection which were just released in the UK and when I do so, MakeMKV has the following comment:

"The volume key is unknown for this disc - video can't be decrypted".

It looks like we have to upload some sort of data dump file to a general email address so a key can be parsed - could someone clarify what this information is I am mean to upload and how I can obtain it? Also the correct email address would also be appreciated!

I presume there is no way to backup the discs in the meantime until this is addressed?

Thanks for any help.

Regards,
A

[Woodstock]

Go ahead and make a backup, without decryption, to your hard drive. This will make things faster once the key is available.

The log will show the creation of a file in your MakeMKV data directory that starts with "MKBv2" for the disk. That gets emailed to svq@makemkv.com for a decryption key to be created. After a few days, you should be able to open the backup with MakeMKV, and the "key unknown" message won't appear. You can then create MKV files or whatever from the backup.

[amanm]

Thanks Woodstock, so just because I can be a bit slow, can I just break down exactly what I am meant to do:

1) Make the backup with the decryption box unchecked
2) Go to the MakeMKV data directory for that backup and find the data directory starting "MKVv2"
3) Turn this folder into a zip file and I email it to svq@makemkv.com along with the name of the film / region.
4) Wait about a week

If I then want to create full decrypted backups (which I prefer to have), I should:

5) Delete the original encrypted backup folders created
6) Re-rip the original discs using backup but now having checked the decryption box
7) This should now work

Is that correct? Thanks for the help!

[Woodstock]

The non-decrypted backup is the only thing you can make right now, until the key is available. Doing it now means that you won't have to get the disk out to try decrypting it later... You will just open the index.bdmv file. Probably a good idea to put this first backup in a DIFFERENT directory tree than you use for decrypted backups, so you can clean up later.

The file you need to send starts with MKB2 and ends with .tgz. That's what gets sent to svq@makemkv.com. No need to zip it; it's already a compressed tar archive.

With the (still) encrypted backup on your drive still, periodically testing to see if the key has been created is faster, as will be the removal of the encryption.

[jayper]

2) Go to the MakeMKV data directory for that backup and find the data directory starting "MKVv2"

The dump files are stored in your MakeMKV data directory, not in the directory for the specific backup. To find the data directory for your machine, open MakeMKV and then "Preferences" (wrench icon). In the "General" tab, you'll see the folder structure for your data directory. All dumps are thrown there.

[amanm]

Thanks very much for the help Woodstock and Jayper, this is all very clear.

[amanm]

So bit of a strange one. Backed up the discs in encrypted format as suggested, but no files have been created in the MakeMKV data folder (which I located by checking settings/general).

I tried 2 discs (Lawrence of Arabia discs 1 & 2) and no files both times. The dialogue box showed the following:

Using LibreDrive mode (XXX)
Backing up disc into folder "XXX/backup/LAWRENCE_OF_ARABIA_DISC_2"
Loaded content hash table, will verify integrity of M2TS files.
Backup done

In the MakeMKV data folder, the only file that is there is one called "_private_data.tar" and that was already there before I tried the first backup.

I am using MakeMKV v1.15.2 and have a registered version, not sure if any of that is relevant/useful.

I have also checked the backup and that has been made as expected in the backup location folders.

Anyway, I'm a little bit at a loss to establish what is going on with this data dump, so any suggestions or help would be very much appreciated!

[amanm]

Actually, I worked it out by accident / trial and error.

The only way the "MKB2....tgz" file is created is if you select the "Decrypt video files" box on the backup page. This causes the backup to fail quickly and at the same time pushes out the data file needed.