Log in

View Full Version : Ripping Blu-Ray from External Drive?


wisenheimer
16th February 2010, 16:53
A couple of years ago, I went through the process off ripping my personal DVD collection and putting them all on an external drive. Though it took a while, I have really enjoyed the experience of having all my movies in one place and the ability to navigate them with Media Center (XP Edition 2005).

When considering Blu-Ray, I had to choose between a stand-alone player or a Blu-Ray drive for my PC. The problem is, my PC is old enough that it is not HDCP compliant. That being the case, I purchased a stand alone blu-ray player. I have really enjoyed the hi-def picture.

Ultimately I would like do the same thing with my Blu-ray discs as I did with my DVDs. I'd really like to start this process while I only have @ 10 discs rather than waiting until I have 100+ like I did with my DVDs! But there's that whole 'PC is not HDCP' thing.

Recently , I read an article that I thought translated into 'A PC only has to be HDCP compliant to play a Blu-Ray, but not necessarily to read a Blu-Ray.' Then I read a blurb on the MakeMKV page that said "MKV files do not have evil features attached. You can play them on any capable hardware. No need for HDCP-certified video card or any "trusted" environment."

So here's my thought... Could I buy an internal Blu-Ray drive, put it in an external case, and then use a program like Make MKV to create files that I can then view with VLC, etc?

I would appreciate any input on this, including what kind of drive or external case I might need.

deank
16th February 2010, 18:34
You have few paths to chose from:

* Backup to BD-R discs
* Backup to DVD discs
* Backup to HDD disks

For the first two you need to use BD-Rebuilder.

For the 3rd you need Playstation3, LG, JVC or TViX... (AVCHD played from USB or MKV from USB) If you want only the main movie without the extras of your original Blu-ray disc then all can work for you.

Dean

wisenheimer
16th February 2010, 19:24
I would like to back up the Blu-Ray to the hard drive with MakeMKV (or similar software). I just don't know the ins and outs of HDCP. Is this possible to do with an external blu-ray drive (internal drive in an external case) even though my PC is not HDCP?

Capsbackup
17th February 2010, 01:42
I would like to back up the Blu-Ray to the hard drive with MakeMKV (or similar software). I just don't know the ins and outs of HDCP. Is this possible to do with an external blu-ray drive (internal drive in an external case) even though my PC is not HDCP?

Yes, you can use/install an internal Blu-Ray player in a PC, if you have SATA inputs, or an internal drive in an external enclosure, again, if it accepts SATA inputs from the drive, and can be USB 2.0 or ESATA output to PC, for ripping.
You will not be able to play back the Blu-Ray content unless the PC/video card supports BD playback. Ripping will be fine though.
I'm not sure about MakeMKV ripped files for playback, but if you use MPC or MPC Homecinema for playback, and the PC/video card/memory is fast enough to support it, then it should work.

Robert N.
26th February 2010, 19:29
Or if you have ANYDVD HD installed,the BluRay will play anyway without the need for the PC to be HDCP compliant...:cool:

wisenheimer
26th February 2010, 20:13
Thanks!