Everything Related to Decrypt DVD and Blu-ray Discs

1. Which is better: DVD or Blu-ray?

“Which is better: DVD or Blu-ray”? This is a question frequently asked by those who want to copy and rip DVD and Blu-ray discs/movies/folders and ISO image files. Simply speaking, Blu-ray is the next generation of DVD, so Blu-ray is better than DVD is such leading aspects as capacity and resolution. For the same movie, its Blu-ray version will be clearer than its DVD version. So Blu-ray is often the pursuit of those HD movie lovers.

2. Variety of DVD and Blu-ray Copy Protection

It is not easy to copy or rip a DVD or Blu-ray as a backup for later viewing, as you have to know how to decrypt protect DVD and Blu-rays. Many files, especially those DVDs or Blu-rays in high definition are protected to avoid illegal burn. So you need to seek a DVD or a Blu-ray decrypter for help. Before finding DVD decrypter, let’s learn about the variety of DVD and Blu-ray copy protection.

2.1 DVD copy protection

First, some copy protection methods commonly used on commercial pre-recorded DVD discs includes but not limited to “Analog Protection System (APS) scrambling”, “Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption” as well as “Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM)”. Before exploring how to decrypt a DVD and burn it, let’s see how such DVD copy protection work.

(1)Analog Protection System

APS incorporated into about 75% of all DVD discs is the Macrovision DVD Copy Protection system, which is an enhanced version of the technology long used to protect video types. Through the method of manipulating the signal level of the composite video, video types copied from DVDs encoded with APS become garbled and unwatchable. Fortunately, Analog Protection System can be defeated by passing the composite video signal through a hardware device that restores the proper video signal levels.

(2)Content Scramble System Encryption

Content Scramble System Encryption, shorted as CSS, is the main copy protection scheme applied to pre-recorded DVD discs. CSS works as a data interference system. Its main working idea is to set the global optical disc to six areas and protect each area with different technologies. Only the optical drive with the decoder of this area can correctly process the data in the optical disc. When using this technology protection, all the information stored in the optical disc needs to be processed by the encoding program. To access the encoded data, the data must be decoded.

CSS utilizes a proprietary 40-bit cipher that is used to encrypt the data stored on the DVD disc. When the disc is inserted into a player or computer, a series of “authentication” handshake key exchanges occur between the DVD drive and the player software. At the end of the “authentication” process, the drive allows access to the encrypted DVD data and the player can use the key it has obtained to decrypt the DVD data and play the disc.

Many DVD drives have a tendency to completely lock out access to an encrypted disc until the drive has been “authenticated”. In addition, many DVD drives will refuse to complete the “authentication” process and provide a decryption key if the disc and drive are not from the same region. Both of these situations can cause strange behavior and odd error messages on computer systems.

(3)Content Protection for Recordable Media

CPRM is a copy protection scheme that is used for Secure Digital (SD) memory cards and recordable DVD discs, including DVD-R, DVD+R, etc. Special CPRM-compatible recordable media are required, with each disc including a unique Media ID inscribed as a bar code in the inner hub area.

When a CPRM-compliant recorder detects compatible media, it uses the unique Media ID on the disc to encrypt the data it records to the disc. If the disc is copied, the Media ID on the new disc will be different and the recorded data will not decrypt correctly.

2.2 Blu-ray copy protection

Second, let’s get down to some common Blu-ray copy protection. Besides AACS, BD+ and Cinavia, there are also BD-J, 99 Titles, BD-Live, UOPs, CCL, etc. They may work differently, but the final result is caused your copied file unreadable or lost.

(1)AACS Encryption

The Advanced Access Content System is the first level of copy protection applied to pre-recorded discs. AACS is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to restrict access to and copying of the post-DVD generation of optical discs.

AACS includes a system by which the keys assigned to a particular player can be “revoked” for future Blu-ray disc releases if it is determined that those keys have been compromised. When a newer Blu-ray disc is inserted into an older drive, the drive is required to check the version of the “Media Key Block” (MKB) on the disc and, if it is newer than the one the drive has internally, to copy over to permanent non-volatile memory the newer MKB. Thus playing newer discs propagates the revoked key lists out to all drives.

(2)BD+ Protection

BD+ Protection is the second level of copy protection that is optional for pre-recorded Blu-ray discs. After the stream files are encrypted using AACS encryption, they are further mangled randomly with instructions on how to repair the mangled files stored on the disc as special BD+ instructions. These instructions run in something called a “BD+ virtual machine”, special software that Blu-ray players are required to include. The virtual machine on the player runs the BD+ code on the disc and retrieves something called the “Fix-up Table” to repair all the BD+ mangled regions on the disc.

(3)Cinavia

Cinavia is an advanced anti-piracy technology that embeds this technology (i.e. audio watermarks) into sound files to generate inaudible sound information. Even after re-encoding or external recording, Cinavia-generated anti-piracy cannot be eliminated. Information can still be identified by dedicated devices. Cinavia will embed certain protecting information in the sound of the film, such as embedding specific cinema-only information in the theater, embedding information that is only available for Blu-ray discs in Blu-ray discs, thereby preventing cinema piracy and Blu-ray Disc piracy. Cinavia has been widely used in new Blu-ray movies and Blu-ray players. More and more film manufactures use this technology.

3. Which Is The Best DVD and Blu-ray Decrypter?

In order to copy or rip DVD and Blu-ray files smoothly, DVD and Blu-ray decrypters are badly needed. Where to find the best DVD and Blu-ray decrypter? Don’t worry. There are DVD copy software easily accessible to help you decrypt DVD and Blu-ray copy protection. 

(1)DVDFab DVD Copy

DVDFab DVD Copy is safe and easy to use on both Windows 10/8/7 and Mac. It can  remove encryption embedded in DVDs like APS, CSS, CPRM, Cinavia automatically. This DVD decrypter lets you copy DVDs to an ISO file, folder, or another blank DVD disc. With the help of this free software, you can watch multi-language DVDs and select favorite audio languages and subtitles. Moreover, DVDFab DVD Copy provides six main modules that are listed below.

Full Disc: this is module allows you to copy the entire DVD disc to an ISO or a folder or directly burn it to a blank DVD5 or DVD 9.

Main Movie: as you can tell from its name, this module only supports you to copy the main movie and skip the rest. Yet, you also have options to ‘Choose Other Title’ and select multiple DVD chapters for copying and save them as an ISO, folder, or burn to a blank DVD disc. Only one title can be selected at a time in this module.

Clone/Burn: this module can let you make a copy and burn the DVD content to another blank DVD in a 1:1 lossless ration. You can also save an ISO in a 1:1 lossless ration.

Split: as its name suggests - split a DVD9 into two DVD 5 discs.

Customize: copy any content from the DVD disc you want. A DVD has multiple video files. In this module, you can decide to copy which video files.

Merge: as the name refers, you can merge multiple DVDs in to one single DVD. This module aims to make watching DVDs more convenient for you without changing DVDs.

How to decrypt DVD by DVDFab DVD Copy

1. Before starting, please download and install the latest DVDFab 11 as DVDFab DVD Copy is one of its products.

2. Choose Copy mode on the home screen. Then you can insert your disc or click on “+” button to load a source or drag and drop ISO file or folder to the interface. After that, you can select a copy module you want.

3. Before copy, you can do some settings through Advanced Settings or other buttons in advance to customize your file. Here we will take Main Movie module as an example. For instance, you can click Advanced Settings, a wrench icon to select the output video resolution, etc. Possibly, you can also select audio tracks or change the subtitle.

4. Another thing you can do before hitting Start is to decide how to output your file through the options below the interface. Once this is done, you are free to initiate the process.

(2) DVDFab DVD Ripper

If you want to copy a DVD to MP4 or any other formats available on mobile devices directly, DVDFab DVD Ripper is of great help. This free software works on both Windows and Mac, providing lots of convenient services. Now, let me show you how to use it.

Steps on how to copy DVD to MP4

1. Belonging to DVDFab 11, you may need to download and install DVDFab 11 in order to use DVDFab DVD Ripper.

2. Find and locate the Ripper mode on the home screen. Then you can select a video profile from the left upper side of the interface, for example, an MP4 format. After that, it is time for you to load a source. You can choose to insert a disc or click + button on the interface or you can decide to load a source by dragging and dropping ISO file or folder to the interface.

3. When a source is loaded, you can do some customizations through some options shown in the pictures above. For instance, you can use Advanced Settings to choose video resolution or you can use video editor to crop, trim or add text to the video.

4. After customizations, you can start the ripping process.

(3) DVDFab Blu-ray Copy

This is a free Blu-ray decrypter software and also the best free Blu-ray decrypter software that supports you to copy your Blu-ray discs by providing you with five unique copy modules.

Full Disc: copy the entire Blu-ray disc to an ISO (BD50, BD25) or a folder or directly burn it to a blank BD50 or BD 25.

Main Movie: only copy the main movie and skip the rest. You also have options to ‘Choose Other Titles’ and select multiple Blu-ray chapters for copying and save them as an ISO, folder, or burn to a blank BD50/25 disc. Only one title can be selected at a time in this module.

Clone/Burn: make a copy and burn the Blu-ray content to another blank BD50/25 in a 1:1 lossless ration.

Customize: copy any content from the Blu-ray disc you want. A Blu-ray has multiple video files. In this module, you can decide to copy a video file whichever you want. You are also allowed to select chapters, audio and subtitles.

Merge: merge several Blu-ray discs into one single BD.

How to decrypt Blu-rays using DVDFab Blu-ray Copy

1. Download and install DVDFab Blu-ray copy before you want to do other operations.

2. Launch the software when finish installation. On the home screen, select the Copy option from the menu bar at the top. If you have attached to the Blu-ray player then insert the BD disk into it and navigate to it after click on the Add button on the main screen or just drag and drop ISO or the Blu-ray folder to the main screen.

3. Once you have loaded the file, you can go to the Mode Switcher menu at the left side of the interface to select copy mode you want.

4. Before decrypting and copying, you can define the volume label and choose the output size in your need through the Advanced Settings, a wrench icon. Apart from this, you can also select an audio track or a subtitle, etc.

5. At the bottom of the interface, you can decide how to save the output files. In the “Save to” bar you can save the output file to a blank disc; by clicking the ISO icon, you can create an ISO and also you can copy them to a folder by clicking the folder icon.

6. When all these settings are done, you can hit the start button to initiate the process. A new window will open showing you the progress where you can pause or cancel the task if needed. You can also minimize the window if required.

(4) DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper

Don’t limit yourself to DVDs of one format. Down-convert your Blu-ray DVDs to enjoy your movies in both Blu-ray and standard DVD format, on all of your DVD players. While the quality of Blu-ray discs is much higher than standard DVDs, chances are not all of your DVD players are Blu-ray compatible. But with the help of a Blu-ray ripper, you can down-convert your discs and make them compatible with standard DVD players.

DVDFab Blu-ray ripper and decrypter is a perfect tool for ripping those encrypted Blu-ray discs. DVDFab Blu-ray ripper can rip and decrypt Blu-ray discs with ease. The reason to need a Blu-ray ripper is that Blu-ray format can not be supported by every device. Hence, you need to convert this format to other common video formats like MKV, AVI, or MP4 and more. There are many video profiles available for ripping. You will find almost every video format you want your Blu-ray to rip with. When the ripping is done, you can save the ripped content on your computer’s hard drive and play it on other devices.

How to decrypt Blu-ray using DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper

1. Download and install DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper

2. Then run this software and select Ripper option on the main interface. Next move is to load a source. Speaking of loading a source, you can insert a disc or click on “+” button or you can drag and drop ISO file or folder to the location of “+” button.

Then you can move your sight to the profile switcher to choose a profile for conversion.

3. When a source is loaded in, some customizations can be done. On the interface, you can select audio track and subtitles. Besides, you must have noticed that there are Advanced Settings option and video editor option.

As for the Advanced Settings option, you can select resolution and video quality, just to name a few.

The video editor option offers you more. For example, you can add text or image on your video. You are also allowed to crop video, trim video and do other operations through video eiditor.

4. Once all settings are done, you can initiate the progress by clicking Start button.

(5) DVDFab HD Decrypter – Free Blu-ray Decrypter

DVDFab HD decrypter is also one of the best free DVD decrypters. It is a cost-free and simplified version of DVD Blu-ray Copy and DVD Blu-ray Ripper combined. This version only get two options for copying Blu-ray discs: Main Movie and Full Disc. In HD Decrypter, you are not allowed to burn BD25. Apart from these limitations, you can save Blu-ray disc as a folder and ISO and burn your Blu-ray disc to BD50.

Full Disc: Decrypt and copy the entire Blu-ray disc to a folder. If you want to create ISOs and burn a blank BD50, you will need ImageBurn.

Main Movie: only copy the main movie from a Blu-ray disc. A Blu-ray disc can have multiple lengthy movies. These are referred to as main movies. If you select this copy mode, then the longest movie will be selected by default.

Conclusion

In short, this article is packed with almost all the information related to decrypt DVD and Blu-rays. These software we introduced are the best DVD and Blu-ray decrypters and are good at performing their job.