How to keep BD-Live while having Blu-ray region code removed with AnyDVD HD.

[SuperGoof]

With Peer's permission, I'm creating this new thread.

At first, I would like to thank Peer (it was his idea to add this functionality to these programs: http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?p=136969#post136969) and James for their assistance.

In short, to keep BD-Live while having Blu-ray region code removed with AnyDVD HD, you will need two addtional small programs:
- Blu-ray Region Code Remover (always needed)
- Blu-ray Disc Ripper (needed if downloaded BD-Live content includes encrypted .m2t files)

Please refer to "Fix_BD-Live.txt" file included with "Blu-ray Region Code Remover" on how to use these programs or read below.

If you have questions, you can ask them on this forum.

"Fix_BD-Live.txt" content:

BD-Live is a Blu-ray feature which allows extending of the content and navigation of a Blu-ray disc by downloading additional content and application files from the Internet using Blu-ray player's network connection.

BD-Live applications may include various games, exclusive special features, refreshed previews etc. (See, for example http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/bdlive/, or use Google to search for "BD-Live".)

Downloaded BD-Live files extend files located on a Blu-ray disc and essentially become part of the disc. Therefore if you modify files of a Blu-ray disc (by decrypting .m2ts files or removing Blu-ray region code), downloaded BD-Live files have to be modified as well, or the disc might not (in most cases, will not) play, if Blu-ray player is BD-Live capable (and latest versions of PowerDVD 7.3, PowerDVD 8 and TMT are).

AnyDVD HD does not modify downloaded BD-Live files, that's why if you enable "Remove Blu-ray Region Code" option in AnyDVD's user interface, "Disable BD-Live" option gets enabled as well, and it cannot be disabled while leaving "Remove Blu-ray Region Code" enabled.

But for many people it is still desirable to keep BD-Live while removing Blu-ray region code. And with AnyDVD HD 6.4.8.5 (or later) and "Blu-ray Region Code Remover 2.5", you can do exactly that!

AnyDVD HD 6.4.8.5 (or later) has a special registry value "noBDLiveRemoval" (of DWORD type, default 0) under [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SlySoft\AnyDVD\Settings] key. If this value is set to 1, AnyDVD will never remove BD-Live, regardless of the UI setting. But, if "Remove Blu-ray Region Code" is enabled, you will have to run "Blu-ray Region Code Remover 2.5" (and, in some cases "Blu-ray Disc Ripper 1.5") to modify downloaded BD-Live files, or the disc simply will not play.

This is what you should do in order to play Blu-ray discs with BD-Live if AnyDVD is running on the background and "Remove Blu-ray Region Code" option is enabled:

1. Run "AnyDVD_noBDLiveRemoval_On.reg" file located in "Blu-ray Region Code Remover 2.5" folder. This will set AnyDVD's "noBDLiveRemoval" registry value to 1.

2. Restart AnyDVD: right-click on the AnyDVD's red fox icon, and select "Exit". Then start AnyDVD using its shortcut in the Start Menu (SlySoft -> AnyDVD -> AnyDVD).

3. Enable AnyDVD: right-click on the AnyDVD's red fox icon, and select "Enable AnyDVD".

4. Insert a Blu-ray disc with BD-Live feature (e.g. "Iron Man").

5. Start PowerDVD or another Blu-ray player application (here we assume the application is BD-Live capable). It will start loading disc menu: usually you will see some picture indicating the menu is loading. For BD-Live titles, usually it downloads a few files from the Internet during this time. When it finishes downloading them, the next thing you will see is the black screen. This is because downloaded files have to be modified to match modified files on disc. Once you get the black screen, press the stop button in PowerDVD (or exit it).

6. Run "Blu-ray Region Code Remover 2.5". Make following settings:
- In "Folder:", select Blu-ray disc folder (e.g. "F:\").
- In "Disc Region:", select the region of your disc (e.g. "Region A").
- In "Select Action", select the second option ("Fix downloaded BD-Live files" etc.).
- If it is not yet selected, select your Blu-ray player from the list. This will set the default BD-Live cache folder for the selected player. In most cases, you don't have to select BD-Live cache folder manually. The default setting should work just fine. In case you set a BD-Live cache folder manually, please note, that the path should be up to (but not including) the 'BUDA' subfolder. The program adds 'BUDA' subfolder and then several other subfolders, to create a path for a particular Blu-ray disc.
- Press the 'Start' button. If downloaded BD-Live cache files were successfully modified, you will get confirmation message(s).

7. Restart disc playback in PowerDVD or another application. This time it should display some message e.g. "Would you like to download BD-Live features?". If you select "Yes", PowerDVD will start downloading additional files from the Internet. When it finishes, it usually displays some confirmation message e.g. "Disc update complete. Press 'Continue' to proceed.". When you press 'Continue', it will see the black screen again, as newly downloaded files have to be modified as well. Press the stop button in PowerDVD or exit it.

8. Repeat item 6.

9. Restart disc playback in PowerDVD or another application. This time the disc menu should load and you can now play
both the main movie and special features, including BD-Live applications.

10. Sometimes downloaded BD-Live content will include AACS-encrypted .m2t or .m2ts files, which will have to be decrypted for BD-Live application(s) to work. You should use "Blu-ray Disc Ripper 1.5" (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=129663) in order to do this. You will have to obtain a Volume Unique Key for your title, which you will have to provide to the program. Please refer to the program itself on how to do it.

If you used "Blu-ray Disc Ripper" to rip BD-Live enabled Blu-ray disc to hard drive folder, and then used "Blu-ray Region Code Remover" to remove Blu-ray region code from ripped files, you will also have to fix BD-Live files in order to play such folder (if you have a player capable of playing from folders) or to play mounted .iso file created from such folder. The workflow is the same as above.

If you have questions, you can ask them on the forum (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=135620).

 

[fast eddie]

It appears to me that if Sony and the MPAA truely carried about the hid def DVD fan, and with the high cost of commercial BD ROM disks that they would include disk 2 for all the so called extra's.

This way, you would not need a Blu-ray player profile 2.0 and up, BD-LIVE on disk 1, an internet connection, and then they could not track your habits back to their internet server using disk 1.

Disk 1 would be all the hi def movie video and audio
Disk 2 would be all the extra's that Sony and the MPAA want to dump on you and track your habits such as BD-LIVE

:agree:

 

[tekmobile]

It appears to me that if Sony and the MPAA truely carried about the hid def DVD fan, and with the high cost of commercial BD ROM disks that they would include disk 2 for all the so called extra's.

This way, you would not need a Blu-ray player profile 2.0 and up, BD-LIVE on disk 1, an internet connection, and then they could not track your habits back to their internet server using disk 1.

Disk 1 would be all the hi def movie video and audio
Disk 2 would be all the extra's that Sony and the MPAA want to dump on you and track your habits such as BD-LIVE

:agree:

BD-Live is more than just extras its interactive content that you can use with other people that you know, dynamic content that can be updated and added to and with the invention of interactive games on DVD's BD-Live would allow you to extend this functionality to also play with friends and family over the internet while still keeping special features included on a 2nd BD disc or the 1st disc.

The only people that would loose out are the ones using pirated copies etc we have only just scratched the surface of what BD-Live can offer (hopefully)

 

[Adbear]

@tekmobile
There are a lot of us out here who have no interest in BD-live and it's ability to give studios information about you without your consent. Neither myself or any of my friends have any interest in it and buy the discs purely to see the movie not to have to wait whilst it downloads stuff you don't want or causes the player to lock up until the next firmware release.

 

[tekmobile]

@tekmobile
There are a lot of us out here who have no interest in BD-live and it's ability to give studios information about you without your consent. Neither myself or any of my friends have any interest in it and buy the discs purely to see the movie not to have to wait whilst it downloads stuff you don't want or causes the player to lock up until the next firmware release.

So don't allow your player to connect to BD-Live and don't use it but there are plenty of people that do use it everything on the internet is logged such as everytime you visit this site the server will log your IP address, browser, operating system, time, date etc and this is all available to the site owner and your ISP will also probably log where you visit, what you download and at what time etc unless its over a secure connection its the world we live in.

 

[Adbear]

I don't allow my player to connect to the internet, but to make such a sweeping statement that the only people who lose out are pirates is ridiculous, BD-live has already proven to cause problems with playback even if you have the original disc with a fully compliant system whether it's a set top player or on a PC set up.
And yes being connected to the net does send information to the ISP, but they don't directly access the information for marketing purposes which is what the movie companies will be doing with the information they gather, and one of the things they've talked about doing with the info they gather through BD-live is to target you with advertising, so not only will you get the masses of trailers on the disc, but then they start downloading more adverts onto your system without your consent

 

[Tox]

And not to forget, if this system is consequently conceived they can not only update or add content, they can also remove content, what they will definitively do if it's actually possible and they have a reason to do so.

 

[r4dius]

Hi,

I'm not sure to understand this,
does it mean if I use this method to remove region check from a bd-live blu-ray, i won't be able to use bd-live if I burn it and play it in some standalone player like a PS3 ?

Thanks

 

[PrincipalityFusion]

So don't allow your player to connect to BD-Live and don't use it but there are plenty of people that do use it everything on the internet is logged such as everytime you visit this site the server will log your IP address, browser, operating system, time, date etc and this is all available to the site owner and your ISP will also probably log where you visit, what you download and at what time etc unless its over a secure connection its the world we live in.

I agree with both of you. How's that for bipartisanship

Anyways, it is a good feature for those that want to use it, but to say that everyone who doesn't want BDLive is a pirate is blatantly wrong. I put my Blu Rays on my server so that i can easily watch movies with my family and friends who are in the same room with me. I don't care about "interactivity" with others accross the internet. Call me old fashioned, but watching movies is meant to be a passive thing (except for Rocky Horror Picture sow) and if i want be active, i'll go play my Wii.

But that's just me. Some people, such as yourself, like the interactivity. I don't, but i'm definitely not a pirate either.

 

[reaper]

@tekmobile
There are a lot of us out here who have no interest in BD-live and it's ability to give studios information about you without your consent. Neither myself or any of my friends have any interest in it and buy the discs purely to see the movie not to have to wait whilst it downloads stuff you don't want or causes the player to lock up until the next firmware release.

=====================================================

It is called Data Collection.
It lets whoever get all the info so they can target you for promos of anything they want.
Also gives them your ip and other private info.
This got started back in 1986-87 time frame.
A lot of big companys use it to watch employes to see if they are doing there job or not.

Sorry for the long answer.....