[Resolved] PDVD 7.3 & Braveheart (US) Disc 1

[RBBrittain]

I've run into a problem trying to play Disc 1 of Braveheart (Region A, US) on my PC; it doesn't appear with Disc 2 or Gladiator, or on my PS3. (I just bought both at Best Buy.) I have PowerDVD 7.3 build 5105; Cyberlink's ActiveX update site (where I got it while SlySoft was still working on Slumdog) says it's current, and their public site is still on 4617a. I use 32-bit Vista SP2.

When it starts to play, the red flag "waiting" logo flashes momentarily; then the screen goes blank. During the first minute or so, my bandwidth monitor (US Robotics' iBand) shows heavy download volume; I tracked it down to Limelight Networks, which operates a "content delivery network". However, the screen remains blank--on Title 73, Chapter 0--for as long as I've tried it (the longest was 6 minutes); the only way out of it was to stop playback. This is the same whether AnyDVD HD is enabled, disabled, or not running at all. Though the screen goes blank, it always comes back when you move the mouse; thus it's probably not a video-driver problem.

Though I wasn't trying to rip it initially, after reviewing the error stickies in the AnyDVD HD forum I downloaded ImgBurn, disabled AnyDVD HD, then ripped it to HDD; no errors were reported. I then restarted AnyDVD HD, mounted the ISO with VCD, and tried to play from ISO; exact same result.

I can only think of a handful of possibilities:

1. Disc is incompatible with PowerDVD 7.3--though I can't see how, the download would seem to be consistent with that theory.
2. Paramount is launching a new BD+ totally different from Fox's BD+--so different that I got no BD+ messages at all, and even though Disc 2 & Gladiator don't have it. (Far-fetched, but not impossible.)
3. The disc is bad--even though it didn't affect ripping from the same drive, the ISO had the exact same problem, and my PS3 can read it. (Highly unlikely, but still not impossible.)

Any other ideas as to what this might be? Any solutions?

(Edit: Forgot to attach AnyDVD & ImgBurn logs. Disc was also scanned by Bumblebee.)

 

[bracket cable]

I use 7.3 (I think version 4407) and I do not have this problem.

It stays on a black screen for about 45 seconds. Next I get the red flag loading for a few seconds, and then the Paramount logo appears, and the finally the menus. The loading seems a bit long but I don't know if any of this behaviour is abnormal, so I'll just describe it as it happens.

Country of origin for the disc is Canada. Purchased it in a physical retail store a couple hours ago.

Summary for drive E: (AnyDVD 6.5.7.6)
HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW GGC-H20L 1.03 41051508167C3G2312
Drive (Hardware) Region: 1

Media is a Blu-Ray disc.

Total size: 23779808 sectors (46444 MBytes)
Video Blu-ray label: BRAVEHEART_D1_AC
Media is AACS protected!
AACS MKB version 12
Removed AACS copy protection!

 

[Adbear]

Try manually setting the region of the disc in AnyDVD HD to the region of the disc and try it with 'disable BD-live' ticked and unticked

 

[RBBrittain]

Try manually setting the region of the disc in AnyDVD HD to the region of the disc and try it with 'disable BD-live' ticked and unticked

Checking "Remove Blu-ray Region Code" & setting to Region A worked on both the physical disc (which I tested first) and the ISO (still mounted in VCD); "Disable BD-Live" was already checked. Before this, AnyDVD didn't detect the disc's region code; now it detects it as Region A on both physical disc & ISO. Thanks!

 

[James]

Checking "Remove Blu-ray Region Code" & setting to Region A worked on both the physical disc (which I tested first) and the ISO (still mounted in VCD); "Disable BD-Live" was already checked. Before this, AnyDVD didn't detect the disc's region code; now it detects it as Region A on both physical disc & ISO. Thanks!

Well, AFAIK Paramount doesn't use any region coding.

 

[RBBrittain]

Well, AFAIK Paramount doesn't use any region coding.

The package doesn't have the Region A icon either, and I always assumed if AnyDVD HD couldn't find the region on a BD it wasn't region-coded. But then, telling AnyDVD HD to crack Region A was what did the trick--almost like RCE, but without the warning map (even though it's the correct region).

Wonder if that had anything to do with Fox, who owns the film outside the US and *does* use region coding (at least here)? Fox's involvement, along with Paramount's forthcoming use of BD+, were why one of my initial guesses was a new kind of BD+ (even though AnyDVD HD didn't detect it).

 

[Webslinger]

No. It's not BD+. It's more likely a BD-Live issue possibly involving a bug or setting in PDVD 7.3 (5105).

This is the same whether AnyDVD HD is enabled, disabled, or not running at all.

Then it's not an Anydvd issue.

 

[mike_r]

You can just make a movie only copy and enjoy the film.

 

[RBBrittain]

No. It's not BD+. It's more likely a BD-Live issue possibly involving a bug or setting in PDVD 7.3 (5105).

Already figured that out since Adbear's solution fixed it. My response to James was mainly about region coding; I mentioned BD+ only because that idea also came from Fox's involvement with this title internationally.

Not an Anydvd issue

Which is why I posted here instead of in the AnyDVD forum; my initial testing suggested it was more than likely a PDVD issue, for which this is the proper forum. (AnyDVD did help fix it, however.:clap

 

[Webslinger]

Already figured that out since Adbear's solution fixed it. My response to James was mainly about region coding; I mentioned BD+ only because that idea also came from Fox's involvement with this title internationally.

I find it unlikely that there's region coding on this disc. I should be able to confirm tomorrow.

 

[Webslinger]

I find it unlikely that there's region coding on this disc. I should be able to confirm tomorrow.

Mmm . . .

There is, in fact, region coding on this disc, which Anydvd HD detects perfectly fine. The disc contains BD-J, of course, but not BD+.

Actually, there's nothing special involving this disc. TMT 3.0.1.140 plays it with Anydvd set at default settings or with Region code removal enabled perfectly fine. PUOs are handled properly as well.

 

[James]

Mmm . . .

There is, in fact, region coding on this disc, which Anydvd HD detects perfectly fine.

Interesting. Paramount joins the club...

 

[RBBrittain]

Mmm . . .

There is, in fact, region coding on this disc, which Anydvd HD detects perfectly fine. The disc contains BD-J, of course, but not BD+.

Actually, there's nothing special involving this disc. TMT 3.0.1.140 plays it with Anydvd set at default settings or with Region code removal enabled perfectly fine. PUOs are handled properly as well.

Hmmm... Mine didn't detect region coding until I selected region code removal. Wonder if it was the combination of removing BD-Live & PUOs but *not* region coding, as I had before? (Adbear mentioned unchecking the BD-Live box as a possibility, but I didn't test that because region code removal did the trick.)

 

[RBBrittain]

Interesting. Paramount joins the club...

Or did Paramount "join" for Braveheart only because Fox (who owns the foreign rights) uses it? Gladiator didn't have region coding; AFAIK Universal (who owns its foreign rights--and also stuck Paramount with the poor transfer) doesn't use it.

 

[Webslinger]

Hmmm... Mine didn't detect region coding until I selected region code removal.

Why would it otherwise? The feature is either enabled or it isn't.

Also, there is no distinction. I have the same disc. Anydvd HD handles this disc perfectly fine. There is nothing abnormal with this disc at all.

Wonder if it was the combination of removing BD-Live & PUOs but *not* region coding, as I had before?

Only insofar as the feature in Anydvd is either turned on or not . . .
And the feature works with this disc in combination of whatever settings you choose.

 

[SuperGoof]

There was an article on blu-ray.com that both Gradiator and Braveheart would be region coded: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=3291

 

[RBBrittain]

After Webslinger's last comments, I just turned region code removal back off, then tried it again; this time it worked (both ISO & original disc). My status window & logfile, both from original disc:

Summary for drive E: (AnyDVD 6.5.7.7)
HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW GGC-H20L 1.03 41051508187C3I1252
Drive (Hardware) Region: 1

Media is a Blu-Ray disc.

Total size: 23779808 sectors (46444 MBytes)
Video Blu-ray label: BRAVEHEART_D1_AC
Media is AACS protected!
AACS MKB version 12
Removed AACS copy protection!
Can't determine region code!
Blu-ray Java signatures fixed!
BD-Live deactivated!
Removed UOPs!

I didn't post my original status window (lazy, or just stupid?), but I don't recall it having BD-J or BD-Live messages; the original logfile's AnyDVD_Status.txt confirms that. And in addition to AnyDVD HD (probably not relevant but it was updated), I updated one other program--Java, from update 15 to update 16. What's more, I had to download the full Java installer, as auto-update didn't detect anything (though I knew an update existed) and the java.com mini-updater crashed due to missing files.

My best guess now is that my Java VM was either damaged or otherwise incompatible with this disc; because of this and lack of region code removal, AnyDVD HD never detected BD-J (much less BD-Live). Enabling region code removal forced AnyDVD HD to remove BD-J on the front end, thus bypassing the issue; Java update 16 fixed the underlying problem.

 

[Webslinger]

recall it having BD-J or BD-Live messages

That's normal at default Anydvd HD settings.

Turning on region coding removal automatically disables bd-live by default, and so, you see messages about Blu-ray Java and BD-Live being deactivated.

the original logfile's AnyDVD_Status.txt confirms that

Normal and expected

My best guess now is that my Java VM was either damaged or otherwise incompatible with this disc; because of this and lack of region code removal, AnyDVD HD never detected BD-J (much less BD-Live).

No. There's no need for that stuff being mentioned at default settings.

Enabling region code removal forced AnyDVD HD to remove BD-J on the front end, thus bypassing the issue

Your version of Powerdvd is the issue--or your downloaded BD-live directory is messed up (and needs to be cleaned).

This disc plays fine with or without region coding enabled, provided the player is set to the same region as the disc. Works with Powerdvd 7.3.4407.0 (I just tested this as well) and TMT 3.0.1.140

 

[RBBrittain]

That's normal at default Anydvd HD settings.

But "Disable BD-Live" was checked at all times--even before I enabled region code removal. (So was PUO.) Thus, disabling region code removal alone made my settings exactly what they were when I had the problem, with the only difference being the AnyDVD HD & Java updates.

Since BD-Live was supposed to be disabled from the beginning, the BD-J and BD-Live messages should have appeared from the beginning as well. The fact that it didn't suggests something happened that prevented AnyDVD HD from detecting BD-Live.

One of the two updates evidently fixed it; though in theory it still could be AnyDVD HD, the issues I had with the Java update indicates my Java VM was corrupted. (That also explains why you can't reproduce the problem.)

 

[Webslinger]

One of the two updates evidently fixed it; though in theory it still could be AnyDVD HD

6.5.7.6 handles this disc perfectly fine (verified also by bracket cable), and since the disc didn't play properly for you when Anydvd was disabled, I fail to see how your issue had anything to do with Anydvd.

Anyway, I think I've spent enough time looking at the disc . . .