Ripping Hybrid DVD/BD disc results in DVD only rip :(

[RBBrittain]

Since this disc is from Universal, you can bet your behind that they'll introduce it to the west too, if it works on relatively small markets like a Korean disc for the Japanese market.

That's the scary part, even beyond DRM/copy protection implications. Universal has been foisting dual-sided BD/DVD "flipper discs" on us here in the States lately (which is what I first thought this was). In another forum, I've pointed out that flipper discs can't be sold in most of Europe & Australia (at least) because they don't have enough label room for the legally-required local ratings symbol (i.e., BBFC in the UK). "Hybrid" BD/DVDs, with both formats on the same side, may be the way around that.

I definitely would test this disc in PS3s and stand-alone BD players. If those recognize it as BD, it's either a drive firmware issue or a new copy protection AnyDVD HD will need to handle. But I suspect they'll see it as a DVD also, in which case it's a bad disc. Older flipper-disc formats, such as double-sided DVDs and especially DVD/HD DVD "combo discs", were notorious for going bad; hybrid discs are more complicated, so they may be more likely to fail.

 

[mike_r]

I'd pop the disk into my laptop with a bit of tape over the red diode.

 

[James]

If this disc works properly in stand alone players (in other words, Blu-Ray players see a Blu-Ray, DVD players see a DVD), then we may have yet another candidate of a new kind of scheme that could work as a type of copy protection AnyDVD will not be able to break.

Then again... it will also mean that the disc won't work at all for Blu-Ray playback at all on a PC... and the industry can basically lock out PC support, (and therefore the ability to copy new discs) any time it wants. Will probably piss off a lot of people though.

Oh, come on... A bug in a drive (maybe because it is a BD/HD DVD combo drive?) or a badly manufactured hybrid disc (BD layer "on the edge" to be readable) isn't some DRM scheme. The HD DVD combo discs were a PITA, the BD combo discs are a PITA and the hybrid discs are a PITA. But this doesn't make them a new hideous DRM scheme.

For some reason Universal doesn't want to include a second DVD version in the package. Probably because you could be so evil sell this disc on ebay. Sometimes the stupidity of the studios can't be put into words.

 

[wapiko]

Stand alone BD player recognises BD only (Samsung BD P1600).
Will check on PS3 later today.

 

[brianw_uk]

That's the scary part, even beyond DRM/copy protection implications. Universal has been foisting dual-sided BD/DVD "flipper discs" on us here in the States lately (which is what I first thought this was). In another forum, I've pointed out that flipper discs can't be sold in most of Europe & Australia (at least) because they don't have enough label room for the legally-required local ratings symbol (i.e., BBFC in the UK). "Hybrid" BD/DVDs, with both formats on the same side, may be the way around that.


What happens when the BD content requires a dual-layer BD? There's no way a hybrid BD50 could incorporate a DVD layer as well, so if Universal continue this stupidity, they'd need to compress big films to BD25 size or remove extra features. I'm glad Fox and Disney have seen sense and release both discs in the same package.

 

[danielhu]

I have this disc, at first I use GGC-H20L, it only shows DVD content, then I try CH08LS10, it shows Blu-ray content, Maybe you should update the firmware of the drive.