Screenshotting Blu-Ray

[MentalParadox]

Hello. I'm not sure if this is in the right forum section. If not, feel free to move it.

Here's my situation.

I own a legit Blu-Ray collection of my favorite TV show, as well as a legit copy of Cyberlink PowerDVD 12 and 15. And Fraps. I also bought an external Blu-Ray burner.

I want to make screenshots and perhaps video, which I always do with Fraps. This has always worked on downloaded video and legit DVD's, but when I try it on my legit Blu-Ray, all I get through Fraps is black screenshots. Fraps detects and recognizes PowerDVD as a video player, as I get the FPS counter on the screen and it does take screenshots, they just all come out black.

I am willing to spend any amount of money on a solution. Doesn't need to be free. How can I take screencaps? (also, please, not just print-screen and paste in paint... that takes ages and I often take thousands of screencaps per movie...)

I spent a lot of money on an external Blu-Ray burner and software, I really want this to work...

Thanks!

[gonca]

Sounds like it might be an encryption issue?

[MentalParadox]

I have no idea. I'm not particularly tech-savvy, I'm afraid.

[Kerry56]

Try running AnyDVD HD or DVDFab Passkey for Blu-ray in the background.

Once you have one of those running (and only one, they aren't compatible on the same system) you can take screenshots of Blu-ray with Media Player Classic Home Cinema or PotPlayer. Don't know about Fraps, as I've never used it.

To take short clips of Blu-ray, I normally decrypt and rip to the hard drive, then cut out sections with tsMuxeR. tsMuxeR GUI has a Split/Cutting tab where you can designate your cuts by time.

[MentalParadox]

Try running AnyDVD HD or DVDFab Passkey for Blu-ray in the background.

Once you have one of those running (and only one, they aren't compatible on the same system) you can take screenshots of Blu-ray with Media Player Classic Home Cinema or PotPlayer. Don't know about Fraps, as I've never used it.

Wait, so you need both DVDFab/AnyDVD and MPCHC/PotPlayer?
Which one actually takes the screenies? Do I still use PowerDVD?

[jagabo]

Licensed Blu-ray player software like PowerDVD disables screen capture. So you need to run an unlicensed player (to play the video) and Blu-ray decryption software (like AnyDVD or DVD Fab Passkey) in the background.

[MentalParadox]

Alrighty. I'll give it a go!

[MentalParadox]

Yeah, I already get an error message from Media Player Classic Home. "Could not render some of the pins in the graph." And then several pages of technobabble.

[Kerry56]

If you are running AnyDVD HD or DVDFab Passkey for Blu-ray in the background for decryption, MPC-HC should be working. Any number of other free players should also work, including PotPlayer, VLC, the Leawo Player and others.

[usually_quiet]

Yeah, I already get an error message from Media Player Classic Home. "Could not render some of the pins in the graph." And then several pages of technobabble.

To corroborate what Kerry56 wrote, I just tried playing a commercial Blu-Ray movie disc using VLC, MPC-HC, and PotPlayer with DVDFab Passkey for Blu-Ray running in the background. All three would play the movie and make screenshots. Something must be wrong.

[MentalParadox]

Yeah, I already get an error message from Media Player Classic Home. "Could not render some of the pins in the graph." And then several pages of technobabble.

To corroborate what Kerry56 wrote, I just tried playing a commercial Blu-Ray movie disc using VLC, MPC-HC, and PotPlayer with DVDFab Passkey for Blu-Ray running in the background. All three would play the movie and make screenshots. Something must be wrong.

The problem is on my end. I tried running the bluray disc without AnyDVD. I thought all anyDVD had to do was allow for screenshotting, but apparently the player can't even READ the disc without it.

I'm still in the process of trying to purchase anyDVD. They don't accept Mastercard.

EDIT: yeah, they just turned me down. I guess DVDfab is next.

[MentalParadox]

Meanwhile, can anyone explain why DVDfab is free, and AnyDVD HD costs more than a hundred bucks? What can anyDVD do that DVDfab cannot?
If I use the link "DVDFab Passkey Lite 8.2.5.6 (direct link)(5.5MB)", will this version allow for decrypting commercial blu-ray discs?

[Kerry56]

Passkey Lite is not updated nearly as often as the commercial version of DVDFab or Slysoft's AnyDVD HD. You'll find many newer movies that Passkey Lite will not decrypt.

The only free Blu-ray decryption that I would recommend is MakeMKV. But it would be awkward for you to use, as it is not a background driver/decrypter. You would need to decrypt and rip the movie from the disc to the hard drive before you work with it. MakeMKV can rip the main movie only as an MKV file, or you can rip the entire Blu-ray to the hard drive intact using the Backup mode. MakeMKV is free while in beta, but you have to put in new beta keys every month or two, or install the latest version as those are released. The beta keys are found in this thread.

[usually_quiet]

Meanwhile, can anyone explain why DVDfab is free, and AnyDVD HD costs more than a hundred bucks? What can anyDVD do that DVDfab cannot?
If I use the link "DVDFab Passkey Lite 8.2.5.6 (direct link)(5.5MB)", will this version allow for decrypting commercial blu-ray discs?

I used DVDFab Passkey for Blu-Ray, which normally costs over $100 as well. You can always try Passkey Lite, and if it doesn't work, uninstall it and buy DVDFab Passkey for Blu-Ray.

[MentalParadox]

Yaaaay! It worked! DVDfab and MPC-HC combined did the trick. Better yet, Fraps works too, so I can spam that "screenshot" and "record video" button to my heart's content.

Thanks so much, guys.