Could it just be a bad BD or an iffy reader?

[Benedict_Arnold]

Several BDs I have are extremely "stubborn" to rip. I've tried MakeMKV and Acrok with and without AnyDVD, still no luck. For some reason I can't get Handbrake to work on my PC at all.
Could these just be dodgy discs or perhaps an iffy reader? Reason I ask is, some BDs from a very popular TV series from HBO rip just fine, while one or two don't rip at all.
BTW all discs are being ripped for personal use and convenience, to preserve the original discs, not for resale or distribution.
Thanks.

 

[Superaintit]

The only way to tackle this is taking away possible causes until there can only be 1.

I would first inspect the discs by eye to see if there are obvious faults, scratches.
I'm assuming you already did that.
Secondly I'd check if there is lots of dust in the drive itself. If so blow it out by a can of compressed air or a vacuum cleaner.
Thirdly I would update the drive's drivers to make sure they're the latest.
If 2 or more software packages give the same result and always with the same discs it's the discs.
Try if you can run the software in compatibility mode (sometimes they don't work with the latest windows os)

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Here's a typical error message:

Error 'Scsi error - MEDIUM ERROR:UNRECOVERED READ ERROR' occurred while reading '/BDMV/STREAM/00045.m2ts' at offset '196608'

Think it might be the discs or the reader, not the software.

I wonder how many BDs come out of the "factory" with minor errors that regular BDPs compensate for, but which mess up ripping software? So far my success rate on BDs is about 80 to 90%, and it's not all new ones or all old ones. On DVDs my success rate is nearer 100%, obviously badly damaged discs excluded.

 

[Superaintit]

You are correct. The drive says it can't read the disc.
Still worth a try to clean the disc drive, clean the disc and set the retry count in preferences to somewhat higher.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Will do.

I'm also trying "backing up" the discs to the hard disc before ripping them. That might help overcome any "read on the fly" type errors.

if that doesn't work I'll be off down the pawn shops to hunt down other copies to try. They're a good (cheap) source of BDs, CDs and DVDs here anyway. Charity shoppes? Don't be daft, this is America!

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

227 DVDs backed up, about a dozen rejects due to completely scratched up discs that probably won't play in a pukka DVD player either. 40-odd other DVDs missing, boxes present, no DVDs inside the boxes. That includes my Father Ted DVDs, half my Danger Mouse DVDs, my Young Ones DVDs... Grrrr....

77 Blu-Rays (and counting) and six rejects. All the discs look fine, one or two were even brand new fresh out of the cellophane (or whatever they use these days). I've tried washing them, wiping them with alcohol lens wipes (as used for eye glasses), everything short of taking them down the Church for a bath in the font! No joy.

I guess the higher data densities on Blu-Rays makes them much more "fragile" and I also suspect quite a few discs get shipped with small manufacturing faults that probably get worked around by proper Blu-Ray players, but which prevent ripping all the same. Sad thing is you can't exactly take them back to the shop complaining becuase the discs won't allow you to perform a technically illegal act*. Double-Grrrr....

* In the USA, at least, copying a disc for your own use is technically illegal. I, however, maintain it's just like back in the old days when we would buy an LP and make a cassette copy of the LP, play that and keep the LP in pristine condition. I think that was deemed fair both in the UK and the USA Courts some time ago. I'm not selling them, not distributing them free or for profit, or indeed having movie nights at my home. I'm ripping them for my convenience and to preserve / conserve the original discs only.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

It's slowed down to a crawl!

Now only reading BDs at 1.4 x overspeed (yes, one-point-four, not fourteen like it should be doing), way way slower than it should be. And that's with brand new BDs taken out the cellophane and put straight into the drive, no chocolatey fingers involved. I don't know if it's the laser, the motor, the electronics (probably not) or whatever, but I think I'm going to fit a new BD-RW drive and see how I get on.

Anyone else experienced BD drives slowing dramatically before they let the smoke out? Just wondering in case it's a Windows problem not an mechanical / optical one.