This guide was co-authored and initially posted at wesleytech.com here. Thanks to Wes, muslix64, Janvitos, mrazzido and also all other contributors.

Update
- (October 2007): This is an early method to backup your hi-def movies. At this point, I would recommend that you try out AnyDVD HD (free trial) or DVDFab HD Decrypter (freeware).

- (March 2008): Now only AnyDVD HD can successfully rip newer Blu-ray (and HD DVD) movies. DVDFab HD Decrypter does not support Blu-ray and HD DVD anymore.

A) Backup to harddisk drive

The guide is based on the utility made by muslix64 called “BackupBluray” which is designed to help you backup your commercial Blu-ray (BD-ROM) movies.

1. Download BackupBluray version 021 from here: BackupBlurayv021.zip (15kb). Extract the zip files and you will see two new folders, “run” and “src” folders.

2. Download and install Java Runtime Environment which is needed in order BackupBluray to function. If java.exe is not in the system path, then copy java.exe into the “run” folder.

3. Find the CPS Unit Key for your Blu-ray movie(s) that you would like to backup. The keys can be found at Doom9’s Blu-ray Volume Unique Keys thread or other locations on the net.

4. Navigate to the extracted “run” folder for BackupBluray and open CPSKey.cfg using a text editor such as Notepad. Add the CPS Unit key for your Blu-ray movie and save the file.

5. Insert your Blu-ray movie disk into your Blu-ray drive. Open a Command window (Start > Run > cmd and press Enter) and navigate to the BackupBluray “run” folder. Then enter a command line with the following syntax:

backupbluray source_drive destination_drive_and_folder

Example:

To backup your blu-ray movies from Blu-ray drive H: to a folder \bluray\movies in drive D:, type:

backupbluray h: d:\bluray\movies



6. Check the destination directory with Windows Explorer to verify that the files were ripped. Obviously file 00001.m2ts is the main movie.



Compare the ripped m2ts files above with the original from the disc below. We can see that file sizes are different.



7. Playback the M2TS files using software such as VideoLan, Nero Showtime 3 or PowerDVD 6.6 BD. The following is a screenshot of 00001.m2ts playback using Nero Showtime 3.




8. So now you have a backup copy of your blu-ray disc on your HDD.


B) Backup to your BD-R or BD-RE disc

1. Copy all of the files out of the original BDMV directory on the BD-ROM disc except for the “STREAM” directory.

2. Create a new “STREAM” directory inside the BDMV directory on your harddrive.

3. Place your ripped M2TS files inside this new STREAM directory.



4. Burn your entire BDMV directory to a blank BD-R or BD-RE disc using the newest version of Nero or ImgBurn.





If the above window appears, click No, and wait until the burn finished.

5. You should be able to playback the disc using WinDVD 7 EX, PowerDVD 6.6 BD, or your standalone Blu-ray player.

Nice one Zevia! Thanks for the collaboration.

Wow! Really good news.

HA! Looks easier than current DVD protection, other than having to retrieve the keys online.

wow...nice stuff...now we only the blu-ray discs to get a little cheaper

Excellent work on Zevia's tutorial. Now let see if Blu-Ray survives, I wonder if it will come down to a thing like the old VHS-Beta max debacle, where one will win and the other will die, it would be nice to have both survive and have all the technology available to us. HD-DVD and Blu_Ray DVD.

I'm sure Blu-ray won't die, Sony's using it for their PS3 and they will use their power to keep it alive, at least as an alternative format similar to DVD+/-R (if it doesn't win the format war).

I'm already looking forward to the day when Blu-ray drives will become affordable so I can join you all

Nice work, zevia

You can also retrieve the keys by yourself, with the program BDKeyFinder. The program will search for signature bytes in the WinDVD 8’s memory.

Excellent work done and keep it up

Excellent,thank you very much.

To be honest 1 BD R disc is 12.99 on newegg cheaper that I thought it was going to be, now the drives are another story.

Yup, only the burners are not that cheap yet.........

I doubt that'll ever happen.

Prices always will fall for tech products.

Yep, that's 100% correct.

This is due to the fact that there is always a new technology (or technologies) developing which will supersede current technology.

Anybody remember how much a DVD Player cost in the UK about 5 or 6 years ago? More than £100 probably. Nowadays, £20 is all it would cost.

The same could be said for blank DVD media too. 3-4 years back, blank Single Layer DVD-Rs or DVD+Rs would cost you more than £1 each. Nowadays, they cost less than 50p each.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that Blu-Ray media and drives will also drop in price over the next few years.

It's not only technology progress that will bring prices down.

Competition is another keyword here. You have two products competing to become the next de facto accepted standard, so the companies behind each of them are going to push aggressively for wide adaptation of their respective format. I expect to see prices going down and quality of media going up much faster than DVD....

I suppose you've got a point there.

I did this with the Superman Returns movie, but the main movie does not play in VideoLAN like other movies do, only the extras play. Do you think this is because we cannot do this with VC-1 encoded movies?

Does anybody know if there is any publication around that explains how to convert a DVD-video (VOB files, MPEG2) into the Blu-ray video format ?

Is this it going to
- cost a lot of work and time
and need:
- a very powerfull and expensive hardware
- an expensive transcoding software in order to transcode the video files in a reasonable amount of time ?
- which is the software to use for authoring: in order to prepare the files to be burned with Nero or Imgburn on a BD-R ?

I know that:
- BD-R discs are still very expensive compared to 4 or 5 blank blank DVD's
- there is going to be a big waste of capacity unless you are able to put several DVD-video on a BD-R disc
- you have to buy a still very expensive Blu-Ray standalone player
- and at the end you have a loss int the video resolution (only maybe a bad upscaling ?)

But I am only concerned about the reliabilty (lifespan) of burned BR-R discs
because they do not use an organic dye but 2 metallic layers

Thanks for listening to this idea ...

Useless I say because of the much lower quality input source.

Authoring can be done by using latest WinOnCD.

i have the same problem with superman returns. the main movie only has audio and the extras play without any problems in vlc. was anybody able to decrypt the main movie any play it?

I've now done several movies with VC-1 and it ends up that it is because it is using that special codec. If anyone knows what program can play VC-1 files, that would be great.

I have done this. The easiest way is to create a super huge DVD in whatever program you want, then export it to HDD, then just burn those files to Blu-ray using the burn data option in whatever program you use.

arnezami has come up with a program to get keys from HD DVD and BR movies, its new get it and read about it here

A single layer disc costs as much as the movie itself here...