DVDdecrypter.com has shut down for nearly two decades, but its product, DVD Decrypter software is still hosted on many file-sharing sites. Once a popular DVD-ripping software, receiving millions of downloads worldwide, DVD Decrypter now is nearly a name long forgotten.
What happened to DVDdecrypter.com? Why did it shut down? Is there any other software from the same developer? Find answers to your most pressing questions below.
The History of DVDdecrypter.com
DVDdecrypter.com was a tech site launched in 2001, offering DVD ripping software of the same name, DVD Decrypter. The people behind DVDdecytper.com is a one-man team that goes by the name Lightning UK! As he stated, "I'm not a company, I'm just me".
DVD Decrypter is a piece of freeware running on Windows. The developer used to keep the work thriving by receiving donations via PayPal or Nochex.com.
Started as what the developer called "a bit of fun", the project and its official site soon grew into something popular among DVD collectors. According to Ahrefs statistics, DVDdecrypter.com was mentioned by more than 100,000 websites. DVD Decrypter was used by millions of users worldwide - the number is based on the downloading counts from Softpedia and Beta News.
As a freeware for DVD ripping, backup, and burning, the controversial features to bypass copy protection pronounce its own doom from the very beginning.
Before the cease and desist letter dropped at the developer's door in 2005, DVD Decrypter received decent updates, with features added frequently and bugs fixed responsively. It is evident in the detailed changelog released by the developer.
DVD Decrypter Was Actively Updated
The developers of Lightning UK! had been meticulously developing the DVD Decrypter. It added new features in major updates, and solved many DVD-related problems in detail. Below are excerpts from its change logs. The final version of DVD Decrypter is 3.5.4.0, released on March 21, 2005.
3.0.0.8
Added the option to Merge VOB Files.
Added the option of Maximum File Size.
3.0.0.9
Added ISO Mode for DVD backup (The ISO can then be mounted with DAEMON tools for playback, or burned to DVD-R).
3.0.0.11
Improved "Stream Processing" for users to remap streams.
3.0.0.12
Added option to burn CD single session, track ISO, BIN, and IMG files
3.0.0.13
Improved ISO Read Mode to access any DVD discs besides movies.
3.0.0.15
Improved the 4GB file splitting code to work on more OS.
3.0.0.16
Completely rewrote the ISO file splitting code – Users now have options to set the file size for each ripping.
3.1.0.0
Added the IFO parsing feature.
Added RCE removal to bypass regional locks.
3.1.1.0
Improved IFO parsing to only demonstrate streams present in PGC
Added the support to patch multiple IFO and BUP files at the same time.
3.1.2.0
Added support for splitting by VOB ID in IFO mode.
Added 4.37GB to "Maximum File Size" in ISO mode.
The Product of DVDdecrypter.com
DVDdecrypter.com mainly hosted the software of the same name, DVD Decrypter. It used to be popular among DVD collectors. This tool can backup DVD with the entire DVD-video structure preserved, or extract selected titles, extras, and more. Besides copying DVDs to a computer, DVD Decrypter also support burning CD and DVD images to disks.
For DVD ripping, there are several modes to copy out or extract files in needed ways. Upon ripping, this DVD tool can remove region codes, CSS protection, Macrovision content protect, and PUOs (Prohibited User Operations). Erasing and formatting a disk is also supported.
The ISO write in DVD Decrypter supports BenQ, LiteOn, NEC, Plextor, Sony, etc.
File Mode
The File Mode in DVD Decrypter can rip all files. For instance, .vob files can be extracted from all the PGC (Program Chain), including non-video extras such as photo gallery images and menus. The File Mode is slower than IFO mode.
File Mode is available in File > Mode > File Mode.
IFO Mode
IFO Mode allows user to extract desired streams, such as ripping by chapters, episodes, scenes, separating video and audio streams, or extracting main movie only from the VTS (Video Title Set). If you prefer not to including certain content in the finished product, IFO Mode is the option to go. For instance, you can remove multiple language audio tracks. Since you don't want all the files, IFO Mode is faster than Files Mode.
ISO mode
ISO Mode in DVD Decrypter supports both DVD read and DVD write, meaning you can use it to rip the entire DVD to the hard drive, or burning an ISO file to a DVD disk. The ISO Mode will rip the DVD as-is, with all the structures and content preserved, the 1:1 copy.
Decades ago, it is quite popular for people to burn movies DVD5 (4.37GB disk), or back up a DVD5 to the local hard drive using DVD Decrypter.
It is commonly used together with Daemon tools, with DVD Decrypter creating the ISO file, and Daemon tools mounting the ISO with virtual DVD-ROM to playback.
When creating ISO file, DVD Decrypter is able to remove CSS protection, RC, RCE protection, region restriction, PUOs (Prohibited User Operations), and can correct mastering errors and read errors.
Doom9 offers a great resource on the three modes of DVD Decrypter, including tutorials and feature explanations.
Remove RCE Protection
DVD Decrypter supports the removal of RCE (regional coding enhancement) protection. Users can simply go to its Menu > Tools > Settings > General, check the box before "Remove IFO/BUP RCE Protection", and set the region number to their current location. USA is region 1, for instance.
DVD Regions:
Region 1 - U.S., Canada, U.S. Territories
Region 2 - Europe, Japan, Middle East (including Egypt), and South Africa
Region 3 - Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong of PRC)
Region 4 - Australia, Central America, the Caribbean, New Zealand, Mexico, Pacific Islands, and South America.
Region 5 - Africa, Eastern Europe, Indian subcontinent, Mongolia and North Korea.
Region 6 - China
There are two additional regions:
Region 7 - Reserved
Region 8 - Special international venues (such as airplanes, cruise ships, etc.)
The Reception of DVDdecrypter.com
DVD Decrypter was quite popular during its time. It was the Softpedia Pick and Beta News Editors Pick, with downloads of over 800,000 and 16,000,000 respectively on these two sites.
Below are some reviews from DVDdecrypter users.
"DVD Decrypter is a must have for DVD backups and offers more options than the other ripping programs." – Review by MOVIEGEEK from Videohelp forum.
"Especially nice is the ability to rip a dvd-5 as an ISO image and burn directly from the program - no other tools needed." – by housepig from Videohelp forum.
"DVD Decrypter is something other companies wish they could have invented. So many features, easy to learn, and strong as oak when it came down to being stable." – by bokkasrealm from CDfreaks.com
"Considering DVD Decrypter was easy to use and didn't cripple the disc like DVD X Copy, it quickly became the premier DVD copying utility." – by Thomas Mennecke from Slyck News.
The Demise of DVDdecrypter.com
On June 6, 2005, the developer of DVD Decrypter, Lightning UK!, submitted a piece of news to CDfreaks.com, announcing the demise of DVDdecrypter.com.
"DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 is the last version you'll ever see. We hoped this day would never come, but it has, and I can promise you, nobody is more gutted about it than I am."
The developer had received a cease and desist letter from a concerned copyright holder - which later turned out to be Macrovision – asking the developer to stop the development and distribution of the software, as well as tech support and other related activities.
The developer was already aware of the situation of 321 studio - another DVD copying software maker, which was forced to shut down in a lawsuit in 2004 – so he added in the announcement that it was better to follow the suit and comply with the letter.
Macrovision Purchased DVD Decrypter
The domain name dvdcrypter.com was then transferred over to the company Macrovision. This move was seen by Thomas Mennecke as the "leeway in protecting their [Macrovision] interests". Thomas Mennecke was a news reporter from Slyck, a news site that published the article Macrovision Forces Removal of DVD Decrypter on Nov 24, 2005.
As observed by Thomas Mennecke, after purchasing the intellectual property rights of DVD Decrypter, Microvision can reach out to file hosting sites and easily demand the removal of the software with a simple message. Just as what they sent to AfterDawn, "Any license granted by Lightning UK! to AfterDawn for the distribution of any version of the Software [DVD Decrypter] is hereby terminated with immediate effect".
ImgBurn as the Successor from Lightning UK!
The same year in 2005, Lightning UK! started the development of Image Burn, a disk authoring program taking some of its code from DVD Decrypter. The official site for Image Burn was registered on Jun. 8, 2005, shortly after the shutting down of dvddecrypter.com.
Image Burn can read and write DVDs, CDs, HD DVDs, and Blu-rays. It doesn't incorporate the feature to decrypt optical disks. The developer also registered a Twitter account for Image Burn, though the last tweet stayed in 2013.
Mirror and Hosting Sites for the Software
A mirror site for DVD Decrypter was launched on June 7, 2005, under the domain http://www.dvddecrypter.org.uk/
This mirror site hosts the final version of DVD Decrypter:
- Version: 3.5.4.0 (final)
- Size: 878KiB
- Type: Win32 executable
- MD5 Hash: 78D806097DA8E8B8D595827CCCDDF6D9
It also included resources on DVD Decrypter alternatives or DVD-related tools. For media ripping, the webmaster recommended MKVMKV, AnyDVD HD; for Media encoding: StaxRip, RipBot264, and Handbrake, and for stream muxing: MKVTooknix.
Besides this unofficial site, users can also download DVD Decrypter from file hosting sites and DVD-related forums.
The official site of DVD Decrypter, dvddecrypter.com, listed out some downloading resources:
Mirror 1 - BetaNews (Global Download Network)
Hosting DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/DVD_Decrypter/1011845169/1
Note: The link above will now direct you to: https://fileforum.com/detail/DVD-Decrypter/1011845169/1
It enjoys 35,473,764 downloads with a 4.6 rating based on 928 votes.
Mirror 2 - Provided by Doom9
Hosting DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0
http://www.doom9.org/
Note: You need to click the Download section, and scroll drown to find DVD Decrypter under Descrambling/Ripping tools.
Mirror 3 - Provided by OverFiles
The site is down now.
Mirror 4 - Provided by MrBass.org
http://www.mrbass.org/dvdrip/
Note: The site no longer hosts DVD Decrypter, but it shares some resources regarding DVD ripping.
Mirror 5 - Provided by Techware Labs
Note: Techware Labs don't hosts the tool now.
Mirror 6 - Provided by Free-Codecs.com
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/DVD_Decrypter.htm
Free-Codecs no longer hosts the tool in question.
Mirror 7 - Provided by softpedia.com
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Video/Other-VIDEO-Tools/DVD-Decrypter.shtml
Currently hosting 3.5.4.0, with 1,466,881 downloads and 51 rates (3.9/5).
Mirror 8 - Provided by TechSpot.com
http://www.techspot.com/download12.html
Currently hosting 3.5.4.0, with over 270,892 downloads and 202 votes (4.5/5).
