Elby CloneBD & Elby CloneDVD lifetime

Quick facts

• What's included: CloneBD (version 1.3.2.1a) and CloneDVD 2 (version 2.9.3.8)
• Developer: Elaborate Bytes AG (Elby)
• Runs on: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 and Vista (CloneDVD also runs on XP64)
• Price: $124.49 USD at checkout
• Updates: free updates for life for both programs
• Trial: CloneBD is free to use with no time limit but watermarks compressed video. CloneDVD runs for 21 days.
• Languages: 30 interface languages
• Discs: unprotected Blu-rays (all regions, UHD and 3D) and DVDs

Before you buy

Elby describes CloneBD as a tool for unprotected Blu-rays, and neither program is sold as a way to remove copy protection. Think of it as the tool for your own recordings, AVCHD camcorder discs, home-made Blu-rays and unprotected discs. You also need a Blu-ray drive to read Blu-rays and a writer to burn them. Both programs have free trials, so test them with your own discs and drive first.

CloneBD: complete or partial Blu-ray copies

Choose Complete Copy for a 1:1 clone, or Partial Copy to keep only what you want: just the main movie, chosen bonus titles, and only the audio and subtitle languages you actually use. Save the result as a Blu-ray folder or ISO, or burn it to a BD-R or BD-RE. CloneBD reads discs, ISO files and Blu-ray folders on your hard drive, works with all regions (A, B and C), and includes its own UDF 2.50 parser, so there's no extra driver to install.

Copy Mode: create a disc, folder or ISO, then choose between a complete and a partial copy.

CloneBD: fit a BD-50 onto a single BD-25

Dual-layer Blu-rays hold up to 50 GB. CloneBD compresses them onto a single BD-25, or even a BD-9 or BD-5 (Blu-ray content on DVD media). Audio can be compressed to DTS, AAC or AC3 to save more space. With a license, this works without a watermark.

CloneBD: pick titles with a built-in preview player

Every title on the disc is listed with its length, codec, resolution and a strip of thumbnails, so you can tell the feature from the trailers at a glance. Play any title in the integrated preview player and trim parts off the beginning or end before you copy.

The Selection step: audio and subtitle language preferences at the top, and each title with its duration, format and thumbnails below.

CloneBD: convert Blu-rays to MKV, MP4 or device presets

Turn a Blu-ray title into an MKV or MP4 file, or pick a ready-made profile for an iPhone, iPad, Android device or smart TV. You choose the resulting file size, audio channels and output resolution. Subtitles can be kept as tracks or burned permanently into the picture.

Converting a title to a single MP4 file: a size slider, stereo audio, destination folder and output resolutions from 1920x1080 down to 384x216.

CloneBD: UltraHD, HDR and 3D

CloneBD handles UltraHD Blu-ray with HEVC 10-bit HDR in and out, can convert an HDR source to an SDR Blu-ray for older players and TVs, and turns 3D Blu-rays into MKV files using H.265/HEVC. It uses multi-core CPUs and hardware acceleration to keep this heavy work moving.

CloneDVD 2: copy titles or the whole DVD, menus included

The welcome screen offers three jobs: Copy DVD Titles (one or more titles), Clone DVD (every title plus the menus) and Write Existing Data (burn DVD files or ISO/UDF images you already have). You can keep or drop the original menu, and include special features or just the main movie.

CloneDVD 2's welcome screen and its three main tasks.

CloneDVD 2: shrink long movies to the size you choose

CloneDVD's transcoder squeezes long footage onto a single-layer disc and is tuned for picture quality at high reduction rates. Pick a target (DVD-5, DVD+/-R DL, Mini DVD, DVD-RAM, CD-R or a custom size) and a quality bar shows how your choices of titles, audio tracks and subtitles affect the final picture. You can trim or split chapters too.

Title Configuration: a preview of the movie, the target size list open on DVD-5, and the quality bar at 100%.

CloneDVD 2: write to disc, folder or ISO

Finish by writing DVD files to a folder, an ISO/UDF image, or straight to a DVD writer (DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW). While it works you get picture snapshots, real-time bitrate statistics and a live preview, plus an option to shut the computer down when done.

Output Method: a summary of the copy on the left and the choice of DVD files, ISO/UDF image or DVD writer on the right.

Archiving camcorder Blu-rays

Your AVCHD camcorder discs of the kids' early years are piling up. CloneBD reads them, and turns each one into an MP4 you can put on the family NAS or a phone.

Making a playable copy for the car or the kids' room

Copy just the main movie and one language onto a cheap BD-25 or a DVD, and the original stays safely in its case.

Watching on a 4K-less setup

A UHD HDR disc looks washed out on an older SDR TV. Convert it to an SDR Blu-ray or an MKV file and it plays properly.

Rescuing an old DVD collection

Wedding videos and home recordings on aging DVDs: use CloneDVD to make ISO images of each disc, then burn fresh copies whenever you need them.

Tips

• Clear disk space first. CloneBD needs about 50 to 100 GB of free temporary space for a Blu-ray, and CloneDVD about 5 GB for a DVD.
• Install the newest versions. The latest releases of both programs update Elby's ElbyCDIO.sys driver to fix a privilege escalation vulnerability, so don't keep an old installer around.
• Try the free CloneBD first. Uncompressed copies and MKV/MP4 files without compression work without a watermark, so you can test your drive and discs at no cost.

CloneBD (10 out of 10)

"The best software for editing Bluray discs. Very easy to use and fast compression."

BlackBox (VideoHelp)

CloneDVD (10 out of 10)

"CloneDVD has none of these problems and has become a very useful tool as it is dead easy to strip out menus and unwanted audio tracks/junk with it, but I wouldn't compress to more than 60% of the main video to be on the safe side."

F.H (VideoHelp)

CloneDVD (7 out of 10)

"Thought I would try this after reading the reviews, But when I did a test between clonedvd and dvd shrink, dvd shrink was about 3 minutes faster, For an old program shrink is hard to beat, and it sure works great."

tarzan54 (VideoHelp)

Bundle vs. buying separately

From Elby's own store, CloneBD with lifetime updates is 99 EUR and CloneDVD is 39 EUR, or 138 EUR together. The bundle is 119 EUR, so you save 19 EUR. If you only have Blu-rays, CloneBD alone is cheaper. If you only have DVDs, CloneDVD alone is far cheaper.

Free CloneBD vs. licensed CloneBD

Both have every feature. The free version adds a visible watermark whenever the video is compressed: fitting a BD-50 on a BD-25, compressed MKV or MP4 output, HDR to SDR conversion, and burned-in subtitles. Straight 1:1 copies, partial copies without compression and uncompressed MKV/MP4 files carry no watermark.

Lifetime vs. 2-year CloneBD

Elby also sells CloneBD with 2 years of updates (69 EUR). With that license, support and updates stop after two years unless you renew. The bundle avoids that with lifetime updates for both programs.