DVD: Changing Regions

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Sorry if this has been brought up before...



I've changed my DVD regions to many times, is there a way of continuing changing regions???



I do re-install system software? delete pref?



Please Help...!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    [quote]Originally posted by MacMatt:

    <strong>Sorry if this has been brought up before...



    I've changed my DVD regions to many times, is there a way of continuing changing regions???



    I do re-install system software? delete pref?



    Please Help...!</strong><hr></blockquote>



    D'oh!!



    I don't know if it's too late for this, but you should be using <a href="http://www.chizzil.com/softdetail.cfm?ID=782"; target="_blank">Region X</a> for your DVD region switching needs.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    mimacmimac Posts: 872member
    <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> Not too sure about this freeware, it mucks about with the DVD players firmware so should be used with caution.

    Will also invalidate your manufacturer warranty should anything get messed up.

    Anynody using it at the moment? Any comments.....?
  • Reply 3 of 16
    macmattmacmatt Posts: 91member
    Region X did nothing, any other ideas?

    <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
  • Reply 4 of 16
    I think once you've changed it more than 5 times it's permanently locked.



    Yeah, it's stupid. Frankly, I don't know why it works that way.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    posterboyposterboy Posts: 147member
    It works that way because the distributors quote "Want to get a good idea of who is buying what in which regions".



    Also, if you move regions, you have to buy a new player to play your new DVDs, so in this eventuality you will be spending more money, which they like. (if I was selling a product with that big of a margin between cost and sell, I would like it too!)



    I am not sure which of these things was the original intent and which is the bonus for them.



    --PB
  • Reply 6 of 16
    macmattmacmatt Posts: 91member
    i've been told you can get a firmware ibook patch... everyone know where to get it ?
  • Reply 7 of 16
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Try: <a href="http://www.opuscc.com/download/FTP/LGReset1.0.0.sit"; target="_blank">http://www.opuscc.com/download/FTP/LGReset1.0.0.sit</A>;



    You may be able to find other interesting DVD stuff on that page, too, if that one doesn't work.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    macmattmacmatt Posts: 91member
    ****!!! , That didn't work either...

    Again, i've got a new ibook.



    Any more ideas will be a great help, Thanks! <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
  • Reply 9 of 16
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    look here :

    <a href="http://www.wormintheapple.gr/macdvd/"; target="_blank">Mac DVD</a>
  • Reply 10 of 16
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    While we're on the subject... anyone know how to use /usr/bin/setregion?



    Found that last night... running strings on it confirms that it is for hardware.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    i have the 14inch iBook and there is noregion-free patch for it yet.



    After 5 changes, does the PHYSICAL DRIVE get locked to that region, or can I reinstall the OS (clean install) and things will be peachy again?



    I hate this region crap. it makes NO SENSE to have it especially on a portable!!!! Jesus.. PORTABLE, geddit? You MOVE around places. Grrr... damn fascists
  • Reply 12 of 16
    Using Region X on its own won't work. Two things must be done. First, you must replace the existing drive's firmware with one that makes it region free. Then, you have to use Region X to change the times you can set the region. I haven't tried it yet because I'm not sure I trust those guys who make the firmware. If anyone has any experience in the process, I'd like to know.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    mimacmimac Posts: 872member
    Just as a side track on DVD firmware, check out this Swedish firms site and the support pages, they make DVD media and burners AND it also includes firmware updaters for their burners and hints at how to rip and burn DVDs (illegal of course ).



    "www.vivastar.com"
  • Reply 14 of 16
    bluejekyllbluejekyll Posts: 103member
    [quote]Originally posted by PosterBoy:

    <strong>It works that way because the distributors quote "Want to get a good idea of who is buying what in which regions".



    Also, if you move regions, you have to buy a new player to play your new DVDs, so in this eventuality you will be spending more money, which they like. (if I was selling a product with that big of a margin between cost and sell, I would like it too!)



    I am not sure which of these things was the original intent and which is the bonus for them.



    --PB</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I would also add that the studios are trying to stop people from getting movies in other countries before they are released there. Often they don't release movies until a few months later in other countries, as I'm sure most people know.



    Why not release it all at the same time? i don't know...
  • Reply 15 of 16
    The thread needs this categorical statement: it is locked in non-volatile RAM now. The OS has nothing to do with it. I don't know if you can unlock it.



    Movie studios want control over regions for several reasons. The official reason is that movie studios compete with each other by releasing movies when the studio execs feel the audience is ripe for them. Action movies just do better in the summer. But summer in Australia is winter for us. Korea has different buying patterns than we do. Europe has been neglected on releasees for so long that the movies that were big two years ago are just coming out on European screens now. The execs want control over all this.



    A more important reason is that the code is part of the encryption of the DVD. The execs, foolishly, thought the DVD standard was uncrackable. Therefore they thought they could stop illegal copies of the asian editions of movies from being distributed in the US by embedding the region code in the encryption. Asian pirate rings could send copies here, but only exact copies, so North American players wouldn't view them.



    Naturally, the code was cracked, and the whole barrier between Asia and here is cheesecloth, except for the occasional honest home-user who doesn't understand that changing codes five times freezes the hardware forever (supposedly) and who ends up with the player set to a non-American code because his uncle sent him a movie from Europe, or whatever.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    [quote]Originally posted by Gong Rui:

    <strong>If anyone has any experience in the process, I'd like to know.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I did it, and it wasn't painfull. it was easy.



    For the one who has locked his drive, take this:



    <a href="http://195.134.134.27/downloads/macdvd/DVDReset_1.0b5.bin"; target="_blank">DVD Reset</a>

    DVDReset is a utility that allows you to issue a vendor reset your region-locked (RPC-2) ATAPI drives. The vendor reset will reset your drive?s settings to factory default of ?Region not set? and ?5 changes left?. This software allows you to issue an undocumented and unsupported command to your DVD drive. If anything goes wrong, you may end up with a damaged drive, and you must have it replaced. Use it only as last resort.



    <a href="http://www.wormintheapple.gr/macdvd/download.html"; target="_blank">Resource</a>



    HTH
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