Why isn't my DVD-player region-free?

future-ex-pc-userfuture-ex-pc-user
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Why aren't the DVD/CD-RW combos in the 12" Powerbook regionfree. Since the Powerbook, and especially the 12" one, is made for travelling, it doesn't make much sence to me to prevent users to watch movies in their current location. The whole region thing won't protect from pirated DVD's, because these tend to be region-free. So why is their a protection?

Is there any way to turn my powerbook into region-free?

thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    airpurifierairpurifier Posts: 10member
    You'll have to change the firmware on the drive to make it region free. The drives from apple are RPC-2 (region locked, limited to 5 changes), you want them to be RPC-1 (region free)



    Go to http://www.wormintheapple.gr/macdvd/ and check whether a firmware patch is available for your drive.



    However be very careful. If the firmware updating doesn't go smoothly, you could end up with a ruined drive, which may not be covered under warrenty. I replaced the firmware on my PB12 867 some months ago and have had no problems.



    When your drive is unlocked you can use eg VLC to watch dvds from any region. If you want to use Apple's DVD player you will have to download a region changing utility like RegionX to change the region manually when you want to watch a DVD from a different region
  • Reply 2 of 2
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    Why is there a protection? Because the distribution rights for movies are owned by different companies in different regions. So whlie Disney might have made a movie in the U.S., Warner might own the rights to distribute it in Asia. The regions are designed to let Warner distribute the version of that movie that they want to distribute without fearing that an earlier U.S. release by Disney would interfere.



    Also some movies hit DVD in one region before they've even hit the screens in another. I had a DVD of 28 DAYS LATER before it was in the theaters here in the U.S. Consequently I never did get around to seeing it on the big screen.
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