| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
xtchr
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
|
 Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:28 pm Post subject: Changing DVD regions on a laptop |
 |
|
Please excuse my ignorance, but I really have no clue about this.
I have a laptop (Lenovo something - not on it at the moment). I have watched a few DVDs on it, a couple were region 3, and some were region 1, and I'd just switch regions accordingly.
But my friend tells me that I can only change the region settings about 5 times, and then it must be set permanently to either region 1, or region 3, never to be changed again.
Does anyone know anything about this? Or where I'd look to find out?
Thanks |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
cubanlord
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Location: In Japan!
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:39 pm Post subject: Re: Changing DVD regions on a laptop |
|
|
| xtchr wrote: |
Please excuse my ignorance, but I really have no clue about this.
I have a laptop (Lenovo something - not on it at the moment). I have watched a few DVDs on it, a couple were region 3, and some were region 1, and I'd just switch regions accordingly.
But my friend tells me that I can only change the region settings about 5 times, and then it must be set permanently to either region 1, or region 3, never to be changed again.
Does anyone know anything about this? Or where I'd look to find out?
Thanks |
This is true, but for laptops? That is kind of strange. Let me fish around and see what I can find. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
Maybe this will help?
As it wsays in the thread, you can get hacked firmwares for DVD drives. They are easy to find and generally trustworthy, depending of course on the source. Post the drive make and model if you need some help locating the firmware. CL and I recently had some practice with it! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:01 am Post subject: Re: Changing DVD regions on a laptop |
|
|
| cubanlord wrote: |
| This is true, but for laptops? |
It's true for mac laptops, but there are firmware hacks available to make the drive region-free if you want to chance it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mikekim
Joined: 11 Aug 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Just use a region free program like vlc media player. It plays any region DVD. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| mikekim wrote: |
| Just use a region free program like vlc media player. It plays any region DVD. |
The SOFTWARE may play any region, but the FIRMWARE does not. If the drive is set at region 1 and you insert a region 3 disc, the drive will kick it out. You won't even get the chance to launch VLC.
You need the firmware hack first. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I downloaded a cracked program with torrents called DVD region+CSSfree works a treat |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Young FRANKenstein wrote: |
| mikekim wrote: |
| Just use a region free program like vlc media player. It plays any region DVD. |
The SOFTWARE may play any region, but the FIRMWARE does not. If the drive is set at region 1 and you insert a region 3 disc, the drive will kick it out. You won't even get the chance to launch VLC.
You need the firmware hack first. |
I'm pretty sure I've used videolan to play DVDs of a different region. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I definitely have... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 2:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
Well, mac laptops (at least, my TiBook does) kick out a DVD that is the wrong region. As I said, you have to hack it to be region-free first before it will take discs that are the "wrong" region. Maybe PC drives are different.
As for software, I don't have to use VLC or any other video software to view DVDs. The built-in DVD Player software works well enough. No need for anything else.
I use VLC for other non-DVD file formats, though (avi, mov, wmv, bin/cue) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
munji
Joined: 08 Sep 2006
Location: Daejeon
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Young FRANKenstein wrote: |
| Maybe PC drives are different. |
Optical drives are independent of the kind of system. I think vlc player wont play a DVD unless the drive is able to read it. The drive wont play a DVD if it doesnt belong to the correct region (unless you're using windos and one of the region-free programs like anydvd or dvd-region-free). Simple.
If someone claims to have played a different region DVD without changing regions, I'd like to ask him to check the DVD (if it even had a region - not region 0 - to begin with) and then check if the drive region wasnt changed automatically or if their drive was region free already. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 4:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I have a Windows PC. I have never changed the drive's region. I've used VLC to play Region 1 and Region 3 DVDs, no sweat. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 4:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
| munji wrote: |
If someone claims to have played a different region DVD without changing regions, I'd like to ask him to check the DVD (if it even had a region - not region 0 - to begin with) and then check if the drive region wasnt changed automatically or if their drive was region free already. |
Okay dude, my DVD is region 3. I bought my laptop in Korea and I've never changed the region code. I've just placed my Region 1 (bought in Canada) Bend It Like Beckham DVD into my drive. I'm currently watching it via Videolan.
A pure software solution. Videolan reads through region codes. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
munji
Joined: 08 Sep 2006
Location: Daejeon
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 6:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
| mindmetoo wrote: |
| ...my DVD is region 3... I've just placed my Region 1 (bought in Canada) ... |
| HaterDepot wrote: |
| ...I have never changed the drive's region. I've used VLC to play Region 1 and Region 3 DVDs, no sweat. |
Ok, correction! vlcplayer will play DVD's as region-free only in some drives. Most new RPC2 drives might not let you play any DVD (different region) with vlcplayer. I knew I had read it somewhere when my new drive didnt do a budge with vlcplayer...
from http://www.videolan.org/doc/faq/en/index.html#id239618
| Quote: |
1.2. Does VLC support DVDs from all regions?
Well this mostly depends on your DVD drive. Testing it is usually the quickest way to find out. The problem is that a lot of newer drives are RPC2 drives these days. Some of these drives don't allow raw access to the drive untill the drive firmware has done a regioncheck. VLC uses libdvdcss and it needs raw access to the DVD drive to crack the encryption key. So with these drives it is impossible to circumvent the region protection. (This goes for all software. You will need to flash your drives firmware, but sometimes there is no alternate firmware available for your drive). On other RPC2 drives that DO allow raw access, it might take VLC a long time to crack the key. So just pop the disc in your drive and try it out, while you get a coffee. RPC1 drives should 'always' work regardless of the regioncode.
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 7:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
| mindmetoo wrote: |
I'm currently watching it via Videolan.
A pure software solution. Videolan reads through region codes. |
Yes, but again, it only does so because your drive does not kick out the "foreign" disc. The drive allows it to sit there, so you can launch the software and access the disc in the drive.
My mac does not do this. If the disc is of a different region, it simply does not allow a foreign disc to sit in the drive. It is AUTOMATICALLY booted out. Nothing I can do to stop it unless I change the firmware to be region-free to allow the disc to stay in the drive. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
