NationStates Jolt Archive

Hiya everybody. I'm buying a few zone 4 (Australia, Oceania) DVDs - they are films not released in the US so there is no zone 1 version avaliable.

While the DVD-drive on my laptop is not entirely region-lockouted it does have a very frustrating limitation. You're allowed only so many (less than 10) "region switches", by playing a region 4 disc I'd use up a 'switch' going from zone 1.

If I wanted go back to play a region 1 DVD again, I'd use up another switch. When there are no switches left, I'd be stuck with a drive that plays only discs from the last zone it played (if I watched a zone 4 disc last, my player is zone 4 permanantly).

Is there any freeware software out there that can defeat these restrictions? How about the firmware in the drive?

Thank you for you offered, guys. I just discovered that my internal drive is a Mashita/Panasonic and that in the community of DVD-crackers they're considered hopeless crack-wise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffeine


http://xinehq.de/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libdvdcss




Any DVD, any region, and you never have to mess with the drive in any matter whatsoever, so the drive never gets locked (not that it matters if it does...)

They should have a DVD player that plays every region.

They should have a DVD player that plays every region.

Yes, but then the consumer would be free and empowered. This is bad for business.

edit:

"Many view region code enforcement as a violation of WTO free trade agreements or competition law. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned that DVD players that enforce region coding may violate the Trade Practices Act.[1] The government of New Zealand has also made a similar ruling.[2] This, in practice, means that all DVD players sold in their territories have to be Region 0."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvd_region#Legal_concerns

As far as the one country that actually matters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) seeing the light, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Yes, but then the consumer would be free and empowered. This is bad for business.

Screw business. :D

Yes, but then the consumer would be free and empowered. This is bad for business.

Definitely. I'm already paying them for a legal copy, they should be glad about it at this day and age.

Definitely. I'm already paying them for a legal copy, they should be glad about it at this day and age.

Merchantilist statism is more profitable.

Putting people in jail is more profitable.

Their Shyster Shark lawyers cost a bundle too, more than any fines paid. Having the courts publically handing out jail terms is a scare tactic that they hope will make the viewing public accept whatever prices they choose. One of these days, it will backfire!

You could always just buy a region-free DVD-player for your TV. They don't cost very much nowadays.

You could always just buy a region-free DVD-player for your TV. They don't cost very much nowadays.

Every country should be required to only sell region free DVD players.

VLC Media Player.

VLC Media Player.

I'm talking about an actual DVD player not a really awesome media player.