Free Region Free

[diogenes]

Anyone know where I can obtain the appropriate gizmo to enable my Windoze to play DVD's from any region including R.E.C.'s?

Thank you in anticipation.

:p

[Dark-Jon]

It depends on your PC's hardware. Some/most of the DVD players in PC's are region 2, but you can unlock some of them.

1 - The easiest one to try is an App called 'DVD Region Killer', this will try and fool windows into thinking its whatever region you set it to.

2 - You can set most DVD players on PC's to different regions, this is done in the hardware properties for the drive, but be warned!!!, change it more than 5 times and it locks on the last one you set it to!!!!!

3 - The 3rd one I know of, and the one I had to do, is basically 'flash' your drive's Bios. This writes new information to the hardware itself, normally setting it to region 'Free' (not 3). I'd only recommend this if you have an idea about computers etc. I had to do this to my Pioneer DVD player as none of the software hacks worked. Now, not all players can be done, my Dad's Samsung DVD can't for example. It's a matter of finding out the make and model of you drive, and searching on the net (google etc) for a region free bios for the drive, summint like 'Pioneer DVD blah model region free bios'. There will normally be instructions on how to do your drive with the file you download or on a site associated with it. BE WARNED, this will invalidate any warranty you have and has been known to knacker a drive totally although I've not seen this happen! Also beware any file you download and make sure your AV is up to date for heavens sake!!

If you do flash the drive and it still won't play, run DVD Region Killer too before opening your DVD software, I have to else it goes all wobbly and crashes :lol:

Of course all this is summint a guy down the pub told and I'm simply recanting his tale ;)

DJ

[spacemonkey]

You can get software that claims to do this, but i can't vouch for it. Most will do a 30 day trial so you can try first. I use 'DVD Decrypter' to rip DVDs and it removes the copy protection and the region denotation, then 'DVD Shrink 3.2' to make them fit on a normal 4.75GB DVD+R. With the new 3.2 version, you can re athour discs to remove silly menus etc so that the main feature does not need shrinking, and thus the quality remains.

[diogenes]

Thanks for all the effort - it is really appreciated.

The laugh comes that I can buy a cheap DVD player at Asda for £39.99 and press a few numbers and lo and behold it will play anything from anywhere.

Yet when I come to trying to baffle an expensive Toshiba it goes '!*!*!*!* up', so to speak. You are correct Jon, it has already told me I have only one life left!

It doesn't make sense. I can buy rare films at full price from the U.S. or France but can't piggin' play them on a p.c.

I've learned one thing. If you want to get a screen shot of a DVD (i.e. still) you can't do it in Windoze media layer. But you can in Win DVD. Very odd!

Thanks again lads.

Film buffs. Here's a very good no non nonsense site with good crits.

http://www.iofilm.co.uk/

:p

[grunter]

dvd decrypter will remove the regions its free so you can watch it ?