[sereluna]

Yesterday was about the fifth time (in 2 years) DVD Player asked me to change my region code from region 1 to region 2, which I've done every time it's asked. It has never told me I have any fewer chances to change it again, and I don't think I've ever tried to play a region 1 DVD with it (though I've probably played a couple of region 1 DVDs in VLC or something). I've reinstalled my OS twice or three times, I think, in that time -- but I didn't think reinstalling reset the region code (does it?).
What's going on? Can I get away with playing any DVD at all?

[drmbb]

After changing the region code 5 times, the drive itself gets locked to the last region code set (the drive's firmware tracks changes). The dialogue box that comes up the first time you set the DVD region code clearly says, in bold letters at the bottom, just above the commit buttons "You can only change the drive region code 5 more times".
You can still use VLC to watch DVD's from other regions, since it does not pass on the region coding from the disc to the drive.
--

[sereluna]

In reply to:

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You can only change the drive region code 5 more times

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Yes, and it still says that even though I've already changed it five times.

[Nobody]

In reply to:

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What's going on? Can I get away with playing any DVD at all?

---

Only if your DVD drive has a region-free firmware.
You are correct, installing OS any number of times or changing its versions ha nothing to do with region codes; this information resides within the hardware (DVD player/recorder).

[albloom]

Actually, the region-code bit has to do with both
the DVD/DVR firmware and the DVD Player app.
If you tell us exactly what optical drive you have,
I'd be happy to snoop around rpc1.org and see if you
can flash your obviously RPC2 (region locked) drive
to RPC1 (region-free).
If you can reset your drive to RPC1, you then need
the "Region X" app to reset DVD Player after five
changes. Best I know of. Can't just tell DVD Player
to stop counting.

[sereluna]

In reply to:

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Only if your DVD drive has a region-free firmware.

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Is it possible it has?
Oh, I've just realised something: I haven't been using my internal drive, which died, for months. (Though I still think I changed the code a few times on it.) I'm now using an external FireWire drive. Is DVD Player not able to interfere with that, while popping up the warning anyway?
(Internal drive:

code:


MATSHITACD-RW  CW-8123:

  Model:MATSHITACD-RW  CW-8123

  Revision:CA0T

  Serial Number:

  Detachable Drive:No

  Protocol:ATAPI

  Unit Number:0

  Socket Type:Internal

---

)

[sereluna]

In reply to:

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your obviously RPC2 (region locked) drive

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The point is it's behaving as if it's not locked -- which I'm perfectly happy about (assuming DVD Player isn't reporting wrongly); just curious.

[sereluna]

So a few more questions about external drives:
If a piece of software like DVD Player changes the region code 5 times, what happens if you then plug the drive into another computer, with another OS and piece of software which allows you to make 10 changes? What happens if you then plug it back into the first computer?
Is the number of possible changes set by the firmware of the drive -- in which case all drive firmware would have to allow only 5 changes, or DVD Player's documention would be inaccurate?
Has DVD Player ever been known to damage drive firmware while messing around with region codes?

[Nobody]

Region related information resides on the drive itself and has nothing to do with the DVD player, which merely reads and reports on the status when needed.
I have never known or heard the DVD player damaging the drive's firmware. Such changes that affect drive's behavior, can only be made deliberately by installing a frimware that overrides the original file and it is not even easily possible for all drives... one has to find (or extract) the actual firmware, alter it to make desired changes and then flash it in. Most people usually wait for someone else to do the work of creating the firmware and when it is readily available, they use it. Of course, doing so can void your warranty, should one still have any and occasionally things can go wrong. If you cannot get back to the original firmware in such a case, your drive becomes useless.

[macworldguy]

This thread is very interesting to me since I was not aware of the possible problems in playing commercial movie DVD's resetting region settings of the hardware ( Superdriver ).
Is there a piece of software that
analyzes the installed DVD drive (s) and displays the following information:
Drive Location
Drive Manufacturer
Drive Model
Firmware Version
Serial Number (if available)
RPC Type
Drive State
Number of Remaining "Vendor Resets"
Number of Remaining Region Switches
Current Region Setting ?

Is there a piece of software that can reset the region settings?

[albloom]

Not one unified app I know of.
System Profiler tells some:
ATA-3 Bus:
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-110D:
Manufacturer:PIONEER
Model:PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-110D
Revision:1.39
Drive Type:CD-RW/DVD-RW
Disc Burning:Vendor Supported
Removable Media:Yes
Detachable Drive:No
Protocol:ATAPI
Unit Number:0
Socket Type:Internal

DVD Info X tells a little more:
Vendor: PIONEER
Model: DVD-RW DVR-110D
Firmware: 1.39
RPC-1 (region free)
Region X will tell you the current region setting and
how many changes are left but only for an RPC1
drive. This is the app you can use to reset the number
of changes in DVD Player itself.
DVRFlashX gives the following for any drive:
Device parameter was not given, detecting all DVR drives:
Device : A:
Vendor : PIONEER
Model : DVD-RW DVR-110D
Revision : 1.37
Status : RPC-2 (region locked)
Region : 1
Changes : 4 region changes remaining
..............4 vendor resets remaining
...............state is 'Region set'
Sources:
DVD Info X forum.rpc1.org - utilities
Region X macupdate.com
DVRFlashX lasvegas.rpc1.org
Hope this helps

[sereluna]

If I can complicate this thread further, here's another (real) scenario:
I made a disk image of a region 2 DVD. Later, I played the DVD from the disk image, and DVD Player popped up its message about changing the already Region 2-set drive back to Region 2. I think I had my external drive plugged in, along with my semi-dead internal drive (the computer recognises it, but not discs in it). Did DVD Player change any region settings on either of the drives, or only on the disk image, if that's possible?