Do I have a blank region 2 DVD?

iMacG4
OS 10.4.6
Original internal CD/DVD drive: HL-DT-ST RW/DVD GCC-4120B
When I attempt to play a region 2 movie DVD (having changed the internal DVD player from region 1 to region 2, using Region X.app) I experience the following:
Upon inserting the DVD (region 2), I receive the message: 'you inserted a blank DVD'.
But I can choose to launch iDVD, iTunes, Disk Utility, or Finder.
I select 'open Finder', and an icon named 'Untitled CD.fpbf' appears on desktop.
I drag the icon over the DVD Player.app, and am told 'the media type is not supported'
First time that I've tried that whole process. DVDs have always played fine before, with no system/hardware modifications.

For those who may benefit, I did get some help concerning the apps DVDinfo X, Region X , and VLC regarding flashing firmware and swithching regions, many thanks to Malcolm Rayfield.

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Matshita UJ-816 Superdrive: Blank CD-R / DVD-R fail to mount; Error Code 13

Greetings all,
*deep breath* This will be a long question, but I want to be thorough and informative. Sorry.
My machine is a 1Ghz 12" PB with a Matshita DVD-R UJ-816 DXJ3 Superdrive. It's basically worked fine for reading & burning all common brands of data, video, or audio CD-R & DVD-R media using Finder, iTunes, or iDVD--until now. As recently as 2 weeks ago, I successfully burned an Audio CD with iTunes (although I did get a "could not verify disc" error at the very end, the disc still plays fine).
As of last night, I can suddenly no longer mount blank CD-Rs or DVD-Rs. The same problem manifests for both in Finder: upon insertion, the standard "Choose Action" dialog box appears. When I select "Open Finder", the disc immediately ejects, and I get "Sorry, the operation could not be completed becuase an unexpected error occurred (Error Code 13)".
If, on insertion, I choose to open iTunes instead of Finder, the disc does not eject immediately, but does eject as soon as I start a new burn from iTunes.
The drive still reads and mounts burned CD-Rs and burned DVD-Rs, as well as commercial discs. Otherwise, .DMG mount fine, as do flash drives.
Here's a list of fixes I've tried thus far, which I culled from these and other forums:
- Disc Utility: Repair Permissions
- "zapped" PRAM
- reset PMU
- Delete:
/System/Library/Extension.kextcache
/System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kernalcaches (folder)
- downloaded 'Panther Cache Cleaner' & did a 'Medium Cache Cleaning'
on all Local, System, All Users Caches
- Open Firmware (cmd-option-O-F at boot-up), entered the
following commands:
set-defaults
reset-nvram
eject-cd (just for the **** of it)
reset-all
- Created a new Admin account and tried to mount a disc from there (I already had 2 accounts on my machine, both of which are Admin, but just to try)....no luck.
The only thing I know of that I HAVEN'T tried yet is a laser-cleaning disc, but I'm wary of that, since they're apparently not recommended by Apple for slot-loading drives...?
Meanwhile, there were two other issues that just manifested, which I wouldn't have thought related except that all of it happened around the same time:
1.) The latest Software Update wouldn't install. After downloading, I got
"The update 'XXXXX' [e.g. iTunes, Quicktime, whatev] could not be verified and expanded correctly. Make sure you have permission to write to /private/tmp/501/TemporaryItems/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate, then try again."
I was able to solve this in Terminal (n00b that I am) using info from:
<http://www.cybmed.com/macinblog/2004/02/software_update.html>
2.) The latest Virex 7.5 "eUpdate failed", and "try again" was no help.
I solved this by just manually d/l-ing the DAT update from:
<http://www.mcafee.com/apps/downloads/security_updates/virex.asp?region=us&segme nt=smb>.
Keep in mind that I haven't installed any new software or hardware or made any system changes recently to explain this confluence of malfunctions. Those other issues could have been coincidence, but who knows?
As you might guess, I'm well out of warranty. Furthermore, I've been reading other horror stories here from people who shelled out for a new drive, only for it to go bad just like the first one--so I really hope it doesn't have to come to that.
So, suffice it to say I'm getting quite frustrated and desperate. If anyone has further suggestions or ideas for my drive problem, I'd really appreciate it.
- cgp
PS
Is it just me, or is it ironic how the drive manufacturer has "sh*t" right in the middle of the name?
12" Powerbook G4 1GHz Mac OS X (10.3.9) Superdrive: MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-816 Rev. DXJ3

Without going into a huge disertation, on this let me just say you are not the first and won't be the last that has had issues with the Matshita 816.
I did find a work around, that I will explain.
If you do a lot of burning your drive stores everything in cache files and then all of a sudden will start giving you an error message.
I found running 3 different utilitys, I run them 1 time a week need to or not and haven't got any errors since.
Macjanitor.
http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/macjanitor.html
Cache Out X.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/14850
Onyx
http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs2/english/download.html
These all three do similar thihgs but some do different things.
Now lets talk media.
I have had the same problems everyone else has had burning 1X and 2X with some of the poor media out there.
After doing a little leg work and trying a ton of different media I have found that Maxell 16X DVD-R will burn at 1X through 16X and works very well.
Be sure to read the packaging and it will tell you this. I opt to use the 3 packs with the individual Jewel cases.(Much Better Quality).
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
So You try those 3 free and shareware programs and go spend 4 dollars on the Maxell discs and see if that doesn't solve your problem. I sure did mine.
Cheers Don

Cannot play region 2 DVD

Hi all. Very new to the Mac world. So far I love it:)
The migration from a PC was painfull but I need help with this topic.
I have quite a few DVD's from Greece. I can watch them at my Home ent. system since I was able to unlock my DVD player and at my Windows box I had a couple of programs that could override the restriction (DVD region free, dvd genie etc).
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Is there a workaround on this problem?
Is there software for the mac that will do the same thing?
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QG5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
QG5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

You might try VLC player, but newer drives are tougher on any platform.
http://www.videolan.org/doc/faq/en/index.html#id239395
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
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Hi
As official way I can say just service partner, maybe. On the net there you can find some region free applications but this way is definitely illegal.
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Anyone else having difficulties with these media players on the new ibook G4 (10.4.2 OS X Tiger)? My 14" has a Matsushida DVD-R UJ 845-E.
I am trying to watch Region 2 DVDs from Italy and cannot get any of these players to work. At the time, the computer's DVD player was set on Region 1. I heard somewhere that if it's set to Region 2, then maybe the players would work. I've tried this with Xineplayer (which I'd prefer if it would actually work!), but no luck. Then I even tried playing a Region 1 DVD through Xineplayer and it had the same error message! (I'm assuming a Region 1 DVD wouldn't even work through the player if the computer's DVD Region code was set to 1.)
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Apparently, it was suppose to work that way. <try reading discussions from xlr8yourmac.com and askdavetaylor.com>
...but as I tried it on my iBook, I was quite surprised that it was still region conscious. So oftentimes, i rip the DVD <set on other region> so VLC could read the video_ts folder.
I bet there are other ways to play videos aside from what I do but so far, that works for me. Ill let you know if I get some answers and I hope youll let me know if you get something too.
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I have been trying to fix a similar issue on my wife's PowerBookG4. I cannot pin point when it started, but she noticed it a couple weeks ago when she tried burning a disc. We have come to discover that her drive will no longer mount any discs at all (blank or otherwise burned discs or software). If I had to make a guess it had to have started in the last month or so after some recent update. Maybe 10.5.2? I am not sure.
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Thanks, tried that, already locked
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Hi, what would "happen" if I try to insert a commercial "Region 2" DVD in my eMac? Any chance I could watch a little of the movie before the crash?
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Hi, what would "happen" if I try to insert a
commercial "Region 2" DVD in my eMac? Any chance I
could watch a little of the movie before the crash?
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Mancnay
eMac 1.25
Mac OS X (10.4.9) G4, 1.25GHz, Superdrive,
80GB HD, 768MB RAM,
Welcome to Apple Discussions. The issue you are asking about is documented in the Apple Knowledge base here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60183
"Apple's DVD Region Manager software allows you to change the region the DVD drive is set to use up to five times. On the fifth time, the drive is permanently set to use that region, and you cannot make any more changes. For example, you have both a Region 1 and Region 2 DVD-Video disc. You insert the Region 1 disc and DVD Player is now set to play only Region 1 discs. You insert the Region 2 disc, and DVD Player is now set to play only Region 2 discs. If you continue to switch between the discs, on the fifth time the DVD drive is permanently set to use the region of that disc."
I hope this helps.
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Region 2 DVDS in North America - switching regions 5 times

Hi.
Not sure where exactly to put this question so I'm asking here.
I have some Region 2 DVDs (THE SAINT monochrome) and when I played them in my Intel iMac to rip for my iPod it asked if I wanted to switch to region 2 - I said yes. It then said you can only do this 5 times. (This was probably 2 years ago so maybe it's different now.) So, if I switched back to region 1, then region 2, then region 1, then the fifth switch would be to region 2.
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Ok, I never knew there were "other" things in my computer, I figured everything was Apple.
I just thought I was so smart thinking that all would start at the beginning if you reinstalled the software. Not that I was intending to. I have two Intel iMacs and have only used the one to switch twice. I just want to rerip my Region 2 DVDs in a better format because I originally ripped them for my iPod and they don't play well on my iPad - they are slow, pixelly and out of sync with the audio. So I'm going to have to switch at least one more time and rip them for Apple TV, which I intend to get soon so I will probably never play the DVDs themselves.
Thanks, again.
Judie
Message was edited by: JudieR

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Download VLC it`s a region free .
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

Do I have a blank region 2 DVD?

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