DVD player - Drive Region Code

Not sure if this is the right place to post this question...
But in DVD player, I want to play a "foreign" DVD, ie, from the US (I'm in A ustralia). But I get a message that pops up that says that it can't play the DVD because it's on a different DRIVE REGION code. Apparantly you can change the code five times but after that you can't change it anymore.
So my question... I can only change it one more time, after that is there ANY way that i can be changed again? Is there something (a driver perhaps?) that I can dwownload or even purchase?
Your help is much appreciated!

is it then possible to have two different DVD Player's going on my computer?? Not at the same time, but one won't override the other I imagine? How do I go about buying another one? I'll do a google search...
Thanks for the tip!

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Set my DVD player to Region Code 0?

I have a Region 2 DVD I purchased and playing it forced me to change my DVD player settings from Region 1 so that I could view it on my iMac. I have 3 more changes left and would like to set my DVD player to Region Code 0 so that I can view all the DVDs in my collection without having to worry about this. Is there a fix for this or some 3rd party player I can install?
Thanks.

Hi Kort,
Using VLC you have to use option "Open Disc..." then you select the image that fairmount generated (I'm at work so I don't have my mac to check the exact name of the menu option).
This way you could see a DVD from other region without having to change the DVD player region, because fairmount has created a replica of the DVD without the zones protection.
Hope it helps.

DVD Drive Region Code.... help?

On my dad's iBook G4 almost every dvd I get from the store comes up with the error message "*The DVD-Video disc region code does not match the drive region code.* (You cannot change the region code for your drive)"
I remember a while ago one of our relatives visited from England and probably played a dvd or two from England so I'm assuming that's how this happened. Is there any way to change the drive's region code? I'm guessing re-installing the OS might do it, but that would be last resort if my dad even considers it. I've tried VLC and others, but the OS seems to make the rules.... any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:)

As per the conditions imposed on the rest of the world by the MPAA mafia, a DVD drive can be set to play DVDs from one of the 9 regions ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVDregioncode ) for a maximum of 5 times by the end-user. As a backup, there is a 'service reset' that can be used up to 4 times to reset that count, which means that a DVD drive's region can be changed an absolute maximum of 20 times.
The 'service reset' is used by service centers, etc., knowing that the unilluminated users will usually exhaust their 5-count accidentally, like in this case. I'd like to think that a Genius in an Apple Store o an Apple Service Center should be able to carry such a reset out. There are also utilities in the wild that allow you to do this, so you might want to Google your way around and see if you can find one for your specific Mac and DVD drive model. Note that this service reset is perfectly legal, does not invalidate any warranty or incur in the wrath of any law enforcement agency.
Reflashing the firmware on the drive with microcode hacked to be region-free also solves the problem. However, from the technical point of view, this is risky as any failure in the process will result in dead drive with no warranty and, from the legal point of view, breaks scads of different national laws making you liable for prosecution (if caught).

Help with dvd drive - region code error

Hi, I really need to change the drive region code on my Ibook G4 (OS X 10.4.10) back to Region 2. I'm allowed to change it one last time.
But the trouble is, when I try and change it and click 'set drive region' it just comes up with an error message -70001, 'There was a problem changing the drive region code.'
I've reset the PMU and PRAM/NVRAM but it still does it.
Can anybody help me at all? It's driving me mad, I was banking on being able to change it back to my Region one last time...

Insert a DVD which is set to play in only one region; if you try using up your last change with a DVD that can play in some but not all regions, that error message will appear. Many DVDs which are set to play in region 2 will also play in region 4.
(23521)

Drive Region Code different from iBook to PowerBook??

I am visiting Germany from America and i have a Powerbook G4 and my girlfriend has a iBook which we purchased at the same time (before X-Mas) in america. now i know about drive region code settings and their purpose (although i dont undestand why they cant be changed as many times as needed, only 5), but my powerbook prompts me to change it when i input a German DVD and my girlfriends plays them no questions asked?? what is the deal there?? thanks

Hey Mike,
glad you got it figured out
You can download VLC from here:
VLC Media Player
This article might also be helpful for you:
Region Free DVD Playback with VLC

Last time you can change he drive region code - could I try to reset this?

Hello everybody this is my dvd driver into my iMac G5
Model: MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-845
Revision: DBN9
Serial Number:
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
And this is the message that I need to avoid.
This is the last time you can change he drive region code
I'm a music student and I have several instructions DVD in region 1 and 2 but I live in South America and here it's 4.
Have any way to reset this counter to 0 and have 5 more changes or put it the driver in region free mode?
Thanks in advance
Gus

Hi Gustavo,
As someone who has travelled between regions a lot, I feel your pain.
Your only options with the UJ-845 are to get an external DVD drive, based on a drive mechanism that can be made region free, or remove the internal drive and replace it with a Pioneer K05 or K06. Pioneer drives can be made region free, and are compatible with MacOS X.
If you have one of the original G5 iMacs, without an iSight, the upgrade is very easy, and you should still keep any remaining warranty. Instructions are available at http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/imacg517inchOpticalDrive.pdf ( or http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/imacg520inchOpticalDrive.pdf )
If you have one with an iSight, it is very difficult and you should get a professional to do it - Have a look at http://www.kodawarisan.com/imacg5_isight/imacg501i.html for how it comes apart.

Switching the DVD drive region code - Is there a workaround?

Hi - would appreciate a confirmation or helpful hints how to circumvent the regional settings.
I understand from the Apple doc, http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60183, that the regional coding is set in the firmware of the drive and not linked to the player (as I had apparently incorrectly surmised). If this is the case, then installing an additional player such as the VLC media player for Mac OS X (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html) to use for say Region 1 discs, and maintaining Apple's DVD Player set for Region 2 discs would not prevent the drive from freezing the 5th time a different region coded disc is slid into the drive.
Right?
If so, the only work around would be to install an external DVD drive to set to an alternative region, right? Or does somebody know a cute way to disable the firmware coding and set the drive to multiple regions. This must be possible because DVD players are available commercially which have been set to region code 0.
I have 2 changes left ... before the big freeze. Thanks

To Apple Discussions!
It has been reported that VLC overrides the 5 region code option. You will need to read their documention on their website. Otherwise................
You can change the computers region "only 5 times". Then it's locked in the 5th version/region (until you erase your HD & start all over.).

External DVD player/burner region free?

Hi there,
This kind of question has been posted before but the latest thread is from 2006 so I just wanted some up to date information.
My optical drive has been through its 5 changes and has settled on region 2. I want to watch and back up a region 1 dvd. If I were to buy an external DVD player would my mac force it to read only region 2 or would it be region free?
If it is region free does anyone have any recommendations on a good external DVD drive?
Thanks very much.

As I understand it, it is ultimately the DVD drive's firmware that determines that drive's region setting, not the Mac itself (although it's the Mac that initially lets you change the region stored in that firmware, up to five times). When you first connect an external DVD drive, its region encoding will be whatever the manufacturer set it to be.
If you want true region-free playback, you'll have to find a DVD drive whose firmware can be updated to make the drive region free. This process always used to be much easier on a PC than a Mac; I don't know if that's still the case.

Drive region codes

ok, so i've recently purchased some movies from overseas, and as usual they're in a different region code. i've changed my drive's region code the three times allowed... am i pretty much out of luck?
i just want to watch harry potter!

it seems to be possible to change the DVD zone 5x but last time I tried on a new intel iMac I had an error nb 1007
I never changed this zone code before, so it should be possible.... but it is not. I can only watch zone 1 DVD ( I would like to change for 2 )
Does anyone has an idea to correct that ?
PS : I tried to read the DVD with VLC for OSX intel but I have no picture & no sound. Only the DVD name in the VLC pannel
PS2 :: I tried with many DVD... and it is the same pb

DVD Player: multi-region or not?

I have just had my original ailing CD/DVD drive replaced by a new one: Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-107D. I inserted a new DVD to watch — a definitely European one — and a message came up, showing Region 1 (which is, I believe, North America), asking me to select a region and warning me that I would only be able to change the region four more times. I was alarmed: my old drive never asked me and was obviously multi-regional. So I ejected the DVD without selecting a region and without playing the DVD and inserted a DVD (again a European one) that I had played before on my old drive. It played with no questions asked. I then went back to the first DVD, and it, too, now played with no questions asked.
I am confused and worried. Has the drive and/or DVD software set itself to a particular region? Presumably not Region 1, because I can now play European DVDs.
Or is my drive (details as above) in fact multi-regional and was the message asking me to choose a region a red herring? I should be very grateful for any information or guidance.

I now realize that this region business is a matter of the DVD player included in my computer, not anything specific to the optical drive. The fact that I received a message that this was the first time I was opening the player and asking me to choose a region must have been because, in trying to sort out earlier computer problems, I had used first Onyx and then DiskWarrior to optimize my hard disk, which may have created new links between the player, the optical drive and other components. I also now realize that VLC will play DVDs and is, apparently, non-regional. So my problem has been solved even if, in the future, I may want to play DVDs from other regions.

DVD Player sets region all on it's own...

I have never experienced this before. The DVD Player changed the region of the player all on its own. All I did was insert a Region 2 DVD.... Now I will lose the next one, just to revert it to region 1.

Turns out that a more careful reading of help files indicate that the DVD Player abutomatically sets the region the first time a DVD is inserted. No warnings, no dialogue boxes or "yes/no". Be aware!

T61P: Windows Vista SP1 X64: DVD player driver wont work

My 64-bit Vista SP1 T61P has stopped recognizing my DVD drive and I cannot fix the driver by either using WindowsUpdate or by using the ThinkPad SystemUpdate. I could not even find a separate driver for the DVD drive at the lenovo site.
Any suggestions, anyone?
The error that I see in Device manager is:
MAT**bleep**A DVD-RAM UJ-852 ATA Device
Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)
Click 'Check for solutions' to send data about this device to Microsoft and to see if there is a solution available.
Thanks

I had exactly the same problem...I thought it was an x64 driver problem until I tried this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929461
...worked like a charm...let me know if that did the trick...brian

Apple DVD player / region code

I apologize if this is the incorrect forum for this question, but I could not find a forum specific to the Apple DVD player.
Several months ago my internal DVD drive died and I replaced with an external LaCie firewire drive which I purchased from Apple. Until today all I have used it for is burning disks, and for that it has worked flawlessly. Today, however, I needed to use it to view a DVD. When I inserted the DVD i got a pop-up box which stated "Since this is the first use of a DVD disc, the drive region must be initialized before playing." A drop-down box gives me the options of regions 1-6, and 8. When selecting region 1, or any region for that matter, I get an error message which states "There was a problem changing the drive region code," and it gives me an error code of 10007. If I click Cancel the disk ejects and Apple DVD player pops up. Thinking there might be a problem with this disc I have tried several dvd movies. I do not get the pop-up box with the region code choices, instead Apple DVD player pops up, but the movie will not play. On screen it says "Supported Disc not available."
I tried the original disk in my G4 PowerBook and it plays fine.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The LaCie drivers haven't changed since 2008 or before. Traditionally, computer DVD drives ignore region codes (a region code is a feature which should be illegal, IMO). So, unless your computer is new, I'm guessing the region code block is programmed into 'DVD Player'.
I've a LaCie external DVD drive, and I found the free MPlayer produces a much better image than 'DVD Player'. Haven't tried VLC in several years, but it's considered my many the best.
MPlayer
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/18580/mplayer
VLC
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5758/vlc-media-player
Be sure the external drive is being accessed. (You might want to stock up on such software while that for Tiger is still available.)

Region code change on DVD Player ...

hI
please help ,I have changed the drive region code 5 more times,so now it doesnt plays any dvds, how can i reset it,or what i can do?
thanks

This is right from the Terms of Use: Do not submit software or descriptions of processes that break or otherwise ‘work around’ digital rights management software or hardware. This includes conversations about ‘ripping’ DVDs or working around FairPlay software used on the iTunes Store.
DVD region coding is a form of DRM, and as such, we can't discuss "working around" it here.
Again I say: Google is your friend. A very good friend.

Only Change the DVD Player regions 5 times!?

Really, is Apple so cheap that it thinks that is relevant? I travel, I am an NGO, so I could change regions continuously but I am restricted on my Apple to five region changes. Five! I have now moved to Europe and cannot use the DVD player because I have changed it five times previously, yet i can buy a PC or a travel DVD player that will play any and all DVDs. I now have a useless piece of software on my computer and a have to carry another DVD player because Apple are ******* ******. I actually like Apple but this is ******* me off. Maybe its time to look at the competition...

neilfromwashington wrote:
I have changed it five times previously
And each time you were warned that, "You can change the region code of a DVD drive only five times (including the original setting); the fifth setting is permanent", weren't you?
Maybe its time to look at the competition
Definitely. And please do share the results.
Below is an excerpt from my Fujitsu Lifebook user guide (capitalisation and stress is theirs):
• ALL LIFEBOOK DVD PLAYERS ARE SET TO PLAY DVD TITLES WITH REGION CODE NUMBER 1 WHICH IS SPECIFIED FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET. THE REGION NUMBER IS A REGIONAL RESTRICTION CODE DEFINED BY THE DVD FORUM ACTING ON HOLLYWOOD REQUIREMENTS. DIFFERENT REGION CODES ARE RECORDED ON VIDEO DVD TITLES FOR PUBLICATION IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE WORLD. IF THE REGIONAL CODE OF THE DVD PLAYER DOES NOT MATCH THE REGIONAL CODES ON THE TITLES, THEN PLAYBACK IS IMPOSSIBLE.
• YOU CAN CHANGE THE REGION CODE ON THE DVD PLAYER USING THE PROPERTIES MENU OF THE DVD SOFTWARE. NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT YOU CAN ONLY CHANGE THE REGION CODE UP TO FOUR TIMES. AFTER THE 4TH CHANGE, THE LAST CODE ENTERED BECOMES PERMANENT, AND CANNOT BE CHANGED.

DVD player - Drive Region Code

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