Regional limits on DVD player

Is there anyway around the number of times I can change regions on my Apple DVD player? I've seen some tuorials, but they all involve a complex reflash of the firmware and do not sound very "safe". I've installed VLC player but it also won't read the DVD I'm trying to load -- no error message but I assume it's the regional problem as well.

I did a quick search through Google and found a number of external DVD drives. Be aware that Apple's external DVD is NOT supported on the MacBook.
Best of luck, and thank you for awarding the "solved" for this thread. It is not required but it is certainly appreciated.

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Need to change my region on my DVD Player?

Hi there,
I have exceeded my changes of regions on my DVD player. It is on region 1 and I need it to be on region 4. How can I change this?
The error that is coming up is:
"This DVD-Video disc has a region code that does not match the region code set for your DVD drive. You cannot change the region code for your DVD drive."
If anyone could give me some advice, it would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Thanks,
Dani

HI,
Use VLC Media Player instead of DVD Player.
http://www.videolan.org/
More information re; VLC here.
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051130104135761
Carolyn

Region of the dvd player blocked

Hello!! I've been trying to know what are the possible way to unblock my dvd player in my mackbook pro. Actually according to the application dvd player, I have only the right to change 4 times the region.Well I did it more than 4 times and now it's stuck in region 1. I need to know how it is possible to make the dvd player multiregion. I'd like to play any dvd, any time at any region. How is it possible to make it? Is there anysoftware, or other? I need solutions cause I spent so much time trying to fix it, and I can't think of anything!!
Could u tell me asap please cos i need to watch certain movies for my masters!

To make your SuperDrive region free you'll need a firmware patch although these are few and far between for the Matishita drives Apple uses. So, your best option is to see if Apple will do a manufactuer reset on your drive. This will get you another 5 changes (you can only do a manufacturer reset so many times as well so this is not a long term solution).
The best option you have is to buy a cheap external drive with which you can patch to be RPC-1 region free.

What region is my DVD player on my iMac set to as default?

Canb onyone tell me what region my DVD player on my iMac (Intel) is defaulted to? I'm trying to work out whether some movies that I have are region 2 or not and all of my other DVD players are multi-region.

Canb onyone tell me what region my DVD player on my iMac (Intel) is defaulted to?
The DVD player on your iMac does not have a region code initially; it gets one the first time you insert a region-encoded DVD into the drive, and will prompt you for confirmation before any additional region changes are made. If you want to check on the first change, create a non-admin account in the Accounts pane of System Preferences if you don't have one already, and insert the DVD while logged into that account.
Region X is what you need
The link to this software on MacUpdate doesn't work, and the current version may not be available for download anywhere.
(18513)

Region code for DVD player

When I was visiting another country on vacation I watched a movie and guess it was the 5th time of me changing my region code. So appaently it is now permanent and I can no longer watch dvd's on my mac, import cd's or install software. How can i change my region code back to canada?
Please help asap!

cambridge2020:
Be sure to type accurately when asking about "DVD player". We don't always know if you mean DVD drive or Apple's "DVD Player.app" software.
Region code data is changed both in the firmware of some DVD drive hardware, in the base UNIX operating system software, and in the "DVD Player.app" software. For a particular drive, if it has region code protection firmware (those sold in the white market in countries that comply with the motion picture industry "suggestion"), will become locked for DVD region coded disc playback after 4 changes (5 code uses). Even if you have a region-free DVD drive as I do, the OS and "DVD Player.app" will stop allowing you to play region-coded DVD movie discs. You can (and I have) overcome this in several ways. I won't elaborate because Apple may feel it their duty to censor my comments. I will go so far as to say an "Erase and Install" will reset the region tracking for everything but the drive firmware.

How do you change the the region for your dvd player

I purchased a macbook pro in the USA and I am now trying to watch an American DVD on its in-built player and it is telling me that the DVD does not match the DVD region and that the DVD region can not be changed??

See DVD Player: About DVD-Video regions

Change DVD region on external DVD Player

I have a DVD player that was set to region 1. It now is not. It says that I have 3 DVD region changes left (yeah, I know you only get 5). I don't know how it changed to a different region, but now I need it to change back to region 1, so I can watch movies again. I have a samsung external dvd player. Any suggestions?

Hi V
Yes there are several possible origins to this:
• burning the DVD with x16 speed often gives so much errors that they doesnt work
• using a cheap brand - same
• wrong type of DVD
• to little free space on internal (start-up) hard disk
1. I make a DiskImage then use Toast™ to burn with x1 speed (one can use Apple Disk Util tool to do this - in iDVD08 one can select burn-speed)
2. I use Verbatim DVD-R
3. I use -R no +R or +/-RW disks
4. iDVD needs 25Gb free space on internal (start-up) hard disk. 10Gb might work but slow.
<5Gb if it reaches to goal - most probably an useless DVD disk is the result.
Yours Bengt W

How do you change the region on the DVD Player?

When I got to help I get an explaination about Regions. I am told where the regions are and I am told I have a limit of 5 times to change - I have 4 times left
How do I change the region?

This discussion and the links within it should help:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5177007?tstart=0
You could use VLC which ignores regions:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

DVD Player or Superdrive limitations?

Greetings all,
NB: this is not about ripping or backing up DVDs, just for the record
I have a Mac Pro with 2 superdrives, one region 1, the other region 2 (I live in the UK). Both are Optiarc AD-7170A, firmware 1.N8
I like to watch my DVDs while working at my Mac but I find there are many DVDs that will not play, though they will play both in a traditional DVD player and (horror of horrors) in my Dell.
Diagnostics tell me my Superdrives are OK and that the disks are OK. The conclusion is that there is some kind of zero sized sector or deliberately bad index that DVD players can skip but Macs cannot. Frankly, I consider this to be a limitation of DVD Player and would be grateful for any comments on this.
Thanks all!
Pete

Ummmm My Mac Pro Shipped with a Pioneer DVR-112..one of the best and most reliable DVD PLayers/Burners on the market, so your statemtent about them being rubbish is unfounded. I purchased a second one so that I have two of them. They work Great. You can update the firmware to play ALL regions and they will still be supported fully on the Mac. Thanks
P.S. They do use Sony drives too.. I'm not sure how they determine which ship with which computer.

How many times can I change the DVD Player region setting?

I Plugged in my external DVD and started to play a DVD disc. It asked me to setup a region for my DVD player. As far as I know there is a limit for this setting. Is it also true with MAC drive on a MAc invironment? Thanks.

Upto 5 times.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2397

What DVD region is my imac DVD player?

i brought my imac new in the UK 18 months ago. if its not already multi region can it be converted?

The DVD Player on your Mac purchased in the UK is actually Region 2.
You can change this up to five times. The fifth change will remain carved in granite for all infinity.
There is no multi-region hack like there is for stand-alone DVD players.
So don't play DVDs from anywhere but Europe on your Mac. For DVDs from other regions use your DVD player.

External DVD player refuses to read DVDs

I've searched high and low on the internet and I can't find any solutions to this problem or anyone with this exact same problem. Yesterday I bought a region 2 internal DVD player (LG GH22LP20) as well as a USB enclosure (my Macbook Pro is set to region 1). I thought it would be as simple as plug and play, but it's not.
In both OSX and Windows XP the drive was easily installed and seems to be in working order, but when I put a DVD two things happen: if I try to autoplay it with VLC Media Player, the system will hang until I turn off the DVD player, at which point everything returns immediately back to normal. Secondly, if I try to navigate to the DVD or the VIDEO_TS folder directly through VLC, VLC will flash a black screen (the screen gets big for a fraction of a second and then minimizes again) and nothing else will happen.
I've tried DVDs from different regions, looked for driver updates, scoured messageboards looking for help, and nothing works. Is there some software compatibility issue with the Macbook Pro and the player? Or is either the player or the external housing to blame?

failed when I really needed it at the meeting
Isn't that just typical!
Maybe a disk error, but equally likely is that the DVD needed a clean.
A single fingerprint is enough to stop it playing.
You should also consider having the free VLC Player from http://www.videolan.org/ in your armory, as this plays almost anything that DVD Player might not.

Burning DVD in Lion Problems. Keep getting REGION ERRORS in SONY DVD PLAYER @ playback. Settings correct. Leopard burns fine with all media. Lion does not with TOAST. DVDSTYLER burns a readable disk.

I have tried several types of media in a brand new (less than 2 months old) 27" iMac running the latest version of Lion. It will not burn a standalone DVD player readable disk. I am in North America and buring in NTSC format. Settings are set properly. Buring at BEST speed - states its burning at 3x. I have tested SONY printable DVD's +R and Verbatim non printable -R disks in Lion with Roxio Toast 8 & 10. No luck. DVDSTYLER burns a readable disk, but not realy happy about the look and functionality.
I am getting REGION LIMITATION errors in the SONY and other stand alone DVD Players.
Disk plays in XBox 360 and laptop PC also.
I am set to region 1.
AS I stated, DVDSTYLER does burn a readable disk, the problem seems to be with TOAST and LION ?
My old 21" iMac running Leopard 10.5.8 has no problems with burning. Any media, Toast 8, disks perform just fine.
Any suggestions ?
My only solution is to do the editing of movies I need to do on the 27" and transfer them to the 21" for burning.
lame
Or use the sub par DVDSTYLER program.
acceptable but disappointing.
ideas ?

SONY DVD player is brand spankin new.
Have not tried Imation disks.
Its just puzzling that Leopard and Toast 8 produces a DVD where as Lion and Toast 8 produces a coaster.
I tried not printiable Verbatims. Same result.
Need printables for the projects that I do.
Appreciate the suggetsions.
Will be methodically dilligent and post any results here.
any help from any others would be appreciated.

Why is there a limit on the number of times a "DVD player region" can be changed, and can it be adjusted for more region changes, or an indefinite number of region changes?

Why is there a limit on the number of times a "DVD player region" can be changed, and can this numbert be adjusted for more region changes, or an indefinite number of region changes?

Region encoding is the mechanism that enables motion picture studios to control the worldwide release of their movies. It is required by the DVD Forum (http://www.dvdforum.org/forum.shtml) in all commercial hardware DVD players. Every DVD-Video disc contains one byte of data representing a region code, which limits where the disc can be played.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2397
Once you have set the region in DVD Player five times it cannot be changed.
Instead, use VLC to view videos from different regions:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

Changing Apple DVD Player Region

My laptop is refusing to play a lot of DVDs - DVD Player opens but stays on a blank, black screen instead of loading the legal disclaimers and the DVD menu. If i use the little metal 'controller' to try to get the DVD to play then i get a no entry sign and a message that reads 'Supported disc not available'. Previously, i also get an error message that said that I needed to change my DVD region, (i think from region 4 to region 2, but i can't be sure as this was some time ago), but that it could only be changed two more times. So, because I don't want to set it to the wrong region just to play a couple of DVDs and then get stuck with that setting and not be able to play anything else, I want to know what the most common/official region for all UK DVDs is, and how to set it to that. I really don't understand the point of this nonsense, why am I limited as to how many times I can change this? And why do different DVDs have different region codes anyway, surely a DVD is a DVD, right?
Thanks in advance for any assistance with this matter,
LSRW.

Hi BDAqua,
Yes, I was aware of this, but the last time it prompted me to change the region it told me that I have two changes left, and I didn't opt to change it that time as I didn't know what I was doing and didn't want to use up a change. I have never changed it before myself, but I bought the laptop second hand.
LSRW

Regional limits on DVD player

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