Reset Region Code for DVD Player?
 

Hi,

On My powerbook I used up the the number of time i could change the region for my DVD player. I though re-imaging my laptop would resolve this problem but it didnt!

is the mechnism that counts this in the firmware? and is there any way of resetting it. I am without a DVD player now and very frustrated!

I believe that the counter is stored in the DVD hardware's memory and so is not touched by an OS X reinstall.
There is no officially approved way of resetting this counter - that is the point of the restriction on the number of times you can change it.

But if you google a bit, you might find some hacks that will allow you to modify the firmware of your DVD player. These are completely unsupported, probably illegal (contrary to your licence agreement) and might render the DVD player completely unusable.
You really ought to have paid attention to the warnings about the max number of region changes.

Here we go again!!

You paid for the drive, you should be able to change it as often as you like. See The Mac DVD Resource. PM me if necessary.

----

I kinda agree, BUT the reason is understandable....this is too keep people from importing movies from europe or japan before they hit shelves here.....But i get where you are going with it, double edged sword and stuff.....

Clearly, this is not hayne's fault, and therefore does not deserve your ire (or neigh-ire). This is on Apple. And they DO have warnings about selecting the DVD region, and the OP probably should not be annoyed that the DVD player now isn't switching regions (dually warned and all that..).

lol...I'd suspect that this isn't Apple's fault either

blame the MPAA

There you go!

Now… Back to the topic at hand…

Scott, You will have to determine what drive is in your Powerbook through the System Profile utility (Select "About This Mac…" under the Apple menu and click the "More Info…" button.) Apple's used various drives as Superdrives (Burns DVDs) and Combo drives (Reads, but doesn't burn DVDs. Many of them can be flashed to RPC1 (Region Free) if the firmware is available. Once you have the information on the drive check the forums and downloads at RPC1.org to see if your drive can be upgraded.

Great Debate
 

Hi,

Only just check this thread and am glad to see it started a bit of a debate. Ill give those ideas a go and get back to you on the outcome. Im willing to take risks to fix this problem.

My 2 cents worth

I have had my powerbook for almost three years and it is my only DVD player. Its been with me through Europe, America, Indonesia and that in itself jsuytifies why i used up the number of time i have changed the region on it: its a laptop, used for travelling!!!!

Thanks or the advice

Scott

my specs
 

Sorry, was in a rush with last post here are the specs from my powerbook re dvd player:

MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-815:

Manufacturer: MATSHITA
Model: MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-815
Revision: DWDB
Serial Number:
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-RW
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal


P.S. I live in Australia so it should be region 4. Any further direction would be greatly appreciated. I think http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php is where my salvation lies.

It is my understanding that you can change the region code five times before it will lock in. It is also my understanding that Apple will reset your computer two times (you have to take it in) for a total of fifteen region changes. Then the firmware prevents any more changes. DVD license requirements.

In performing a Google search on the subject I found no easy way to reset the counters yourself. There were a couple of solutions for OS 9 and earlier versions.

Another solution is to rip the DVD using MacTheRipper, set the region code to 0 (all regions), and then burn a copy. This is, of course, assuming you already own the DVD and are not copying a rental or the like.

cynikal.net used to host all the firmware updates for the apple drives. but, i havent been able to connect to it for a while (tho it says under construction at the moment).

however, this site looks like it has some of the same files for flashing the firmware.

THIS IS NON-TRIVIAL. i would read up. a bunch. then read some more. read about what flashing the firmware means (to your warranty--your drive). read about what 'region free' means. what it REALLY means. it is NOT as simple as it sounds. and, it may not be what you think it is. so, read some more.

all that said, remember you can watch any region DVDs with VLC.

personally, i'd take the thing to apple, let them do their magic on the reset so you can resell the thing later, and use VLC to watch anything non-local to you.

just my ¢2

Pls try this page down towards the bottom.... you can even set it back to factory.... Excellent stuff, excellent scholarship. Trust me, this guy has the goods... You will find him and his work highly regarded at the URL you specify above.... I've done this a couple of times....

Contrary to license isn't necessarily illegal if the license conditions are so egregious as to render them unpalitable to the average person.

No!! Many reasonable and skilled individuals are working on this problem.

He(she?) owns the drive, they own the movie..... The entertainment industry really needs to 'grok' the concept of 'global market'.... People travel and they (meaning the entertainment industry) try to screw them (meaning the folk) for it....

'nuff said.....

This is completely subjective. A license's "egregiousness" won't necessarily win you a court battle, should you be charged.

Actually, there are maxims in law in many jurisdictions that cover this.

I really do not understand this obeisence to the entertainment industry..

There is nothing il/legal about it. It is simply one side of terms of a contract offered without fair and reasonable chance to rebutt. If I buy, legitimately, with my hard won resources, a movie at Narita, or Heathrow, or Orly, or..., or...., why (and I really want an answer to this specifically) should I not expect to be able to play it where-ever I take it.... I own the gear... I own the movies.... WTF???

this reminds me of a buddy hackett interview i remember from WAAAY back on johnny carson's tonight show:

Buddy Hacket, to Johnny: "Ask me what the secret to comedy is."
Johnny: "What's the..."
Buddy Hacket (screams): "TIMING!!"

ohya...some context: think MPAA release dates in various countries.

I don't really want to extend this philosophical discussion but feel compelled to respond to the attacks on my statements. My original post was giving practical advice. I stated the risks (and they do exist) and I explained how (via google) to find a solution.
Giving the actual links to providers of what the powers that be might see as illegal software is verging on the unacceptable for these forums since posting such things might bring the owner of the forums into legal dispute. We want to avoid this if at all possible. We will leave the links up for now, but I recommend a more cautious approach to matters of dubious legality in the future.

And (since it seems it needs to be said), it is the powers that be that determine what is and is not legal. You referred above to "owning" the drive and the movie. But it is more accurate to say you possess the physical objects. Mere possession is (like it or not) becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the law.
Take the movie on DVD for example. You definitely do not have the right to do whatever you want with it. For example, I think you will find that you are not allowed (by the licence) to show this movie to a group of people in your school or church.

And having restrictions on usage of items that you "own" isn't necessarily restricted to information technology. There is nothing that stops me from selling you my land and making it a condition of the sale that you maintain the forest that is on that land.

.. only for so long as we the people respect their wishes...

I do not want to continue an unwanted discussion but philosophy is a valid field of combat......

Again, Scott…

Back to the subject at hand. Go to Cynikal's Site and locate your drive UJ-815 near the end of the page. Download the Region Free firmware and install it. Cynikal used Apple's own flasher for this so it's pretty safe. I've done it a couple times on this drive and many times on others. Haven't broken one yet.

Now once the drive has been flashed, you're going to need XVI's RegionX utility to set your region counter from time to time.

This does nothing more that reset your region counter any time you need it. It doesn't remove region encoding from the disc, so I don't see where any law is broken. The drive manufacturer is required by license (not law) to put the 5 change limit on the drive. You aren't bound by that license though... There are no laws being broken here. Any warranty is being voided of course.

Thanks One & All
 

Las Vegas, et al,

Thanks Cynikal's Site had what i needed. Was very easy! and it had clear instructions accompaning the firmware update that put me at ease.

Those of you who are followoing this thread are very lucky, you will never have to go through the dissappointment of seeing DVD after DVD being spat back out at you, even VLC was locked out of the player and although mac_the_ripper might have worked its not very practical to be ripping every DVD I watch.

Thanks again, Im off to watch Anchor Man!!! wooohoooo

Thanks for the help!!
 

Excellent resource!

Hurrah! You were lucky to have this model drive (I too have the exact same model as you). Did you notice that Cynikal has a firmware that will allow DVD-R writing at 2x rather than the 1x speed to which it was set when the drive was shipped? I've flashed my drive with several versions of the firmwares available on his site, and all of them work without problems. Writing a DVD-R at 2x is mercifully faster than writing at 1x.