DVD regions

[Ian Jackson]

Interesting. IIRC, Sony was one of those that were most awkward to make region-free (if not impossible).

I have two now-ageing LiteOn recorders and a fairly recent LG, and these were dead easy to change (just a few numbers on the remote control). I also have an elderly £20 Alba player (Homebase once sold them), and despite it saying 'Region 2' one the box, not only plays American Region

1 NTSC discs (as well as Region 2 PAL), but also has the option of outputting either the original NTCS composite video (3.57MHz colour), or the more usual pseudo-PAL (525-line, 4.43MHz).

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not on Linux. Just install the - ahem - 'unofficial' libdvdcss stuff..and Robert is your relative..

[Brian Gaff]

I think a lot of countries are saying that regionalisation is a form ofimport restriction for a global market, but of course attempt to say that to a struggling indipendent retailer who is not selling his region 2 stuff as its cheaper from outside the uk or europe.

Brian

[Davey]

Thanks of reminding me about that site. I just used it to set my Samsung DVD/VHS Player/Recorder, which I got via Freecycle, to multi-region. I already have a multi-region, multi-System multi-Hz, multi-voltage, Toshiba DVD player, but the Samsung is already connected into the viewing system.

[Paul D Smith]

...snip...

Thanks of reminding me about that site. I just used it to set my Samsung DVD/VHS Player/Recorder, which I got via Freecycle, to multi-region. I already have a multi-region, multi-System multi-Hz, multi-voltage, Toshiba DVD player, but the Samsung is already connected into the viewing system. ...

Sadly my in-laws Toshiba DVD/video can't be unlocked, but then it's a US model and the US doesn't seem to believe that there could possibly be anything worth watching from outside of the country.

Paul DS

[Davey]

I was living in the US when I got the Toshiba. There is a company called DVDoverseas, near Chicago, that knows about this stuff. I doubt they could help with unlocking, though. I agree with you on the US insularity, thank goodness for the NPR network.

[Johann Klammer]

Ian Jackson wrote: [snip]

Isn't the LiteOn Label used by Sony, too?

[F Murtz]

Depends on which dvd player is installed in the computer.

[Ian Jackson]

Dunno. Doubt it.

[Jim Hawkins]

Just found a local dealer who was happy to sell me a new Toshiba DVD player and convert it to region-free for me (for no extra charge !) - and prove it by playing a region 1 DVD on it.

Thanks to all for the many interesting comments and advice: this newsgroup just gets better and better.

[Ian Jackson]

In message , Jim Hawkins writes

Out of interest, what is the model number?

[Jim Hawkins]

Toshiba SD2010KB

[Ian Jackson]

Region-free 'hack' here - looks like 30 seconds work at the most. No wonder you weren't charged!

[Adam Funk]

something in writing that says it can be, than to find out later that you can't unlock it & can't return it on that basis.

[Ian Jackson]

I'm certainly not suggesting that it wasn't a good idea to get the dealer to make the DVD player region-free. [Actually, I doubt if many vendors would have been so obliging.] I simply posted the information to show how easy some of the hacks are. On the other hand, some hacks seem to be quite complicated, and maybe not for the faint-hearted.

[Adam Funk]

I agree!

You don't know till you try.