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[mindracing]

This has probably been asked before but I've searched and couldn't find anything.

When I attempt to play a DVD from within MC I get an eror message about the region setting and that it can be changed using DVDrgn.exe.

MS knowledgebase suggests that DVDrgn.exe needs to be called from within a program.

Is this correct? Where do I go from here?
Can a PC be set to multi region?

Thanks

[JimH]

I've never done it, but I believe the software that came with the player may let you change the region.  This can usually only be done a limited number of times (3?).

AVSforum might have useful info on this.  Maybe on the HTPC board.

[kiwi]

you might check out doom9.org

[sraymond]

This can be a royal PITA for those of use from two different countries (from two different regions).  I have lots of European and USA DVDs.

DVDRegion-Free will fix the problem for youl.  You can also look to see if there's a flash upgrade for your DVD-ROM to remove the regions.  I suggest you take a look at http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php as a start.  Doom9 (as mentioned by Kiwi) is also a decent source of information.

If you just can't figure this out, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do for you.

Scott-

[gpvillamil]

The program called DVDIdle or DVDRegionFree will work fine with Media Center 9. Look at www.dvdidle.com. I'm using DVDIdlePro which combines the caching and region-free features. Works well, worth the money.

[Edit] By the way, if you use the RAM based cache in DVDIdle, you might need to reduce it by 100MB below the recommended value. The default value is a bit aggressive, and forces any other apps including MC9 to swap out. So if you're watching a DVD in fullscreen mode and switch back to the regular mode, MC9 will be a bit slow while it reloads.

[phelt]

DVD region can usually be changed 5 times. The discs can be set to "no region encoding" during the mastering process, but this is not the usual case. Oddly, some drives can encounter problems if there is no region specified on the disc  

IMO it's better to try a software solution before attempting a firmware fix. The doom9 and rpc1 links are quite good - you have to do some digging, but there's a wealth of information to be had.

mini-rant: Region encoding is not a copy-protection system, but the abuse of technology to limit consumer choice and control distribution flow.

[kiwi]

mini-rant: Region encoding is not a copy-protection system, but the abuse of technology to limit consumer choice and control distribution flow.

I hear you there.



I found the firmware trick to work well for me on a number of drives.  You just need to also run a small app that tells the programs that the DVD drive matches the dvd's region code.

kiwi

[kwake]

This program works really well for this kind of thing: http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html

Regards,
Kwake

[Mastiff]

And if you want to save money, get Region Killer from Elaborate Bytes. It's free and it works. I use it on WinDVD 5, Sonic Cinemaster and occationally (for testing, I could never watch a full movie on that cr*p) PowerDVD and it has never failed me.

[mindracing]

And if you want to save money, get Region Killer from Elaborate Bytes. It's free and it works. I use it on WinDVD 5, Sonic Cinemaster and occationally (for testing, I could never watch a full movie on that cr*p) PowerDVD and it has never failed me.

Thanks for that Mastiff. The reviews seem great. Only problem is the Free Stuff page on the ELBy site is empty.

Anyone have the download?

[sraymond]

I think Elby may be having some legal trouble.  I noticed that CloneCD is no longer offered by them.  Maybe someone like the MPAA leaned on them?

In any event, you can find Region Killer here:  http://pioneerdvd.rpc1.org/
(If you're too lazy to click more than once, click here:  http://pioneerdvd.rpc1.org/DVD%20region%20killer%20v2.7.0.2.exe)

Scott-

[JimH]

I'm going to close this thread because it's in a legal gray area.  Sorry.  I sympathize with the legitimate need to play disks from more than one region.