DVD Unlocking/Multi-region Article Discussion

Conor_3

Doesn't unlocking a player break the law in regard to computer misuse/DMCA? Sensible question as I don't know but if it does, surely it shouldn't be discussed on these boards?

esuhl

Conor wrote: »

Doesn't unlocking a player break the law in regard to computer misuse/DMCA? Sensible question as I don't know but if it does, surely it shouldn't be discussed on these boards?

Again, I'm not 100% sure, but as I understand it: it is illegal to circumvent copy protection (not region locking). The DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) is an American piece of legislation, and so totally irrelevant in the UK.

So, I think this thread should be okay.

squeaky

Conor wrote: »

Doesn't unlocking a player break the law in regard to computer misuse/DMCA? Sensible question as I don't know but if it does, surely it shouldn't be discussed on these boards?

This is discussed in the article that prompted this thread.

DVD Unlocking/multi-region

Is it legal?
It's perfectly above board, as DVD region coding isn't a product of law, it's a product of savvy Hollywood execs keen to maintain an iron grip on worldwide distribution. After all, it makes bad economic sense to have people cheaply importing films when they could be paying a premium for their own local releases.
Though it is worth noting, buying US discs from UK shops is unlawful as they're not approved by the British Board of Film Censors, but importing them yourself is fine.

GaryS

The idea of making your dvd player multi-region does not seem quite as moneysaving as it was 4 or 5 years ago.

Nowadays you can get region 2 films on dvd almost the day after they have appeared in the cinema, so unless you already have a lot of region 1 (or other) films you will not need to buy many from overseas.

As previously stated, many "cheaper" players are already multi-region out of the box.
I remember getting a Samsung unit about 5 or 6 years ago from Comet which was just that, despite them saying they did not sell multi-region players.

moorhawk

I've unlocked my DVD player and the picture I get from my Region 1 DVD is rubbish - black and white and shaky. I've been told this is because you need an NTSC TV to view Region 1 DVDs.. but nobody seems to have mentioned this here? Anybody know any more?

John_Laptop

All my DVD players are now reigon free. One thing to note is the new protection system (not that they are calling it that)
RCE Regional Coding Enhancements. This is where they tailor the disks for a specific country/reigon. Some companies like Playusa.com state if a disk has RCE coding. Not all region free players will play RCE disks, it all depends on how the player selects and locks the region. Players work by setting the region when the disk is first read, if a disk is RCE enabled it then trys to change the region, if it succeeds it then jums to the end of the disk and displays a map of the world with insrtuctions to go and buy a copy from your own country, If the player does not switch regions it continues as normal and plays the disk.
You may also notice on some region 1 disks the picture jumps slightly, this is probably due to the USA enconding at 30fps and the UK at 25fps, this is only a guess though.
BBC america issues better BBC TV series disks 12-18 months earler than the UK, also cheaper also with better features. The special features on Black Adder from the states contain special episodes not seen in the UK and some bits that are available in the UK but only on a seperate disk for another £15.00
Without region free players I would be stuffed as about 20% of my disks are not region 2.

Happy film watching:j

John_Laptop

Just a quickie. You can get round the RCE system!!!!. If you set your player to the region for the disk instead of region free the RCE cannot change the player so it continues playing OK

bat999

moorhawk wrote: »

Anybody know any more?

Yup
So far we've been discussing region codes. These are put on the discs by the movie companies to restrict where and when they can be viewed.

But NTSC and PAL are something different. They are TV broadcast standards. In USA the programmes are broadcast in NTSC system, in UK they are broadcast in PAL system.
So the DVD discs are recorded in the system of the country where they are going to be used.

The difference between NTSC and PAL is technical. Different number of lines on the screen, different frame rates.

Sometimes NTSC discs will play OK on PAL equipment - sometimes they won't.
It depends on the DVD player. These days many DVD players are manufactured 'dual standard' so that they can be sold all over the world.
:cool::cool:

John_Laptop

moorhawk wrote: »

I've unlocked my DVD player and the picture I get from my Region 1 DVD is rubbish - black and white and shaky. I've been told this is because you need an NTSC TV to view Region 1 DVDs.. but nobody seems to have mentioned this here? Anybody know any more?

You could try setting your TV to Auto rather that PAL, this usually fixes to problem, or on your DVD player setting the output to PAL (sometimes not available)

Travelman

Does anyone know if there is a way to 'unlock' a DVD Drive in a PC which uses XP Home Edition? I would hate to be stuck with a region I don't want after the 5 allowable changes.

Thanks