DVDs and Zones

[Knut Vonheim]

Hi, I just moved to Europe from the US and brought with me a nice stack of
DVDs. Yesterday I bought my first DVD here and Windows (I think) prompted me
if I wanted to change the Zone. HOWEVER, it said I can only switch zones so
many times (4 I think)?

Is this for real? Is there truly a limit to playing different zone format
DVDs on your computer? Do I need to choose, in the end, from which zone I
want to watch movies?

Please let me know who to complain to! And who to pay to avid this?

TYIA,
Knut

 

[Richard Urban]

This function is hard encoded into the DVD player as per the restrictions
set up by those who distribute the movies. There are free applications (use
Google) that can overcome this limitation! Search on DVD zone, or something
similar.

--

Regards:

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

 

[Robert Moir]

Is this for real? Is there truly a limit to playing different zone
format DVDs on your computer?

Not on your computer specifically, no. On every DVD player except those that
are "unlocked", yes.

Do I need to choose, in the end, from
which zone I want to watch movies?

Essentially, yes. Or spend extra on DVD playback equipment which bypasses
this requirement.

Please let me know who to complain to!

Hollywood.

 

[tallyman]

Also if you search around with Google you can find firmware updates fo
a lot of DVD players which make them multi-region. You just downloa
them, burn to CD, then put them in the player & let them do thei
business.

*This function is hard encoded into the DVD player as per th
restrictions
set up by those who distribute the movies. There are fre
applications (use
Google) that can overcome this limitation! Search on DVD zone, o
something
similar.

--

Regards:

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

-
tallyma

 

[Alex Nichol]

Hi, I just moved to Europe from the US and brought with me a nice stack of
DVDs. Yesterday I bought my first DVD here and Windows (I think) prompted me
if I wanted to change the Zone. HOWEVER, it said I can only switch zones so
many times (4 I think)?

Is this for real? Is there truly a limit to playing different zone format
DVDs on your computer? Do I need to choose, in the end, from which zone I
want to watch movies?

Afraid so. And it is a basic problem with DVD movies. The movie
companies insist that to regulate their interests (including releasing
movies on very different dates) they must be encoded with 'zone'
information', so as to be played only in the appropriate zone. In
earlier days the drives were not affected - you could have a zone free
drive - and that allowed you to have a playing program that could be
reset as much as you like; now the drives themselves have the code in
them and can only be changed a limited number of times. It is a
nonsense, in that you can freely buy domestic DVD movie players that are
multi-region, but computers are mostly stuck. I have a drive that is
free of it and keep two player programs, one set on the US region and
one on the European one, but that is probably not going to work on a new
drive

 

[PhiL M.]

You should find more info about region free drives/conversions at
www.rpc1.org.



| Knut Vonheim wrote:
|
| >Hi, I just moved to Europe from the US and brought with me a nice
stack of
| >DVDs. Yesterday I bought my first DVD here and Windows (I think)
prompted me
| >if I wanted to change the Zone. HOWEVER, it said I can only switch
zones so
| >many times (4 I think)?
| >
| >Is this for real? Is there truly a limit to playing different zone
format
| >DVDs on your computer? Do I need to choose, in the end, from which
zone I
| >want to watch movies?
|
| Afraid so. And it is a basic problem with DVD movies. The movie
| companies insist that to regulate their interests (including releasing
| movies on very different dates) they must be encoded with 'zone'
| information', so as to be played only in the appropriate zone. In
| earlier days the drives were not affected - you could have a zone free
| drive - and that allowed you to have a playing program that could be
| reset as much as you like; now the drives themselves have the code in
| them and can only be changed a limited number of times. It is a
| nonsense, in that you can freely buy domestic DVD movie players that
are
| multi-region, but computers are mostly stuck. I have a drive that is
| free of it and keep two player programs, one set on the US region and
| one on the European one, but that is probably not going to work on a
new
| drive
|
|
| --
| Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
| Bournemouth, U.K. (e-mail address removed)8E8L.org (remove the D8 bit)

 

[Knut Vonheim]

Thanks to all of you that replied! I will now Google and follow up on the
www.rpc1.org link (which looks promising btw!).

I refuse defeat!-) They are MY movies!!

Cheers,

Knut