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Naplander · Nov 16, 2006, 07:59 AM

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if any of you will be able to help. I stupidly used my 5 options to re-set the DVD region on my Powerbook G4 (MATSHITADVD-R UJ-825) and nopw it is locked on region 1. I live in the UK, and 99% of my DVD's are region 2.

I have done some online research to see if I can change the firmware, but it appears these drives can't be flashed.

I read about the option of getting a 'vendor reset' which apparently can be done once or twice.

Does anyone have any experience of doing this? and if so, has it been successful?

Any help really appreciated. I FUBAR'D my PowerBook

Naplander · Nov 16, 2006, 12:59 PM

no one?

Is the only option ot take it out and get a new one?

Seems like overkill

MrNo · Nov 16, 2006, 01:42 PM

Why don't you simply use VLC?
I use it on mine MPB and have never changed the DVD region. I got a bunch of DVD's from Europe and all of them are working fine.

amazing · Nov 16, 2006, 01:58 PM

Complicated issue: depends on the hardware involved. Some people feel that a clean install (or an archive and install) will restore the DVD region because the count is stored in software. On the newer hardware, the count is stored in the hardware (and you'll have to do more research to find out where yours stands.)

Do you still have Applecare? Have you tried calling them? Or the Genius Bar in Londinium?

amazing · Nov 16, 2006, 02:04 PM

Here's a long thread with more info:

http://forums.macnn.com/73/mac-modif...free-firmware/

Solution: Use Mactheripper to render your region 2 dvds so they'll play anywhere. Recompress using Handbrake or DVDRemaster, burn your own. Note: Londinium may have weird copyright restrictions, last I heard??

Naplander · Nov 16, 2006, 02:29 PM

Thanks for the answers.

VLC isn't allowing me to view a regio 2 DVD I have with me at work today. I will try at home with some other DVD's.

Seems like a real pain to have to rip all my DVD's just to be able to watch them.

My drive is one of the newer DVD drives, and I have just done a re-install and that didn't solve the problem. I never got Apple care, so I guess I should go to the Genius bar and see what they say.

I've spent most of today trawling through forums looking for a solution, but nothing appears to be able to sort this out.

The only hint I got was for a "vendor reset" which apparently can be done, but have not found any more info on this procedure.

Any further help greatly appreciated. I've neutered my PowerBook

mrmister · Nov 16, 2006, 04:12 PM

You are screwed, I am sorry to report.

MrNo · Nov 16, 2006, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by Naplander

Thanks for the answers.

VLC isn't allowing me to view a regio 2 DVD I have with me at work today. I will try at home with some other DVD's.

Seems like a real pain to have to rip all my DVD's just to be able to watch them.

My drive is one of the newer DVD drives, and I have just done a re-install and that didn't solve the problem. I never got Apple care, so I guess I should go to the Genius bar and see what they say.

I've spent most of today trawling through forums looking for a solution, but nothing appears to be able to sort this out.

The only hint I got was for a "vendor reset" which apparently can be done, but have not found any more info on this procedure.

Any further help greatly appreciated. I've neutered my PowerBook

That is so weird.
I've read about people not being able to watch the Region 2 DVD with VLC while their drive is set to region 1. However mine works. I spent 2 months in Europe this past summer and have NEVER had to change the drive region ...
I have one of the first MBP's.

Person Man · Nov 16, 2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by MrNo

That is so weird.
I've read about people not being able to watch the Region 2 DVD with VLC while their drive is set to region 1. However mine works. I spent 2 months in Europe this past summer and have NEVER had to change the drive region ...
I have one of the first MBP's.

The original poster can not use VLC, nor can he use Mactheripper or any other region bypassing software with the Matshita (Panasonic) drive in his MacBook Pro. Current Matshita hardware forces a reading of the region code even in data mode, so his only option is to use an external DVD drive or take the laptop to an Apple service provider where they can either do a vendor reset or replace his internal drive.

Your MPB must not have a Matshita drive.

amazing · Nov 16, 2006, 09:22 PM

Well, I myself have a 12" PB with a combo drive. I've assembled a 16X Pioneer external firewire burner. It's much faster than any internal superdrive and does DL (haven't tried it yet, disks are too expensive.) Frankly, even burning a CD on the internal drive is so slow that I prefer to use the external burner. It was quite reasonable financially, bare burners are cheap, cases are cheap, it doesn't need to be anything other than firewire-400.

So, with an external drive that can be set region-free, you rip whatever DVDs you want to whatever is compatible with the internal drive. It's a little bit time-consuming, but it's certainly no reason to commit hari-kari.

Also, since the PB isn't under applecare, you're free to open it yourself, using the guides at pbfixit.com and replace the burner. Frankly, I'd go with the external burner, knowing well enough that sometime soon it's gonna be sold off and replaced with a newer laptop.

HarriganC · Nov 16, 2006, 10:23 PM

I know I could do a search and yield the info, but since this thread is going I may as well ask.

What exactly is the purpose of region code change limiting? who does it benefit? It's obviously not the consumer.

CH

ghporter · Nov 16, 2006, 10:52 PM

My MPB's drive is a HL-DT-ST DVDRW GWA4080M (LG-Hitachi, I believe). I have not been able to find a region-free firmware for this model, but apparently LG-Hitachi drives are "friendlier" than Matsushitas.

HarriganC, the MPAA and the movie studios instituted region coding, and the U.S. Congress made it a legal requirement that all drives available in the U.S. have this small number of available changes because their campaign funds come from rich special interests. Not political smack talk, but fact. I have NO problem with making MY hardware do what I want, and Mr. Valente can suck rocks.

pcummins · Nov 17, 2006, 12:06 AM

There isn't any RPC-1 firmware for the UJ-825 by the looks of things Naplander. My advice - rip the Matsushita out of your PowerBook and replace it with a Pioneer DVR-K06 which actually works. (About $72 US). Better still - send it back to Matsushita/Apple with a RMA and demand a refund as it's not doing what you want (similar to the Windows XP rebate in difficulty I'd imagine).

In Australia that's what everyone did to region-locked DVD players, it's difficult to purchase region-locked DVD players now that manufacturers realise that if they don't unlock them, customers simply dump them back at the retailer and they start accumulating losses from numerous open-box DVD players sitting around as nobody wants to buy them.

Naplander · Nov 17, 2006, 08:48 AM

<Napolean Dynamite voice>

Dang!

</Napolean Dynamite voice>

Thanks for all the advice guys. Guess I will have to buy a new DVD drive now.

mduell · Nov 19, 2006, 04:01 PM

Stop buying movies that the evil empire (MPAA) doesn't want you to watch.

pcummins · Nov 20, 2006, 11:44 PM

Mark - doesn't work in Australia. We have a notable population of:

US (Region 1), UK (Region 2), Japanese (Region 2), Chinese (Region 3), Korean (Region 3), Australian (Region 4)

And many others that basically use all the regions out there and tend to buy and import DVD's from their native countries while waiting for them to release in Australia (they're getting slightly better, SPL was just released along with a bunch of other Asian movies, so we're waiting for Dragon Tiger Gate now).

Back in the late 90's if you went into a Sony store and asked about region free DVD players you were practically frog-marched to the entrance and given a swift boot up the backside for good measure. Nowadays, they practically drag you back into the store hoping to make sales promising it's region free. How times have changed...

My advice is to boycott DVD region coding and whatever other region coding they're thinking about for BluRay and HD-DVD. I see that BluRay dumps USA and most of Asia together, but again, Australia + UK will pretty much make that region coding useless again as per the above reasonings.