DVD - Changing Regions

[jpchenet]

Can anyone help me out here please.

If you buy a region 1 DVD and then make a copy of it, can you make the new copy either a region 2 DVD or a regionless DVD.

I guess some of you with the copying equipment will be in the know!  

[Steve Pyro]

Why, have you got a shopping list?  

You can 'unencode' a pre-recorded DVD by ripping the file structure to your PC and then back copying it to a blank DVD as a mpeg2.

There's various shareware / freeware software on the net eg. http://www.dvd-ripper.biz/

[Robbo SPS]

You can also re-program your DVD player ( unless its cheapy from ASDA / TESCOS ) by searching the net for the code.

Type in a search engine for the make and model, and eventually you will find a sequence of button presses on the remote which disables the circuit. I have the chef do it to his, as he orders region zero discs from the US.

[jpchenet]

Thanks Chaps!!

Robbo, Region 0 is region free anyway. Region 1 is US.

I won't be buying these particular DVD's on this trip as I wouldn't want to carry them through customs. Lets just say that they are for evening viewing at Le Mans.

On another angle, does anyone know of a software program to make the DVD player software on your PC region free??

[rcutler]

JP I have software dedicated to Copy and Compress DVD's onto the cheaper 4.7Gb discs. Give the CD to you in SEBRING!!!!

[smokie]

Not all DVD players can be made region free, but lots can. Sometimes by a risky firmware upgrade, sometimes by a cunning combinaton of key presses on the remote control. See http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks for more info.

My Panasonic recorder can be done by the latter method, but requires a special remote control which can be hired... see http://www.dvdchips.co.uk/

More favourite is the Rick Cutler method of making a backup of the DVD on your PC (assumes a DVD writer) - after all, it is valuable data isn't it? AnyDVD and DVD Shrink are useful in that area. Also some products do a quite good job of removing security encoding, making your backup properly portable.