--- Forwarded Message from Pat Rafferty <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 14:21:22 -0500
>From: Pat Rafferty <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7693 Apple DVD Region Settings
>In-reply-to: <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>

Jonathan & LLTI,

There are firmware hacks out there that can help circumvent the region
change restrictions on DVD drives. I've applied patches to three of my
own personal computers (one iBook and two Dell desktops), and two out
of three worked. They fried the second Dell to the point where the
computer didn't even recognize the drive anymore. Not good.

That was back in 2001. Today though, there are some great
software-based alternatives that ignore the code on your drive and play
DVDs regardless of their region. No firmware hacking necessary. My
personal favorite is VLC (http://www.videolan.org/). It's
cross-platform, free, and plays back a variety of video formats. A
standard install in my lab here at Hamilton.

VLC requires a little more horsepower than the standard Apple-issue DVD
player, but I've tested it all the way down to a 500MHz G3 iBook with
fair results. I would assume system requirements on the
Windows/Linux-side are similar. Other programs might be more efficient
(google "related:www.videolan.org"), but I've found VLC to be more than
adequate.

Beware of the quasi-legality of all this, since virtually all players
that circumvent the region coding of a DVD probably aren't doing it in
a very MPAA-friendly way underneath the hood.

-pat.

On Nov 2, 2004, at 1:36 PM, LLTI-Editor wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from "Jonathan White" <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
>> From: "Jonathan White" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Apple DVD Region Settings
>> Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 16:19:10 +0000
>
> Hello all,
>
> We have a student here at CELOP who recently purchased an Apple
> computer.
> Like all of our students, he's an international.  He's been watching
> DVD's
> on his computer here and his drive is about to lock into the North
> American
> region.  However, when he goes back to his home country at the end of
> the
> semester, he's going to want to be able to play DVDs from that region.
>
> I know these firmware flash utilities exist for PCs that allow you to
> reset
> the region code on your DVD drive.  Does anybody out there know of a
> similar
> utility for the Mac?
>
> Jonathan
>
> ---------------------------------
> Jonathan White
> Technical Coordinator
> BU - CELOP
> 890 Commonwealth Ave
> Boston, MA  02215
> 617-353-4870
> http://www.bu.edu/celop
> [log in to unmask]
> ---------------------------------



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Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask])