[CUBE] Region code hack?

[macubelist at bridgehead.de]

Hi,

i've been seeing this type of question/confusion many times. the answer 
is pretty easy, though:

i) no drive has a fixed region code. it is set the first time a dvd is 
inserted and saved in the firmware. after that, the region can be 
changed 4 more times. the 5th value is the one that stays. from then 
on, the region code seems fixed.

ii) the drive can be resettet to no region code again, so the region 
code can be set 5 times again, by resetting the firmware, though 
usually only by the manufacturer, AND even that super-reset can only be 
done 5 times.

iii) the apple dvd-player (software) is checking if the region code 
needs to be changed by comparing the dvd and the setting in the drive. 
it would then prompt the user if neccessary. if the user accepts the 
change, the drive (! not the software!) changes the region code and the 
dvd can be played.

iv) to make a drive completely region free means to change/patch its 
firmware. even a region-free drive behaves like the original: after 5 
changes, it's "locked". it can be reset though, by a nice piece of 
software. therefor you'd call it effectively "region free".

v) the apple dvd-player would then still prompt you though (see iii). 
vlc does not.



to patch your drive, go look at cynicals page. 
http://superdrive.cynikal.net/
"the man" for all of us is xvi. look: http://xvi.rpc1.org/


wolf

Am 13.03.2004 um 22:42 schrieb Rick Rodman:

> Won't there still be a problem with the region code in the *drive*?  
> There was some kind of hack that removed the region coding from the 
> drive itself.
>