Thinkpads Forum

I just ordered a new T42p from Bill, and want to buy a second DVD-ROM drive. This drive will only be used to play DVD Movies encoded for Region 3, as I will use the combo drive that comes with the T42p for Region 1. Unless the combo drives currently used in T42s have RPC-1 firmware available for them (not likely given the 9.5mm form-factor), I will be stuck with swapping out between two drives.

Andrew

Can't you use software like AnyDVD with a single drive for both regions?

Software works sometimes (I use DVDRegion+CSS Free), but some movies (including one of my favorites) still won't play.

None of the software that kills region settings works with the UJ-812...you're out of luck on that one....so, good idea to get a second drive just to play the region 3's. Anyone recommend one here? Remember, we're talking about the 9.5mm drive and not the 12.7mm ones.

UJ-12 is the multi-burner, right? I ordered my T42p with the plain combo drive, though I am assuming that it too lacks RPC-1 firmware hacks due to the oddball size (9.5mm).

Andrew

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Its not the drive or driver, its the actual DVD movie. Most movies work fine with the region free software, but some (Musa - Region 3) just won't play. The region free program bypasses the region code, but the disc then won't play.

asiafish, I beg to differ with you...well, halfway at least. I've been dealing with DVD format for about 5 years now, with computers. Yes, it is the discs...some work, some won't, but it's also the drive. Most drives have a single "buffer" in the eeprom (in the drive) where the conversion of region coding takes place. Windows sends a sort of "key" from its software and it matches up with what is written in the "buffered" section of the eeprom. Windows allows 4 changes. After that, the "key" doesn't work anymore. Somehow, Panasonic/Matshita figured out how to make 2 "buffered" areas. Even though the windows "key" is compatible with both of them and so the 4 changes still exist, the drives cannot be made region free as no one has figured out how to break through both "buffered" areas. Panasonic/Matshita is the only one who does this. AnyDVD can't break through it and neither can DVDRegion Free or DVD Genie. There are no firmware fixes that take care of all "buffered" areas of the eeprom either. Only one mutiburner I know of from Panasonic/Matshita that left the second "buffered" area out and that's the UJ-815 (slot loading). Other ones don't work. In the case of the combo drive, there is a chance. Go to www.rpc1.com and see what it says in the firmware download area on the left. You might get lucky. RPC2 is region-locked....RPC1 is Region Free

I don't know or care about the geek-speak stuff, I only know that the software region bypass works on most of my Region 3 movies, but does not work on "Musa: The Warrior". Musa will not play on non-region 3 drive through DVDRegionFree or AnyDVD, but plays great on the same computer when I insert my region-free drive.

Likewise it works great on my old Apple PowerBook (region free drive), but won't play on my new PowerBook using VLC, a DVD player appllication that bypasses region coding.

Software bypass will not allow this movie to play, but an RPC1 (or an RPC II drive set to region 3) will play it just fine.

Therefore, for movies like this, I need two drives, one set permanently to region 3, the other to region 1.

asiafish wrote:Therefore, for movies like this, I need two drives, one set permanently to region 3, the other to region 1.

Drop me an email as a tickler, I'm pretty sure I've got some DVD drives around here left over from the units I've upgraded to combo drives.

Regards,

James

asiafish wrote:The region free program bypasses the region code, but the disc then won't play.

This is because the Region Code isn't defeated....it's the drive, asiafish, and not the disc in this case....anyway, I'm sorry for the "geek-speak." I was just trying to help people understand why some drives (namely Panasonic/Matshita dirves) can't be made region free.

I hope that Jim has a DVDrom drive that will fit the bill for you.

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Why not just rip that disc to another disc with decess and make a region free copy?

How exactly do I do that while keeping full DVD quality and all of the menus, subtitle and other options?

Andrew

I have for many years ripped DVD's and I use DVD Shrink to make them region free and compress movies to fit on 4.7 Gig Dvd. It's a free ware program and works great.
Ted

Are they still playable on consumer set-top players? I don't want something that id only plsysble on a computer or that reduces quality too much.

Andrew

Andrew,

Did the DVD arrive OK?

Regards,

James

Yup, got it a while back and everything is fine. Set it to Region 3.

This program works with both computers and on your ( settop ) home DVD players. As I have said in a early post I use it to do DVD's for my home system.
Ted

Well, the idea of making a non-region copy is to play on your computer. You'd still have the original disc to play on your set-top player.

DeCSS lets you copy the vob files right off the disc. A lot of video DVD's are DVD-9 though, so a direct copy won't fit on a 4.7gb blank. You'd have to use an 8.5gb DVD-DL with a burner that can write those. The blanks are in the $5-6 range these days if you shop carefully. Presumably they will keep falling.

A burnt copy will play on either set-top or computer. And you can only Shrink a DVD so far so you need a Daul layer burner for DVD 9's ( 8.5 Gb )
Ted

I have a DL drive on my desktop Power Mac (region free too), guess I'll have to spend the $$ to get a copy of Toast.