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| Registered: January 21, 2010 |  Posts: 9 |
| | Posted: | | | | Hi all, I recently submitted a profile update correcting the region code of a disc (UPC 5051890017499). This contribution is receiving some strange votes claiming the method I used to check the region code was "not possible". But the method is really simple and, to my knowledge, an absolutely safe way to determine the region coding of a disc: I simply use one of my PC software players (Arcsoft TMT and PowerDVD), set it to each of the 3 regions one after the other (in fact it would be enough to set it to the 2 regions not used in the locality of the release), and check whether the movie plays or not. The region code in software players can be easily changed in the options. While it can normally only be changed 5 times, there are ways around this limitation (e.g. by using 3 different software players, editing certain configuration files or registry entries, or using a simple tool like this one. I would like to establish whether this method is generally accepted by the community as a source for the region code in Blu-ray profiles. |
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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | | Posts: 1,328 |
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| Registered: March 13, 2007 | Reputation:  |  Posts: 3,197 |
| | Posted: | | | | As long as you're not running a program that removes the region code at the same time, such as AnyDVD HD (it can always be temporarily de-activated while you're checking the disc), then it should be quite safe yes. | | | | First registered: February 15, 2002 |
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| Registered: May 19, 2007 | Reputation:  |  Posts: 6,730 |
| | Posted: | | | | Just one or two minor annotations:
The 5 changes are not for the software but for the hardware, so after the fifth change of region your ROM-drive gets locked to the then current region.
This can be avoided by tools that virtually remove the region code and emulate a region-free disc.
If those tools are running on your machine you won't get any reasonable results on region testing anymore, since of course a disc that was declared as "region free" or "all regions" will play on all regions you set your software player to. | | | It all seems so stupid, it makes me want to give up!
But why should I give up, when it all seems so stupid?
Registrant since 05/22/2003 |
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| Registered: January 21, 2010 | | Posts: 9 |
| | Posted: | | | | Hi, Quoting Silence_of_Lambs: Quote:
Just one or two minor annotations:
The 5 changes are not for the software but for the hardware, so after the fifth change of region your ROM-drive gets locked to the then current region. This is true for DVD (more specifically RPC-2 drives), but not for Blu-ray. The region check for Blu-ray is purely software-based on PCs. The vote tally is currently 5:5. And yes, of course one should not run software like AnyDVD while doing this test. |
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| Registered: December 10, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 3,004 |
| | Posted: | | | | Region coding for Blu-ray is more complicated than DVD. It's not a flag, it's a program than runs, so you can't simply get a list of good regions. Putting the disc in 3 players (or virtual players) is the only way to really be sure. |
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| Registered: January 21, 2010 | | Posts: 9 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Ace_of_Sevens: Quote:
Region coding for Blu-ray is more complicated than DVD. It's not a flag, it's a program than runs, so you can't simply get a list of good regions. Putting the disc in 3 players (or virtual players) is the only way to really be sure. Yes, and this is exactly what the method I described above does.  | | | | Last edited: by Pirx |
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| Registered: May 19, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 6,730 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Pirx: Quote:
The region check for Blu-ray is purely software-based on PCs. I live and learn. In this case I have to agree with you. This seems to be an appropriate (if not the only) method to verify the region of a BluRay. | | | It all seems so stupid, it makes me want to give up!
But why should I give up, when it all seems so stupid?
Registrant since 05/22/2003 |
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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | Reputation:  | | Posts: 6,744 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Silence_of_Lambs: Quote:
Quoting Pirx:
Quote:
The region check for Blu-ray is purely software-based on PCs.
I live and learn.
In this case I have to agree with you. This seems to be an appropriate (if not the only) method to verify the region of a BluRay. They did this to avoid region-free players. In DVD times the player asked the disc for its region and the disc answered. If the player doesn't do that, it can play any region. With BR it's the other way around. The software on the discs asks the player for its region and reacts accordingly. In theory you could build a player that can be configured to reply with the right region-code and change it again for the next disc. But I bet you have to sign contracts if you wish to build BR players that prevent you from doing exactly that. | | | Karsten
DVD Collectors Online
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| Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 3,197 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting DJ Doena: Quote:
In theory you could build a player that can be configured to reply with the right region-code and change it again for the next disc. But I bet you have to sign contracts if you wish to build BR players that prevent you from doing exactly that. Yep. So a 3rd party company comes along and sells you the modification instead.  | | | | First registered: February 15, 2002 |
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| Registered: December 10, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 3,004 |
| | Posted: | | | | If someone would sell a decent player which could play all regions, convert to US-friendly refresh rates and cost at least 25% less than than just buying 2 players (not a lot of need for region C), I would buy it. |
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| Registered: May 8, 2007 | | Posts: 824 |
| | Posted: | | | | Regions can be very tricky with Blu-Ray.
With DVD, each disc has a very specific way the region is set. The DVD player then checks the disc's region, then decides whether or not to play it.
With Blu-Ray, this process is reversed. The player has a specific way its region is set. It is then the disc that has code on it that checks the player's region. After that, it can do a lot more than just to decide whether or not to play it. It can for example show a warning, then a menu, then play content for region A. It can show a different warning, a different menu, then play the same or even different content for region B. And then it could display a message and not play anything for region C.
So, the absolute best way to determine Blu-Ray region is to play the disc on a region selectable player and manually switch to all three regions and try the disc on each of them.
It of course comes as absolutely no suprise to me whatsoever than members of the DVD Profiler community would have some kind of problem with this and downvote a contribution. It's insane, but, what can one do? | | | | 99.9% of all cat plans consist only of "Step 1." | | | | Last edited: by Grendell |
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| Registered: July 22, 2007 | | Posts: 348 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Ace_of_Sevens: Quote:
It's not a flag, it's a program than runs, so you can't simply get a list of good regions. Putting the disc in 3 players (or virtual players) is the only way to really be sure. This response is different than the thread that I started asking about what I needed to get the region codes from DVDs and Blu-rays. The responses were that PowerDVD 10 would be able to tell me the region codes. No this post indicates that for Blu-ray this is not the case. I fully understand that a piece of Java code needs to run that does the work of determining what will happen based upon what it gets back regarding the region code. If it is an HDMV disc, then it is region free, as there are no Java programs on an HDMV disc, only BD-J discs and even then the program doesn't have to be there, making it region free. In any event, I downloaded the tool mentioned above and still trying to get Cyberlink customer service to fix my PowerDVD 10 purchase. | | | Mr Video Productions
If it isn't Unix, it isn't an OS :-) |
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| Registered: January 21, 2010 | | Posts: 9 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting MrVideo: Quote:
Quoting Ace_of_Sevens:
Quote:
It's not a flag, it's a program than runs, so you can't simply get a list of good regions. Putting the disc in 3 players (or virtual players) is the only way to really be sure.
This response is different than the thread that I started asking about what I needed to get the region codes from DVDs and Blu-rays. The responses were that PowerDVD 10 would be able to tell me the region codes. It can, if you use the procedure described in the first post. Quote:
No this post indicates that for Blu-ray this is not the case. Note that there are also some DVDs using RCE ("Region Code Enhanced") where it is not possible to determine the region code just by looking at the disc flags. Quote:
I fully understand that a piece of Java code needs to run that does the work of determining what will happen based upon what it gets back regarding the region code.
If it is an HDMV disc, then it is region free, as there are no Java programs on an HDMV disc This is incorrect. There are several ways a disc can test the player's region code. BD-J is one of them, but it can also be done from BD+ or, on HDMV discs, using playlist instructions (in theory it is even possible for each title on an HDMV BD to check for a different region!). So, any BD can do a region check, BD-J or not. |
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| Registered: July 22, 2007 | | Posts: 348 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Pirx: Quote:
It can, if you use the procedure described in the first post.
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No this post indicates that for Blu-ray this is not the case.
Sorry, I meant where the program would display all of the region codes, if there are any, all at one time.
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Note that there are also some DVDs using RCE ("Region Code Enhanced") where it is not possible to determine the region code just by looking at the disc flags.
Forgot about those.
Quote:
This is incorrect.
Oops, you are right. I had a memory failure. I went back to the Blu-ray demystified book and sure enough, region checking can be done via HDMV discs. It doesn' say that BD+ can. But, BD+ is copy protection, not programming like HDMV or BD-J. | | | Mr Video Productions
If it isn't Unix, it isn't an OS :-) |
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