Hi

Just setting up my UK bought TR5 and have been reading the threads about multi region dvds

I have downloaded the dvdidle software but it still wont play a region 1 dvd, I know i can switch upto 5 times in the device manager.

It just keeps saying the dvd is “css protected” - is the software supposed to work round this allowing any region dvd to be played.

Im glad i have only taken the trail version until i know what im doing!

If anyone can tell me the best/cheapest/fastest way to make a UK (region 2) TR5 into a multi region player i would be most grateful

cheers

rich

i am using dvidle pro v.2.18 (registered) and it’s working fine.  it gets kicked off everytime i run cyberlink powerdvd, which starts everytime i put in a DVD movie….seemless. 

CSS protection errors should not appear unless you are trying to COPY the disk?!? so I don’t know what’s up with that… but I consider all those DVDidle programs “flakeware” and I’m sure it’s just luck or karma that mine works.

good luck!

ps. <rant> Region-locking seems like it should be unconstitutional, if ur country has one, and it ranks up there just below facism and global corporate monopoly in my book.  i mean we paid for the DVD right?  why should we be required to play DVDs in the part of the world we purchased it?!? that sucks and defies common sense. What, they could not come up with a protection scheme for individual DVDs, so computer mfgs have decided to go along and punish the entire world population with such nonsense!?! well, it may backfire once China begins pumping out knockoff notebooks without such foolishness installed in the hardware </rant>

Thanks Jiggy

Firstly I agree 100% with your rant and it really p****es me off also, I bought a dvd in America on holiday, ive paid for it in full and now I cannot watch it.

Anyway, when I put the region 1 in, it just coughs and splutters and shows a very pixelated/slow image then more or less dies - even with dvdidle in place.

Its a Disney DVD and it wouldnt surprise me if they put something on their disks to make them non changeable even with the software programmes!

cheers

rich

what DVD player are u using?  they are all pretty quirky, my current fav is cyberlink DVD v5.  it’s nice cause it has an info screen with lots of info like region code setting of both the player and the cd, as well as a bitmap frame capture that i use in my work all the time. one quirk: it boosts the volume when activated, regardless of what’s playing on your pc. but like i said, it works great with the back-level version of DVDidlePro that i have.

in regards to rant: that’s a rip if you go from USA to UK and can’t play!!! I mean I can see changing the region code for people going from USA to bagdad or moscow,  but the UK! - were they nuts when came up with this?  I’ts just insulting that corporate america has the balls to divide up the world for us like this.

but then again, i guess i have no right to complain.  I buy DVDs here that come 3 to 7 movies on one disk for less than a US dollar.  they are all region free, as are ALL the commerical DVD players. I guess most of the world is just not putting up with this crap and show thier “support” of such piracy schemes by producing even more bootlegs and by NOT supporting any hardware modifications.  i dont’ think the corporate world will ever win this one….they will just make life miserable for honest consumers trying.

I’m using the latest version of dvd idle or whatever its called now and it works fine.  It launches with win DVD perfectly…..

My problem is with DVDs that my drive will refuse to read but work no problem on my home DVD player. What’s all that about? Any ideas?

[quote author=“gk31ax”]I’m using the latest version of dvd idle or whatever its called now and it works fine.  It launches with win DVD perfectly…..

My problem is with DVDs that my drive will refuse to read but work no problem on my home DVD player. What’s all that about? Any ideas?

who are u?  not the original poster yes?  well, to help any of ya we need things like name/version of region cracker u are using and name/version of dvd player.  for example, dvdidle comes in many flavors and configurations.  see the about screens for all of this and post back.  good luck.

no, hes an imposter! I will see what version I am using and report back!

cheers

rich

ok im using WinDVD and its a region 1 disc in a region 2 TR5. The programme I am trialling is DVD Region + CSS Free from http://www.dvdidle.com

If I put the DVD in the CSS free kicks in then the Win DVD screen opens, then the film coughs and splutters for a few seconds then dies!

I dont mind paying for some software as long as I can find some that works.

cheers

rich

Sputter?  Die? Like in blood spurting from the mouth? Does WinDVD crash? Bluescreen?  Or just go away?  Sputtering and Dying does not tell us much, but from the description I would uninstall what you have from DVDidle and install dvdidlePro.  It’s the same thing really, but that would rule out the software and your installation of. I am assuming that all other region 2s are playing fine for you? I really think there is something wrong with the sony CD unit, but that’s another topic I’ve gone over here in this forum many times before.  It’s quirky, and sometimes will not play a CD/DVD/VCD that other players will. Oh, see the FAQs for dvdidlepro, there is a nero DVD test program u can download.  It will tell you how slow our drives really are. My drive tests out at 2.82x and the FAQ states that your drive must play at 3x for dvdidlepro to work. im not sure what our specs says it should be, 8x? right. other tips in dvdidlepro that may or may not help: delete all programs listed to work with dvdidle but the one u have installed, in your case WInDVD.  if none of this works you might want to try PowerDVD and another region code hacker; see
  for links to DVD Genie and RegionKiller.

Nero Test Results from My DVD:
Nero DVD Speed

20 July 2004 - 2:59:00

Drive information
Vendor MATSHITA
Product UJDA755 DVD/CDRW
Firmware Version 1.00

Disc information
Type DVD-Video
Length 6.73 GB

Test results

Transfer rate
Average 2.82 X
Start 1.65 X
End 3.54 X
Reading type CAV

Seek Times
Random Seek 62 ms
1/3 Seek 115 ms
Full Seek 262 ms

CPU usage
1X 28 %
Max Speed 30 %

Interface
Burst Rate 13.89 MB/s

Spin Up/Down Time
Spin Up Time 0.00 sec
Spin Down Time 2.77 sec

Disc Eject Time 0.16 sec
Disc Load Time N/A
Disc Recognition Time 13.07 sec

Jiggy

Thanks for perservering with me on this one. Basically I put the disc in (its Lion King) dvdidle (now the pro version) starts up and so does WinDVD. The drive then starts to turn, then instead of smoothly spinning it seems to stop and start and be very jerky.

On screen nothing crashes or goes blue, its just the DVD which comes on for say 1 second, the freezes, the goes pixelated, then jumps a few seconds, then pixelates again, then freezes, with a bit of jumpy audio thrown in for good measure!

And it just keeps going on like this.

Ive put many region 2DVDs in and they play great. Trouble is I have no more region 1 discs to try, so I guess it might just be this disc, but Im guessing its still a region problem.

Cheers

Rich

[quote author=“sonypc100”]Jiggy

Thanks for perservering with me on this one. Basically I put the disc in (its Lion King) dvdidle (now the pro version) starts up and so does WinDVD. The drive then starts to turn, then instead of smoothly spinning it seems to stop and start and be very jerky.

On screen nothing crashes or goes blue, its just the DVD which comes on for say 1 second, the freezes, the goes pixelated, then jumps a few seconds, then pixelates again, then freezes, with a bit of jumpy audio thrown in for good measure!

And it just keeps going on like this.

Ive put many region 2DVDs in and they play great. Trouble is I have no more region 1 discs to try, so I guess it might just be this disc, but Im guessing its still a region problem.

Cheers

Rich

rich, sorry u still have a problem with Lion King…good movie! but it does sound like you have a bad disk. Are all the home players there in the UK region-enabled?  you could test down at your local electronics shop or Blockbuster.  it does NOT sound like a region problem if you can see frames from the movie.

one other thought…disney used to put a program called Actualplayer that was the default for autoplay, it trys to install it’s funky self if not on your machine. to make sure you are bypassing all that stuff you can try and open up the DVD file from within WinDVD by finding the “open DVD file” option and navigating to the video folder on the disk….

Jiggy

Ive just the disc in another UK laptop with no dvdidle or any other sort of region disabling software and it plays straight away!

Ive downloaded the Interactual player as you are prompted to, but it still doesnt play. Oh well. Some you win, some you lose.

You will have to send me one of your pirate copies :D

Stange thing is, when I was in the USA in June, I had use of a TR3A and when i put a UK region 2 disk in, Windows media player automatically detected this and offered to switch region to play it.

I guess I need to try this disk in someone elses TR5 to be sure.

Cheers

Rich

[quote author=“sonypc100”]Jiggy

Ive just the disc in another UK laptop with no dvdidle or any other sort of region disabling software and it plays straight away!

Ive downloaded the Interactual player as you are prompted to, but it still doesnt play. Oh well. Some you win, some you lose.

You will have to send me one of your pirate copies :D

Stange thing is, when I was in the USA in June, I had use of a TR3A and when i put a UK region 2 disk in, Windows media player automatically detected this and offered to switch region to play it.

I guess I need to try this disk in someone elses TR5 to be sure.

Cheers

Rich

OH WELL, KE GARNE AS THEY SAY HERE.  i almost bought a 7-in-one disney DVD for my niece in america, but i hate traveling with them.  i can just see the dept. of homeland security treating me like a perp if i have a sleeve of these with me.

I found this site to be a wonderful resource for all things DVD. The primary focus is authoring, but the software tool links cover everything imaginable.

For those of you with DVD writers, there’s a nifty little program called DVD shrink you might find of value, if you’re going to travel with a movie…perhaps not too clearly labeled :wink:

http://www.videohelp.com/

Try out either VLC Player or mplayer.  I use mplayer under Linux (and I believe it has a Windows version) and it’s played every DVD with every region I’ve thrown at it, with no errors so far.