Software Solution to DVD RPC2 Region Locking? 45
Martin writes "I just saw the DVD Region-Free utility, the other day. 'It allows you to watch all region DVDs on any DVD drive (especially RPC2) even if it has been locked. You don't need hack DVD drive (flash firmware) which is sometimes dangerous, useless or unavailable.' This seems really significant to me, yet I haven't heard anything about! Is this the first software based solution to RPC2?" Of course, it should be stated that the software mentioned above is for Windows only. Are there other similar pieces of software for other platforms?
Re:Ask Slashdot (Score:2, Informative)
I know you're a troll, but I'd like to nevertheless point out that it's 'Baliwood,' and they make more movies over in India than we do here.
Eff you. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm so freakin' tired of saying this... (Score:1)
If you break the DMCA, you are in violation of the DMCA.
If you break copyright, you are in violation of copyright.
You are not stealing until the law/dictionary say so.
Neither say using something you bought in any way whatsoever (wether it is illegal or not) is stealing, unless you are committing fraud, which the DMCA, AFAIK, isn't all about.
DMCA and region coding (Score:1)
It's kind of vague on whether it applies to mechanisms that prohibit use that is legitimately granted under fair use. It's quite likely that the court would decide that the law only applies to technological measures that prevent illegal use. In the case of DeCSS, the MPAA did actually make the case that it can be used for illegal purposes.
Re:Ask Slashdot (Score:4, Interesting)
To the retards who think this is stealing... (Score:5, Insightful)
Disabling RPC is all about being able to play a disc you bought legally in a different region, on your own player. Such as me being able to visit the US and play a new R1 DVD I have bought, on my laptop, on the way home. Which according to the movie mafia, should only play R4 discs.
Anyone with a brain knows that a home-made pirated disc (as opposed to a lot of the mass-pirated stamped discs out of asia) wont even have a region code on it, and the region lock wont matter a bit. As for the mass-pirates in asia, I dont want that crap. I am paying store prices, so I demand the genuine article. Most mass-pirated discs arent dual-layer anyway, AFAIK.
Re:Misinformation (Score:3, Funny)
In my household, my 5-year old son buys all the DVDs (he gets a big allowance). AFAIK, he cannot legally enter into a contract agreement. He generously allows his parents to watch his DVDs.
Re:Misinformation (Score:1)
Re:Misinformation (Score:3, Informative)
First, I am Australian. The DMCA dosent apply to me when I am at home, regardless of wether I imported or bought an R1 disc home with me. When I am in the USA, according to your theory it is perfectly acceptable for me to play an R1 disc in my laptop, while I am in the United States.
If I region-hack my dvd player in Australia, I havent broken US law. If I play US discs in the USA, I havent broken any law or agreement, and if I play a R1 disc at home, I havent broken any Australian law, and it is a big leap of faith to assume the shrinkwrap contract applies at all. And if my player just happens to adhere to RPC1 instead of RPC2 when I travel to the USA, that is a simple technicality. (I dont think DVD bogo-licences yet state that PRC1 players break the licence, do they?) As to how well the shrinkwrap "We just assume our bogo-licence applies everywhere" restrictions apply, that is for courts to decide.
Its people like you who simply assume that onerous shrinkwrap licencing should apply as law, globally, without it being tested by a court, that ruin it for the rest of us by giving mass support to the corporations who want to take away our rights.
Re:Misinformation (Score:3, Insightful)
Honest Curiosity:
Australia has legislation to specifically prohibit corporations from attempting to control the import or use of their products from other locales outside Aus. Surely the contract itself would be illegal (and unenforcable) by Australian law. IANAL but I would have thought it was very wasteful to have to challenge an illegal contract in court to render it non-binding (or to use the inverse I don't like the implication that I could be held in breach of an illegal contract simply because I lack the legal muscle or money to force a challenge.)
Re:Misinformation (Score:1)
Question 2 - When one purchases a DVD is one shown any contract terms (apolgies, but I have never bought one)?
Question 3 - If some "none-signature" action constitutes acceptance of a contract (e.g. opening shrink wrapping) why have several US states found it necessary to introduce legislation such as UCITA which specifically enables such contracts?
Question 4 (only applies if answer to Q1 is "No") - What stops me from applying my own contract to the supplier without their knowledge or concent (e.g. every time that I tell someone how great your movie is, you owe me $1000). I presume the answer to this one is that, like so many laws, it only applies when rich corporations are trying to screw over poor consumers?
Since you are a lawyer, I look forward to your well informed answers.
Re:Misinformation (Score:1)
Back up for a second. I just purchased a DVD. I opened the shrinkwrap, put the disc in my dvd drive, and watched the movie. At no point did I sign a contract. At no point did I even get a clickthrough license agreement of questionable legal validity.
I purchased a product. It is a shiny plastic disc in a box. This purchase was no different from purchasing a box of fruit.
There are laws that govern my use of that fruit. I can't distill alcohol from it. I can't throw it at some random passer-by.
My use of the dvd is governed by certain laws as well, but I signed no contracts that in any way supersede those. I can't make a copy of it and sell it for profit, and I can't distribute copies of it to other people, because there are laws that say so. If I lived in the USA, I couldn't legally defeat region coding, macrovision, or CSS. In some places, the laws that govern my use of that disc don't make those restrictions.
It's all about the laws in the country. There are absolutely no contracts, signed or implicitly agreed to, in the purchase of a dvd.
Re:Misinformation (Score:2)
Re:Misinformation (Score:4, Insightful)
Your blurb about software licencing is off the mark. When you buy a Microsoft software package, you are told that opening the shrink-wrap constitutes acceptance of the licence inside. There is nothing of the kind on DVD media packages.
Manufacturers of DVD drives and DVD players are under contract with the DVD consortium which gives the manufacturer the right to produce DVD player devices but which requires them to produce only region-locked devices. Manufacturers of DVD media are under contract with content owners to produce DVDs of this content, and that contract usually includes a provision requiring the disc to be region locked. The consumer is under no contract at all.
Copying a DVD is a violation of copyright laws. Decrypting a DVD with an unlicenced DVD player is a violation of the DMCA in the US and equivalent laws in some other countries. But disabling region codes on your DVD playback device in order to otherwise legally play a DVD disc is perfectly legal.
It is stealing, but not from who you think... (Score:2)
Saying this, I do however agree that region locking is not the way to do it... I have bought films like "Tron" that are RPC1 (I am in RPC2) even though this film is ancient. (Disney maintains the right to re-release it on cinema or something? Pha!)
For instance, there is the problem that some of my favorite movies are plainly just not available locally! What to do? Do I import the from amazon.co.uk rather at about 2 times the price of the already ludicrously high $ rate?
It's no win for me otherwise... thank god for non region-locked DVD players!
RPC coding was the biggest reason for me to rip to DivX initially, so that I would be ensured to be able to play my movies with future DVD players.
My 2 cents.
Me.
For Macs... (Score:4, Informative)
I could be wrong on this, but.. (Score:5, Informative)
I'd find it hard to believe they actually have official support from Microsoft for a DVD region hack utility.
You are wrong on this (Score:4, Informative)
In short software needs to fulfill requirements in Windows compatibility (Multi-Tasking, Fast User Switiching, etc), Installation / Removal Requirements (use Windows Installer, the Windows packet manager), Data and Settings Management (stores application relevant data in the registry and so forth)
For those to lazy to read through the documents, here a short summary (for the designed for WinXP logo):
1. The software does run on Windows (I'm not kidding).
2. It does not kill your OS, or your data (at least not as a "primary function")
3. Any kernel mode drivers must pass a compatibility testing (e.g. not cause blue screens)
4. Any device drivers must pass the HCT (Hardware Compatibily Test)
5. Perform Windows version checking
6. Support Fast User Switching and Remote Desktop
7. Support Multi-Tasking and not prevent Multi-Tasking
8. Use proper mechanism to add/replace dlls
9. Allow migration to newer versions of Windows
10. Doesn't replace other dlls with older versions
11. Do not require a reboot inappropriately (only required when installing a Windows Service Pack or a GINA)
12. Install in the proper folder by default
13. Install any file that is not fit for side-by-side execution in proper locations
14. Support "Add / Remove Programs" controll panel
15. Support Single User / Multi User installs
16. Support Autorun on DVDs or CDs
17. Store configuration data in the registry and user created data in a proper location
18. Support running with limited credentials (do not require admin privileges unneccessarily)
19. Handle missing rights gracefully (don't crash)
Who cares about regions.... (Score:1)
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Linux/BSD style port (Score:4, Informative)
Bah (Score:2)
You don't really have to do this: as someone posted above, if you use a libdvdcss-based player, you can set the DVDCSS_METHOD environment variable to "title" and libdvdcss will usually be able to read the disc anyway. This isn't guaranteed to work, however, so I decided to disable RPC altogether in the drive.
In any case, with a little research you can do all of this for free, which beats giving money to some company that's profiting off of an already bad system.
MPlayer (Score:2)
I seem to recall that MPlayer [mplayerhq.hu] uses software for decryption and is unaffected by region coding. At least, there have been one or two mail threads on the mailing list from people commenting that they haven't had to change the region on their drives but mplayer plays disks from other regions anyway, and wondering how it accomplishes it...
Linux CSS implementation (Score:2)
The first two are "normal" and require the hardware to cooperate.
The last mode brute-forces the key by using a known-plaintext attack - Most DVDs start with a small amount of black screen, which encodes predictably with MPEG2. From this, it's possible to bruteforce the key. (I could be wrong about the basic details, it's something I remember from a
In short, any Linux player capable of playing encrypted DVDs should have no problem with region coding. It might take a bit longer if your drive doesn't cooperate, but you should be able to play the discs.
Yamakawa players (Score:2)
Use DVD Genie instead (Score:2, Informative)
Save your wallet and use DVD Genie [inmatrix.com] instead.
Re:Use DVD Genie instead (Score:1)
I have an Advent 6413b laptop which has a region locked Matshita UJDA710 DVD player, DVD Genie can help me, but I'm region freeeeee now with the help of DVD Region-Free [dvdidle.com].