09-17-2004, 11:09 AM

My god I'm gobsmacked - my cheapo Playstation 2 has an upgrade to play all regions but my 2 grand Pbook doesn't.
Anybody know why and if it will change in the future?
I'm going to have to decide which films I'm going to want to watch more in advance, American or European...actually now I come to think of it that's not too hard, but the point is I was expecting to be able to play both.
j :confused:

09-17-2004, 11:29 AM

When you say upgrade to your PS2, what do you mean? Mine doesn't play Region 1 DVDs, and I don't expect it to. Neither do I expect my PowerBook to. That's the idea of regions.

09-17-2004, 11:57 AM

Sounds like someone created a mod for the PS2, to get around region codes.

09-17-2004, 01:11 PM

you can change the region of your powerbook dvd player by going into the firmware...yet you can only change it twice..so make sure you pic it right
- now if you put that dvd in and rip it using a backup program you can choose the region code you want to use or make it region free then you wont have to worry about it in the future...now becuase you own the dvd this is legit becuase you are simply backing up a copy of your movie unless you have rented this... thats correct by law isn't it ???

09-17-2004, 01:33 PM

yes use mactheripper and rip the dvd
that will get around region codes

09-17-2004, 02:28 PM

Well, making a drive region free isn't illegal, but ripping a DVD most of the time is, even if you own it.
The law problem is a little confusing, because you're allowed to make a backup copy, but you're not allowed to remove it's encryption, called CSS, or modifying it's content, like removing the region code of a movie.

But you can change the firmware of the drive to RPC-1, which allows you to change regions as often as you want (all actual drives are RPC-2, which means 5 changes only). And then you can use a software that will fool Apple's DVD player app that it's always the first change...

Check here:
http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php

They have patches for nearly every drive, including most of Apple's Combos and Superdrives. But you need to know the make and modell of the drive (look in System Profiler). Unfortunately, some firmware patches (like the one for the Combo in my MDD G4) are available only for DOS or Windows, which means the drive needs to be transfered to a PC, patched, and then put back in the Mac...

But maybe you're lucky and find the right one for your powerbook.

BUT be aware: changing your drive's firmware will void it's warranty, and if something's going wrong while you're flashing the firmware, your drive is unusable!!