It can be frustrating when you purchase a DVD or Blu-Ray, only to find out that it’s region-locked and won’t play in your Region A player. But don’t worry, there are ways to work around this restriction. In this post, we’ll show you how to play a region-locked DVD or Blu-Ray on your Region A player. Keep reading to learn more.
Region-locking DVDs prevents the export market from growing. DVD players are only compatible with DVDs sold in a certain region. There are six different region codes that can be used on Blu-ray discs, each of which is printed on the case and the disc itself. Blu-ray discs use three distinct region identifiers.
Not all motion pictures will be region-locked. In certain circumstances, such as those mentioned above, no region will be code accessible on the DVD cover or disc. This is a choice made by the producer. They have the option of distributing their product in all available regions.
What Region Is My DVD Or Blu-Ray?
DVD region codes often appear on the disc or cover of your DVD. There are six different regions used by DVDs, which correspond to geographic areas around the world. The key to playing a dvd is inserting it in your dvd player and hitting ‘play’ without first checking if dvd is coded for your dvd player. If the dvd still does not work, you will need to change dvd region code.
6 Types of DVD Player Regions :
Region 1:North America, South America, East Asia including Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea
Region 2: Europe , Australia , New Zealand , The Middle East , Egypt
Region 3 : East Asia (except for Japan), Southeast Asia , Central Asia, Russia
Region 4 : Mexico , Caribbean Islands
Region 5 : Russia . China . Mongolia . North Korea . South Korea . Japan . Vietnam
Region 6 : India , Afghanistan , Bangladesh , Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Guam, Hong Kong ,Indonesia (except Bali), Laos, Macau , Malaysia , Maldives, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal , Philippines (Except for Palawan), Singapore,
Methods To Remove DVD Region Restrictions:
Learn how to change dvd region . Method 5 has a 100% success rate when it comes to removing dvd region restrictions with a computer. The other methods may work, but they also run the risk of damaging your dvd player and voiding your dvd region code.
Method 1: Changing dvd region with dvd regionsetters: You can purchase a dvd regionsetter that will remove the dvd’s region restrictions. This is usually a more expensive option, as it is illegal in some countries to remove dvd region code.
Method 2: Using dvd rippers to remove dvd region restrictions. There are dvd rippers available that can be used to change dvd regions on most dvds. This method is also not legal in most jurisdictions, however, and may damage your dvd player or void your dvd region code.
Method 3: Changing dvd region and dvd ripers to remove dvd region restrictions with a dvd ripper software. You can use this method if you have your own dvd player or want to purchase one, but it is an expensive route to take considering the risk of damage to your dvds and dvd player.
Method 4: dvd region free dvd players that have dvd region removal capabilities built into dvd players themselves. You can use these dvd players to remove dvd region restrictions with certain dvds, but they are very expensive and easy to damage .
Method 5 : dvd region unlock software for dvds that can dvd region free dvd player dvds with dvd region code removal capabilities. There are dvd formats available to those who want to remove dvd region restrictions, but either do not have the money for a dvd ripper or wish not to damage their dvds and players.
Why Movies Are Region Specific:
There are many different markets for dvds. Many producers release some dvds in certain regions and not others, depending on the perceived profit of those markets. For example, a film that was a huge hit in Japan will not be released into other countries that do not see as much profit from the sales of that dvd. In this way, movies and other media that may not be a big hit outside their home market are able to still get released rather than left in the vault.
What To Do If You Have A Region 0 Or 4 DVD:
If you have a dvd from region 0 or 4, you can change your dvd player’s region code settings to match the dvd.
Instructions To Change DVD Region Code Settings:
If you have a region 0 or 4 dvd, all you need to do is change your dvd player’s region code settings to match that of the dvd. You can then play your region 0 or 4 dvds on any standard, multi-region dvd player.
Note: Changing dvd region code settings will not break lawas terms of any copyright agreements if you have a region 0 or 4 dvd. In this case, the producers have given permission to play the dvd on any standard multi-region dvd player. You cannot violate their copyright by changing your dvd player’s region code. If you do not have a region 0 or 4 dvd, it is illegal to change your dvd player’s region code settings and an offense punishable by law.
In addition to changing the dvd player’s codes, you can also purchase a multi-region dvd player that will allow playback of all regions on any standard television. These dvd players also play mp3s and can be purchased online. If you would like to view these features, most dvd manufacturers offer multi-region dvd players that play all regions on any standard television.
Region-Free DVDs With VLC Media Player?
It is possible to play region-locked dvds with vlc media player as long as the dvd itself is not protected by a second layer of copy protection. A simple process can be done to remove this type of copy protection and play all regions with VLC media player.
This method only works on Windows computers, but it does work on most Region-Locked dvds. Simply follow the steps below to remove the second layer of copy protection and play all regions with VLC media player.
Note: This method is not legal in many jurisdictions. It is up to you to decide if it is legal looking at your specific jurisdiction or not carrying out this process . If it is illegal in your jurisdiction, do not carry out the following process and instead play by the rules of your specific region.
Instructions To Remove Second Layer Of Copy Protection:
STEP 1 : Download and install VLC media player . This can be done on any version of Windows. Simply visit the link below and press “download” to download the file.
STEP 2 : After installing VLC, open it and go to “Tools” in the top navigation bar . From here, select the option “Codec Information” . A new window will appear with all of your codecs installed on your computer. Note each of these codes separately so you can easily tell them apart when copying and pasting.
STEP 3 : Still in the Codec Information window , select “Copy all” and then paste this information into a text file on your computer. Copy the codes as if they were normal sentences, like you would copy and paste anything else from one place to another. For example: do not simply copy the code word for word; copy it as it would be if you where copying and pasting something. Like so:
codec_name= “MPEG-4 Video”
codec_longs=hex:c8 14 50 54 46 28 29 2c 31 2e 30 2c 20 6d 69 63 72 6f 64 79 20 4d 65 74 68 6f 64 73 20 57 65 62 20 43 6c 69 65 6e 74 44 65 76 69 63 65 00 4d 61 79 62 65 20 53 65 65 20 41 75 67 75 73 74 72 79 42 6f 78 2e 63 6c 69 65 6e 74 4d 65 74 68 6f 64 73 2e 4d 61 79 62 65 20 53 65 65 20 73 75 72 66 61 63 65 00 00
STEP 4 : Save the text file as a .txt. Do not save it as a .REG, otherwise you will have to edit one of the codecs codes below before continuing. So make sure to save it as a plain text (.txt) file.
STEP 5 : Play the dvd in VLC media player . The second layer of copy protection will appear before you can play your region-locked dvd. Simply close this window by clicking “No” (or press “esc”). You should now be able to view your region locked DVD or Blu-Ray without any problems.
NOTE : If you can play the region-locked dvd in another dvd player , that means your specific dvd is not protected by a second layer of copy protection. You can now close this tutorial if you do not need to remove the second layer of copy protection. If you are unable to play it in other dvds, continue to the next step. You most likely have another layer of copy protection on your dvd and this tutorial will help you remove it.
STEP 6 : Open Windows Media Player . This can be done by clicking “Start” in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen, then selecting “All Programs” and finally selecting “Windows Media Player”.
STEP 7 : Once Windows Media Player is open , go to “Tools” in the menu bar and select “Options…” . A new window will appear.
STEP 8 : Under the section labeled “Copy Protection” , select the option “Do not protect music”. This will remove another layer of copy protection on your dvd/blu-ray so you can play in any region.
STEP 9 : Once this selection has been made , click “OK” . This will save your changes and allow you to play the dvd/blu-ray in all regions. Make sure that when playing the dvd, you select the option that says “Play Disc” or similar. Do not select the “Open Disc” option.
NOTE : You may need to restart your computer for this change to take effect. If you are still unable to play in another region after making these changes, continue to the next step.
STEP 10 : Open Windows Media Player . This can be done by clicking “Start” in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen, then selecting “All Programs” and finally selecting “Windows Media Player”.
STEP 11 : It’s Done! Now you can enjoy region locked DVDs.
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