Dvd Region 1- Techie Help Needed Please.

[dotty.]

If I buy a DVD from the US which is region 1, can I play it on my laptop rather than my region 2 only DVD player? thanks,

[dotty.]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380515993482?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[bibblebub]

With most dvd players there is a simple code that you can enter (usually via the remote) to play discs from any region. These codes are available on the internet but I can't remember the site from where I got that for my old dvd player.

[dotty.]

oh right brill, i've googled that idea and come up with this
http://www.daniusoft.com/tutorial/remove-disable-region-code-from-dvd.html

didn't know that was possible as not something i've needed to do before so thanks for that.

[bibblebub]

I must admit that I was a bit nervous as to whether it would work when I forked out for my first region 1 disc but, fortunately, it all went ok; so good luck.

[ChuckFickens]

And to answer the specific question (even though bibble had provided a better solution)

You can change the region of computer DVD drives, but you can normally only change them 5 times and then they are locked to whatever region the fifth change left it on.

[dotty.]

oh that's one option too then Chuck, how do I check what mine is on this laptop?

[ChuckFickens]

Goto the device manager, expand out DVD/CD drives and right click on the drive and select properties, then click on the DVD region tab.

[ChuckFickens]

IT will almost certainly be on region 2 at the moment.

If you wanted to play one region 1 DVD you'd have to change it to region1 and then back to Region2 again if ever you wanted to play a UK DVD, doing this would use two of your five available changes.

[dotty.]

Chuck it says it is already region 1 and there is one change remaining. My son must have used up the changes when he used this laptop : (

[ChuckFickens]

Ah well, on the plus side, it will play your region1 DVD then.

Then if you want it back to region2 you'll be stuck on region2 for good.

[ChuckFickens]

Costs £50 though! a new region free DVD player would be less than that.

[dotty.]

actually.........how can i check if this new dvd player is a region free one without having the destructions to hand?

[dotty.]

my dvd is fairly new, (less than a year old)

[Alagopus]

I have a boxed set of which half wouldn't play on my laptop. I didn't want to change the laptop setting so downloaded VLC media player instead and that worked well.