Turn your Region 1 DVD player into an any Region DVD player

[Beefy]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/370547/dvd_player_hack/

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks.php

[Gamplayerx]

Here's a question I never thought to ask before and am too lazy to look up the answer to:  can computers play dvds from any region?

[Beefy]

Here's a question I never thought to ask before and am too lazy to look up the answer to:  can computers play dvds from any region?

Here's what I remember being told, which may no longer apply or even be totally incorrect.

Every computer with a DVD-R drive is basically a Region 0 DVD player when you first get it.  You then have three to five uses of it to set what Region you want it to be.  Most Americans only ever use Region 1 so the player defaults to Region 1 after the five uses.  However, you can direct to be a Region 2 player if you want.  And once it's set, it's set.

ReBurn or Hatt probably have better answers.

[BigDun]

Here's a question I never thought to ask before and am too lazy to look up the answer to:  can computers play dvds from any region?

Here's what I remember being told, which may no longer apply or even be totally incorrect.

Every computer with a DVD-R drive is basically a Region 0 DVD player when you first get it.  You then have three to five uses of it to set what Region you want it to be.  Most Americans only ever use Region 1 so the player defaults to Region 1 after the five uses.  However, you can direct to be a Region 2 player if you want.  And once it's set, it's set.

ReBurn or Hatt probably have better answers.

You are correct.

If you go into Properties of My Computer, click on the Hardware tab, Click the Device Manager, then get the Properties for your DVD drive in DVD/DC-ROM Drives, and go to the DVD Region tab - you will see the number of plays left on that drive before it becomes region locked.

My desktop has two DVD drives that I have very rarely used. It shows I have 2 plays on the first drive and 4 plays on the second drive before they lock.

After they lock, you can never unlock them. Not even re-installing Windows will revert them back to a US region player.

[Gamplayerx]

That's really interesting - I had no idea.  I wonder why they can't be endlessly changeable.  That makes no sense.

I have 4 changes left. 

[Bennyhana]

That's even more stupid than on standalone players.