Region Free Blu Ray - General and specific question.

eriche · **Joined:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:21 pm **Posts:** 5

Hello everybody,
It has been a long time since I have been doing anything with RPC1 firmware setups on any type on DVD ROMs or anything similar. Now I am looking at buying some new equipment but before I do that I want to do some research on what my best options are because I am originally from Sweden, but I now live in the US so we have the problem the fact that I have a lot of Region 2 movies that I need to be able to play but obviously I also have a lot of Region 1 movies and I will probably continue getting more of both. However, I am looking at buying a new computer to use at my TV and I want a Blu Ray in this. Obviously I want this Blu Ray to be Region free if it can be. I have no idea how this works with Blu Ray since I have not been keeping up with this for a long time so please help me out here.
How does the regions work with Blu Ray and can I make a Blu Ray region free so I play my old Region 1 and 2 DVDs in it as well as any future Blu Ray from both Sweden and the states in it.
If this is something that can be done, which SATA Blu Ray Should I buy to make it as easy as possible for me. I might be putting it in a Popcorn Hour in the future as well so I need to be able to flash the firmware not use software to change the region every time.

Thank you very much. All help is appreciated.

ala42 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:15 pm

BD region protection is handled by the player software, so you have to check which patches or tweaks are available for the player software you use.
If your PC is windows based, AnyDVD HD will solve the region problems both for DVD and BD.
A Popcorn Hour will not play copy protected BDs at all, as they do not have a licensed player.

eriche · **Joined:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:21 pm **Posts:** 5

So if I understand this correct there is no RPC1 firmware patches for BD since it is software based. So if I am to use one in anything but a Windows machine like the new popcorn hour, that has the SATA slot, there is nothing to do but smile and be happy and play only the BluRay from the US?

ala42 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:59 pm

No, it is even worse. "A Popcorn Hour will not play copy protected BDs at all" means what it says. This is not region dependent. They will not play if they are DRM protected -> no commercial BD will play.

eriche · **Joined:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:21 pm **Posts:** 5

When you are stating this are you thinking of the A-110 or the C-200? Because I knew this about the old A-110 but the new C-200 are stated to have Blu Ray Capability and this is the one I am looking at. This new unit has a slot that you can put a Blu Ray Rom in (or a HDD or DVD ROM) and supposedly play any blu ray movies on and this is why I am asking all these questions and try to understand all this.
I have not yet bought anything but the new C-200 Popcorn hour seems to look like something good because of the new features and the SATA slot.

Thanks guys.

ala42 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:48 pm

Ask the manufacturer if they use a licensed player supporting latest BD+ protected disks.

eriche · **Joined:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:21 pm **Posts:** 5

But basically wether they support it or not, there is no firmware that can make a Blu Ray Rom region free, it would somehow be done through the software within Popcorn hour?. Have I understood right?

Thanks.

ala42 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:48 am

Right.

eriche · **Joined:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:21 pm **Posts:** 5

Thanks,
I will have to aim for a good DVD Rom for now. I will hop into the right part of the forum and open a new post and go from there. Thanks for the help.

mrhex · **Joined:** Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:31 pm **Posts:** 6

Regarding popcorn hour this is how it is with the C-200.

DVD:
You do need the RPC1 or RPC2reset firmwares as ROM drives are restricted to 5 changes in themselves. So the drive itself has 5 changes and the C200 has 5 changes unless you use RPC1 in which case just the C200 has 5 change limit.

Atleast that is what i have understood.
SO

There is a 3rd party tool to handle the software side ( C-200 ) called "Region Free Patcher", that does some hokus pokus software side.
Just a matter of sorting the firmware for the drive so the DVD drive itself is regionfree aswell.

Quote:

C-Series: Region Free patcher.
EXPERIMENTAL APPLICATION! Use SLOW+1663 and SLOW+1683 to change Region. ALWAYS CHECK that the popup dialog has PATCHED title! Bluray Region change need no special drive firmware, BUT DVD REQUIRES YOU FIRST MAKE YOUR DRIVE RPC-1, OR RPC-2-AUTORESET!! Otherwise your drive may stop future DVD Region changes.

BLURAY drives if i understand correctly shouldnt have to be autoreset patched!?! i may be wrong havent had an oppurtunity to test this out, my wallet isnt fat enough atm to buy a Blu-ray drive and test. What is needed is smt software side, that handles the region change counting. Again havent been able to try this out. So i might be out bicycling drunk in a dark slippery slope.

mrhex · **Joined:** Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:31 pm **Posts:** 6

I found some deep information in how this was accomplished.
am i allowed to link to it here?

[_chef_] · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:41 am

If its non-commercial then probably yes.

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