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Software Solution to DVD RPC2 Region Locking?
Martin writes "I just saw the DVD Region-Free utility, the other day. 'It allows you to watch all region DVDs on any DVD drive (especially RPC2) even if it has been locked. You don't need hack DVD drive (flash firmware) which is sometimes dangerous, useless or unavailable.' This seems really significant to me, yet I haven't heard anything about! Is this the first software based solution to RPC2?" Of course, it should be stated that the software mentioned above is for Windows only. Are there other similar pieces of software for other platforms?
If I buy a Japanese DVD, and find I can't play it on my machine, and I try a utility like this one to be able to watch something I purchased, am I stealing? Some movie companies think so. I strongly disagree with them. What about you?
RPC encoding has *Nothing* to do with piracy. Its about enforcing market manipulation and price-fixing.
Disabling RPC is all about being able to play a disc you bought legally in a different region, on your own player. Such as me being able to visit the US and play a new R1 DVD I have bought, on my laptop, on the way home. Which according to the movie mafia, should only play R4 discs.
Anyone with a brain knows that a home-made pirated disc (as opposed to a lot of the mass-pirated stamped discs out of asia) wont even have a region code on it, and the region lock wont matter a bit. As for the mass-pirates in asia, I dont want that crap. I am paying store prices, so I demand the genuine article. Most mass-pirated discs arent dual-layer anyway, AFAIK.
Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random numbers is, of course, in a state of sin.-John von Neumann
Region-Free Firmware. They also have tools for changing regions on another page.
It's a contract, and you have to follow it down to the word.
In my household, my 5-year old son buys all the DVDs (he gets a big allowance). AFAIK, he cannot legally enter into a contract agreement. He generously allows his parents to watch his DVDs.
MSN 8: Now Microsoft even has bugs in their ad campaigns.
No misinformation. You're just making assumptions about law.
First, I am Australian. The DMCA dosent apply to me when I am at home, regardless of wether I imported or bought an R1 disc home with me. When I am in the USA, according to your theory it is perfectly acceptable for me to play an R1 disc in my laptop, while I am in the United States.
If I region-hack my dvd player in Australia, I havent broken US law. If I play US discs in the USA, I havent broken any law or agreement, and if I play a R1 disc at home, I havent broken any Australian law, and it is a big leap of faith to assume the shrinkwrap contract applies at all. And if my player just happens to adhere to RPC1 instead of RPC2 when I travel to the USA, that is a simple technicality. (I dont think DVD bogo-licences yet state that PRC1 players break the licence, do they?) As to how well the shrinkwrap "We just assume our bogo-licence applies everywhere" restrictions apply, that is for courts to decide.
Its people like you who simply assume that onerous shrinkwrap licencing should apply as law, globally, without it being tested by a court, that ruin it for the rest of us by giving mass support to the corporations who want to take away our rights.
Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random numbers is, of course, in a state of sin.-John von Neumann
I find it interesting that they've chosen to display the "Designed for" logo on their product page. IIRC, that logo is used as somewhat of a certification. IE. you're only granted use of that logo after you pass certain requirements from Microsoft.
I'd find it hard to believe they actually have official support from Microsoft for a DVD region hack utility.
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
No, but you have violated a contract that's legally binding (i.e., that has the force of law over its signatory parties) in Australia. You aren't committing a crime, per se, but you could be sued for breach of contract.
Honest Curiosity:
Australia has legislation to specifically prohibit corporations from attempting to control the import or use of their products from other locales outside Aus. Surely the contract itself would be illegal (and unenforcable) by Australian law. IANAL but I would have thought it was very wasteful to have to challenge an illegal contract in court to render it non-binding (or to use the inverse I don't like the implication that I could be held in breach of an illegal contract simply because I lack the legal muscle or money to force a challenge.)
It's not that I'm Anti-American - I'm Pro-Freedom
Well of course anything which used libdvdcss under *nix already gets RPC2-agnostic CSS software-decoding. I, personally, have never set the region-code on my one-year-old drive and watch films quite happily using the wonderful players available.
Rich
The "designed for" logo does not mean that Microsoft supports a given product. The logo is given to software (or hardware) that meets certain requirements which are freely available.
In short software needs to fulfill requirements in Windows compatibility (Multi-Tasking, Fast User Switiching, etc), Installation / Removal Requirements (use Windows Installer, the Windows packet manager), Data and Settings Management (stores application relevant data in the registry and so forth)
For those to lazy to read through the documents, here a short summary (for the designed for WinXP logo):
1. The software does run on Windows (I'm not kidding).
2. It does not kill your OS, or your data (at least not as a "primary function")
3. Any kernel mode drivers must pass a compatibility testing (e.g. not cause blue screens)
4. Any device drivers must pass the HCT (Hardware Compatibily Test)
5. Perform Windows version checking
6. Support Fast User Switching and Remote Desktop
7. Support Multi-Tasking and not prevent Multi-Tasking
8. Use proper mechanism to add/replace dlls
9. Allow migration to newer versions of Windows
10. Doesn't replace other dlls with older versions
11. Do not require a reboot inappropriately (only required when installing a Windows Service Pack or a GINA)
12. Install in the proper folder by default
13. Install any file that is not fit for side-by-side execution in proper locations
14. Support "Add / Remove Programs" controll panel
15. Support Single User / Multi User installs
16. Support Autorun on DVDs or CDs
17. Store configuration data in the registry and user created data in a proper location
18. Support running with limited credentials (do not require admin privileges unneccessarily)
19. Handle missing rights gracefully (don't crash)
You're wrong about this. When a consumer buys a DVD disc, they do not enter into a contract with the manufacturer or distributor or retailer which prohibits them from disabling region coding on their player. There is nothing on DVD packaging which says anything about it, and the consumer is never notified that such a restriction exists. It is by definition impossible to enter into a contract that you are not aware of.
Your blurb about software licencing is off the mark. When you buy a Microsoft software package, you are told that opening the shrink-wrap constitutes acceptance of the licence inside. There is nothing of the kind on DVD media packages.
Manufacturers of DVD drives and DVD players are under contract with the DVD consortium which gives the manufacturer the right to produce DVD player devices but which requires them to produce only region-locked devices. Manufacturers of DVD media are under contract with content owners to produce DVDs of this content, and that contract usually includes a provision requiring the disc to be region locked. The consumer is under no contract at all.
Copying a DVD is a violation of copyright laws. Decrypting a DVD with an unlicenced DVD player is a violation of the DMCA in the US and equivalent laws in some other countries. But disabling region codes on your DVD playback device in order to otherwise legally play a DVD disc is perfectly legal.