Philips 642/37 resetting region

[znet]

I find that when I unplug my philips 642/37 that it resets to it defaults. It is easy to re configure the region I need or set it to region free BUT will the unit only allow me to change regions or reset the region free configuration only a certain number of times before it locks up. Also, is setting the region have anything to do with flash memory..that I understand can be used up??

I appreciate the help.

[canadateck]

Lock up?I never had that happen.

[znet]

Actually what meant is, does the philips 642 allow to change or reset regions only a limited amount of times before it stops allowing you access to that function. I had heard this from someone and was just trying confirm it to be true or better yet not to be true. Does it use any kind of flash memory(which can be use up) for this function??

Thank you.

[canadateck]

I was doing some testing last week and must have changed it about 100 times that day, and it still works. Everything you hear is not always fact , i wouldnt worry.

[giannid]

If you flash update your firmware it will undo any region hacks you did. So if you had made your player region free and then flash updated with the philips 1109 or with HuffyK's modified firmware, then likely your DVD player will have reverted back to its default region setting. Simply unplugging it shouldn't reset it.

The thing about having a limited number of changes to a region setting of a DVD player refers to DVD players on computers. Stand alone DVD players like the DVP642 are not supposed to be able to be changed at all, but most companies don't mind letting their players be changed with the exception of Sony. Never buy a Sony DVD player.

[znet]

Actually the firmware that came with the unit is 1109..but yes, unplugging it did revert it back to region one. What I did hear is what you said regarding computers and I was wondering if it was the same for stand alone decks. It is good to hear that I can reset it to region free an unlimited amount of times.

[giannid]

Yeah this region code crap should be illegal in the first place. It's just a way that big business tries to maximize profits.

It perhaps costs a mere few dollars to manufacture a DVD (not including costs of producing the movie less ticket revenue, merchandising etc.).

Say a new DVD wholesales for $15 in USA to retail at $30, then the studio makes $15 minus the manufacturing cost of $3 which equals $12 profit per DVD sold in America. Assuming all other costs have already been met by ticket sales, merchandising (toys, happy meals, etc.). This is pure profit.

Now if they tried to sell a DVD for $30 in a place like China or Brazil, hardly anyone could afford it and the studios would get no profits from these countries.

So since it only costs a few dollars to manufacture a DVD, they can price them wholesale for $5 a piece, sell a ton of them and make a significant amount of money by selling them cut-rate in these countries. However they run the risk of people importing DVD's in bulk from these countries and selling them on places like E-bay.

This is where region coding comes into play. The studios try to make it very difficult for people to buy a DVD in one country and then play it in another. This is just because they want to rip off the wealthier customers (nations) in order to maximize profits. The same thing is done by pharmaceutical companies, and even oil companies do this same thing by illegally charging higher rates for gasoline to wealthier neighborhoods than they do to poorer neighborhoods. This charging of higher rates for gasoline is illegal (but they get away with it because they are so powerful) because they do it inside america whereas the DVD and drugs racket isn't necessarily illegal because its price discrimination is done internationally on a per country basis.