EDITED: player, burner, writer, region free. A right chooice for a newbie?

[Sir Joe]

Hi to all
I´m a newbie (to this forum and to dvd world)…

I am preparing my laptop to be able to watch and copy any region dvd, and as I have very few knowledge about the theme, I searched for help. Your site seems to be very very interesting!
My hardware and OS details are on “computer details” button above.

Well, I have few questions:

1)“which software or combination of softwares can do all this without conflicts (like: cssregionfree does not support Nero) ?”:
a) to play any dvd region even if my dvdrom is blocked to region 2 and I have no changes left, also allowing me to watch the movie on the TV connected to laptop. (see question 5)
b) to copy any dvd region (same as above) as it is, SL to SL, DL to DL.
c) to change region on a dvd when I copy it, so that it can be watched with any dvdrom, any software player, any home dvd player too.
Somewhere I read that some home players do not read region 0 dvd, or not when it is a dysney dvd, something like that, so it should be better to make an “all regions” dvd instead of a region 0 dvd. True? No idea…
d) to eventually compress and/or edit (take off useless things) a dvd to make it enter in a SL.
-Note: If it exists a good quality “all in one” it would be great, if not, I would anyway prefer to use a combination of as few softwares as possible.
-At parity of video and audio quality I would choose the softwares with less resources usage, not the more elegant ones.
-Sonic reel seemed to do all this, plus the ability to create your own dvds, with menus, links etc. But, I am not sure about it.
-Dvd-x-player can play any region dvd, no idea if even when drive´s region is locked, and I do not understand if it does it through hard disk (it needs 4 to 9 giga of free space!), nor if it is good and spyware free.

2) Suggestions about a good dvd writer, all formats supported, fast, dual layer, possibly region free, which gave no problems and, in case, whose manufacturer provides good support service? It can be external or internal. If it exists with an hard disk incorporated, better. (someone is laughing now). About "internal plus box" or external, some pro and contra?

3) If I buy a region free dvd writer and I burn through hard disk, without using Toshiba drive, am I able to play and copy any region dvd with any player and any burner?

4) If I want to use Toshiba, what is the better way to make it region free, a firmware patch, or a software like anydvd?
-I would patch only if this allows me to use less softwares, and only if there is not an “all in one” region free player. But in “the forumpage” site Nil says that, once patched, one can still need a region removal software due to OS or software player limits. So, why to patch firmware?

5) usually, should every dvd player software be able to allow me watching dvds on a TV connected to laptop through supervideo output? I had problems with bsplayer but was a matter of configuration (anyway it is not a dvd player), I can´t configure Power DVD 6 deluxe, while Windows media has got no problems, usually.

6) theories about pro and contra of “On the fly” or “through image file” copy of dvds?

I hope that my post is clearer and shorter now!
I felt welcome, thanks Verve, Kschang and Krispy Kritter!

[VERVE]

Hi sergio,

Sorry for this, but u surely dont expect anyone to have enough time to read ur article :P

advice: break ur questions to simple points (no going on with details, avoid large paragraphs)

if u know ur asking general stuff, a fast search in this website will reveal good articles for u, so make sure u do that before asking.

just an advice from a former noob

VERVE

[kschang]

Hi to all
this is my first post, and I am not expert on dvd world. And, sincerely, all seems so complicated at the beginning, I am very confused. And, unfortunately, I am pressed to decide soon what to do...

How about, list your questions one at a time, and what you have? Es mejor asi.

I own a Dell Inspiron 7500 with a Toshiba sd-c2402 dvdrom drive, firmware 1015, and region code blocked to region 2. I use it to show movies to my friends, and as I have many region 4 and 1 dvd, I am trying to find the best solution to watch them. I am starting from zero in all.

Question 1) I want to watch region 4 and region 1 DVD with a region 2 DVD Drive. (Specifically, Toshiba DVD-ROM, in a Dell laptop) What should I do?

I am buying an external dvd writer, maybe an external hard disk too becouse I have just a 18 giga, quite full, and it is a pity to have to burn on the fly with a 16x writer from a 8x reader. About this, how does it function, the writer would write at 4 or 6x?
So, I need, and I thanks a lot for helping me:

Now you're confusing us!

1) a dvd player and codec (I sincerely do not yet understand if they come togheter or if one must find both separately) no spywares with best good video and audio quality as possible, and less resources usage as possible (I have 512 ram, and 751mhz pentiumIII), and able to allow me to watch dvds on the tv connected to laptop svideo output. (For example, I can´t configure powerdvd 6 deluxe to do so. I see all on the tv, desktop, powerdvd mask, but there is black where on the pc there is a movie. The same occurred with bsplayer, but I was able to configure it. Windows media player makes me able to see on tv, but I don´t like this software).

A DVD Player Software usually includes a DVD decoder and navigator to handle the video. However, in general, those DVD player software will NOT allow DVD playback to reach the TV-out due to copy protection issues. That is a separate problem, and is NOT related to your choice of hardware. So your question condenses to:

Question 2) Why my DVD Playback software does not play on my TV-out?

2) a way to be able to see, write and copy dvd of any region, and, coping them, to be able to make them all regions

That's DVD Decrypter and DVD FAB Decrypter.

3) a good dvd writer, first of all good, then not too much expansive, but I prefer to not have problem and to spend a little more if quality and support are better. Much better if it is directly region free.

AND connect to a laptop, I presume?

4) a good burning software compatible with all the rest.

See above.

A thing which makes all more complicated is that all is connected. The choice of the player and of the burner depend on the method used to be region free. If I find a good region free dvd writer, and I will buy a hard disk too, I can do image copies, and will not need Toshiba, so, no need of a region removal tool unless the player or burner or OS need it (do they?). But if not, or if I want to use toshiba, I will need a software to remove limit, or a firmware patch. About the first possibility, I do not know if a region removal software running with the player or the burning softwares, two softwares same time, will use too much resources… will it? And, also, these softwares do not support all players and burners (cssregionfree does not support nero), so I should know which region removal software to use, and find a compatible player/codec with very good audio-video quality and few resources usage and tv-output compatibility. Any suggestions about this?
About firmware patching, at first I would like to upgrade firmware to the latest one, to be sure to improve drive and its compatibility, but nor in Toshiba site nor in dell site I find anything. In dell there is the 1021, but Toshiba tells me that 1015 is the latest, while in firmwarepage site they have a lot more, patched and not. Dell and Toshiba does not help. I will post on firmwarepage. If You know… welcome. :P

Now you're making things too complicated... One thing at a time!

[snip]

[Krispy Kritter]

1) you may want to check on the PowerDVD website. Could be an issue with PowerDVD or your video drivers.

2) DVDfabdecryptor for ripping, DVDShrink or DVD2One for reauthoring, I use Nero 6 for burning.

3) NEC 35xx series. I have a 3520 and a 3540, both have been excellent, but they are internal models.

4) I use Nero Ultra 6

Region is often set in the DVD player firmware and can often be changed as needed (a limited number of times). By default, mine is Region 0.

TV out does not use system resources. The video out is present at all times. Only the applications that you have running use your resources.

For copying, you should rip the disc to your HD, then burn from there. This is a must if you are taking a DL disc and putting the output onto a SL disc.

drive to drive copying is limited by the slowest of the two drives and the ability of the pc to move the data.

Unless you are having any kind of media or burning issues, there is no need to update your firmware.

[Sir Joe]

2) DVDfabdecryptor for ripping, DVDShrink or DVD2One for reauthoring, I use Nero 6 for burning.

Well, first of all thanks...
I am editing my post, then I will search forum about ripping and reauthoring, as I have no idea of what you ar talking about. Anyway, I do not need to do divx or similars, just need to copy a dvd to gift a friend, and, doing it, it can be good to make it region free or to decide wich region to put. Just this. As I read about sonic reel, and it seems it allows to create dvds, putting things as links, make them interactive, it seemed funny... So, I thought that if this or a similar program can play, copy, edit and all the rest, It can be better than having many programs. But no idea if this is right or not.

3) NEC 35xx series. I have a 3520 and a 3540, both have been excellent, but they are internal models.

I will check soon.

4) I use Nero Ultra 6

I have read the post about nero 7 problem with smaller windows. Should be good reason to choose the 6 one... Is it also player?

Thanks! Precious help...
[/quote]

[Krispy Kritter]

I'm not familiar with "Sonic Reel". Most likely it is an authoring program for creating DVD's. From your posts, it sounded like you are wanting to copy DVD's to DVD-R's. There is a seperate forum for DVD to DVD-R copying, if you have specific questions. DVDfab decryptor and dvdshrink are the most common tools and they are free.