All PIONEER Owners, want REGION FREE - w/no hardware mods?!?

[The_Pioneer]

This is intended to be a 'workaround' for anyone owning a Pioneer DVD player with a 'Search Mode' button (or equivalent) on the standard remote
control and preferably with stop/eject, fwd + rev skip buttons on the front of the player (not essential but makes things SO much easier).

I hope you're ready to read a LOT of text. This is so simple but describing it is much more difficult - well, the more specific points at least.

I have a region 2, Pioneer 737 DVD player. I want to play region 1/3/4/5 discs. Using 3 different dvds, that give 3 different responses, I am hoping to have discovered a workaround that is temporarily able to remove the problem of regional coding for several different models of Pioneer players.

Essentially, my method accesses the dvd whilst bypassing the windows-style 'autoplay', that is almost always the stumbling block.

The first DVD gives the process in full detail. This must be carried out before playing any incompatible DVD, don't worry - it'll take less than 10 seconds each time!

I'm assuming that this process, seeing as it disregards any of the protection, will work with Region 1 players trying to play Region 2 discs, Region 3 players trying to...you get the point.

DVD used - 'Changing Lanes' Region 1

1. With the player drawer open and the dvd on it, press 1 on the remote. The dvd will be inserted and 'This player is incompatible with the region marking of this disc' appears.

2. Using the controls on the DVD player, press eject twice (quickly so that the mechanism never comes near to actually opening the tray) then press fwd skip once then press stop (stop/eject - it's the same button but after pressing fwd skip it switches into a 'stop' button).

3. The player should show DVD on the LCD display. Press the 'Search Mode' button on the remote. The display will show TITLE and underneath, the number 1 will flash. Press Search Mode again and the display will also show CHP. Underneath CHP, will be a flashing number 1 (if think the numbers flash - regardless, if they're there the process is working...).

4. Press enter on the remotes pseudo-joystick thing, that you use to navigate the menus on dvd. If your player is playing and says 1' 1' then you're watching your movie! Regional codes? Not for me thankyou.

To access the menu, press the MENU button on the remote, as per usual. you will be taken to the menu - surprisingly enough...

'MENU'

Listen up! If you want to return to the movie by pressing the menu button again, you must not select any bonus footage, that is 'exactly' as I describe it - footage. If you watch an interview with the director, deleted scenes, trailer or music video you will not be able to return from the main menu to the film via the MENU button on the remote. To return to the film, you'll need to go back to step one.

You can change the sound, language and subtitle setup without having to restart, though these can be adjusted via the remote - unless that feature does not extend to all Pioneer models?

What I'm saying is this - if you want to check out the DVD extras, you'll have to start the film as described, press MENU but will be unable to return to it after viewing any bonus footages contained in sub-menus. This doesn't matter of course - going back to step one through to actually playing the film takes <10 seconds.

NB : You cannot select 'Play Movie' or similar from the main menu. Nor can you jump to a chapter or jump to an episode in the case of a multi episode DVD. Should you wish to jump to a specific chapter, substitute the second '1' in step three above for the chapter you wish to view. Of course, you can go into the 'scene selection' sub-menu on a DVD and look at the pictures alongside the titles of the chapters. This will tell you which chapter relates to the point you want to jump to - though most dvds seem to have a chapter index in the box nowadays.


Next DVD used - 'Tomb Raider' Region 1 (this is too easy!)

When I insert Tomb Raider, the LCD display says 'MENU' but the menu doesn't appear. All I have to do though, is press stop and follow 'Changing Lanes Step 3+4'. I don't think I'll find a DVD easier to access than this one.

BTW - comments on accessing extra DVD material described in the 'Changing Lanes Procedure' applies to ALL discs.


Third DVD used - 'Buffy The Vamire Slayer - Series One' Region 1


1. Follow 'Changing Lanes Step 1+2'

2. To select the episode of (in this case) Buffy you want to watch, press the corresponding number on the remote. Again, the screen telling you that the DVD is not compatible will show up.

3. Follow 'Changing Lanes Step 2' again. The 'TITLE' display on the LCD screen will show whichever episode number you selected at step 2 above, when you press the fwd skip button during 'Changing Lanes Step 2'.

4. Go to 'Changing lanes Step 3'. This time, the 'TITLE' will be the episode number you selected at step 2 above. The 'CHP' will be 1 - i.e. the first chapter of whatever title.

5. Press enter on the remote - yep, you're watching again!


!!PROBLEM!!

Whilst watching Buffy, I tried to go into the main menu by pressing MENU on the remote. It took me to the episode selection screen but I could not navigate back to the proper Main menu. Ah, solved. On the remote I pressed subtitle whilst on the episodes menu. From this subtitle menu, I managed to get back to the actual main menu. From here, pressing MENU on the remote will bring you back to the film at the point you were watching - however, observe the 'MENU' text in bold above.

[macyman]

guess what, it didn't work. I have a Pioneer DV-340, region 2.
As soon as you put the DVD in, the tv indicates:
Wrong Region and automatically ejects the dvd.
Sorry.....

[SingSing]

On my pioneer DV333 ( NTSC ) , if I put in a region 3. The disc just go in but won't start and show 'wrong region' ( I think ).

Maybe I can try this out later.

[donpedro]

Isn't this just one big joke ? Try to see all posts by The_Pioneer....

[The_Pioneer]

quote : 'guess what, it didn't work. I have a Pioneer DV-340, region 2.
As soon as you put the DVD in, the tv indicates:
Wrong Region and automatically ejects the dvd.
Sorry.....'

Hmm, guess I didn't allow for that possibility. On my pioneer, it doesn't automatically eject the dvd if it's from an incorrect region.

<the following is based on my mental visualisation of your machines operation. I would like to stress to those who have learned of the possibility of going bypassing regional coding in a pioneer, that my former technique is the recommended one - the following guide is not a universal amendment to that text>

I have a possible idea for you..try this - hell, it's an attempt to get free region bypass and cant do any harm, remember that.

1. With the dvd drawer open and the dvd sat in it, press 1 on the remote.

2. The dvd will go into the machine and on your machine, it will indicate wrong region and eject the dvd.

3. But - hold your figure over the stop/eject button on the dvd player.

Don't press the button until the split-second your dvd's lcd display automatically says 'eject' (or similar - i don't know your machine personally!). You will need to literally press it milliseconds after eject is indicated on the display and before the drawer starts to come out of the dvd player.

Now, like my instruction, press fwd skip on the dvd player IMMEDIATELY after you've pressed the eject button.

Then press stop, IMMEDIATELY after pressing forward skip. If you've got to this stage then I'm sure it's going to work.

When you pressed fwd. skip it should've indicated '1' on the display.

4. Press search mode (i think the button is just labelled 'search' on some pioneers) and it should say 1' on the left side of the lcd display. Press search again and it should show 1' in the middle of the display too.

5. Press the enter button - the one you use to select options on dvd menus.

I really hope this works for you, now time to write a message to the jerk on this page who thinks my genuine attempts to be helpful are just a joke...

btw - if I can get hold of a digital camera, I would happily film my method (amended to adjust for your automatical eject) and send it you via email, or through some file sharing software such as kazaa, imesh etc.

[The_Pioneer]

Dumbpedro said:

'Isn't this just one big joke ? Try to see all posts by The_Pioneer....'

I agree with the second part of that statement. Try to see every post I've made, each one a direct reply to Pioneer owners requesting a regional hack (mine is strictly a bypass but that is irrelevant, the result is the same).

Originally I posted the method in a long, long post. I have well over 150 viewings but, the last time I checked - a couple of days ago, I had NO replies. Rather than think '**** You - ungrateful ********', I went through forum page after page after... I continued until I finally reached a page without reference to region-free on a Pioneer and had to stop as I'd been damn generous already.

Bottom Line - This WORKS on my machine, the 737. If the information only proves beneficial to one person with a 737 and requiring regional bypass, it is all worth it.

The original post had to be as lengthly as it was. It illustrates slight variations between dvds and was intended to reduce the need for people's questions like, 'Yeah, this like worked for a couple of my DVDs, but, like, it doesn't work for others - guess your method isn't so great after all!'.

I think you need a long hit on a packed bong my friend.

[macyman]

this doesn't work either...keep trying!

[The_Pioneer]

this doesn't work either...keep trying!

Well, I won't keep trying. It works fine for me and, I suspect, for a large percentage of Pioneer players.

I do suggest you keep trying though, as you probably cant quite figure out the instructions correctly. Look through them again or at least tell me at what stage it goes wrong!