Laptop DVD Drives - Are They Region Free?

[cdb]

I have an Australian friend who is planning to buy a laptop with a DVD drive to bring back home, because they're so much cheaper here.

This may be a basic question, but are computer DVD drives region-specific? If he buys the laptop here, will he be able to play both NTSC/US Region and PAL/Australian DVDs on it? Are there hacks needed to make a DVD drive region free? Special software needed?

Thanks for your help!

[megananthony]

From what i've heard, it is not the drive that he has to worry about, any DVD drive will play any DVD movie..it is the right software that unlocks the regions.. (which can be easily overcome )

[Will Hay]

From what i've heard, it is not the drive that he has to worry about, any DVD drive will play any DVD movie..it is the right software that unlocks the regions.. (which can be easily overcome )

This isn't strictly true.
Of the drives I've tried to unlock with software only (RemoteSelector) neither worked, I had to update the firmware with a hack.
I fixed my pioneer 105s but could never region-free the mashita/pansonic laptop dvd drive.
Will

[K2]

If it is a new laptop then it will be coded for a region. DVD drives for laptops are less likely to have region hacks.

Good luck

[nufan292]

If it like other dvd drives, then he has upto five changes before the region is permanently set. Therefore, if he only watches australian region dvd's it wouldn't matter.

[az1284xx]

My Sony Laptop has a setting for DVD regions. It allows me to change regions 4 times, after that I cannot change regions EVER! It says that even if I reinstall the operating system.