Converting Region 2 DVD Into Region 1 (or no region)

[casstk]

I purchased several commercial region 2 DVDs and they play fine on my stand alone region free DVD player. I now need to make region free (or at least region 1) copies so I can play them on my Mac & PC computer (hey, I paid full list price for these DVDs so I feel entitled)).

I have been able to use various SW programs to back-up my regular commercial region 1 DVDs - but for some reason they are failing me when I try them with region 2.

I have used:

DVD backup 1.3
MacTheRipper (latest version)
OSex

The error messages vary:

MacThe Ripper (Cannot open VMG Info)
DVD Back-up (basically cannot decode xxx.vob file)
OSEx just sits there and looks dumb. I stare dumbly back.

Any tips or guides appreciated. I have come up empty on my googling. I really do not want to shell out hundreds of $ for DVDs I already own just to play them on my Mac/PC. If this doesn’t fall under the definition of fair use……..

[casstk]

More data:

I have also disabled the DVD player so it does not launch upon inserting the DVD and run into the same error. I am using an Emac,running 10.26 with a built-in superdrive (not a Powerbook.). I have tested multiple DVD sets - and it boils down to:

region 1 disk - decrypting and ripping and copying fine
region 2 disk - multiple error messages I cannot even get it past stage 1 (ripping).

I foudn this thread - but none of their suggestions apply to my situation.
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=209065&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=100

[g4cube]

DVDBackup needs to place the disc first before you try to rip it so if you are using it place the dvd for a few minutes then try to back it up then.

[pixeljammedia]

Do you have region-free firmware on your superdrive? Find out what type it is by doing a check on your ATA bus using System Profiler. Then look to see if there are any firmware patches for your drive available on the net.

[WiseWeasel]

The problem you describe happens on certain PowerBook drives, namely the Matshita UJ-815, 816 and 825 drives. If you have one of the former two, RPC1 (region-free) firmware is available here that will allow you to change regions as many times as you want using RegionX, and allowing MTR to rip any DVD. If you have the UJ-825 drive, Cynikal is currently working on RPC1 firmware. If you have that drive, you'll need to use a different DVD drive or computer until that firmware is available. If you're using a different DVD drive than the ones I've mentioned, please let me know.

[casstk]

DVDBackup needs to place the disc first before you try to rip it so if you are using it place the dvd for a few minutes then try to back it up then.

This is correct for region 1 dvds - but DVD player cannot read the DVD since it is region 2 unless I change the region settings for my mac - and I only have a limited number of region changes. On the other thread I listed above they suggested to disable DVD Player, but allow the disc to mount. Then use VLC player to play to enable the ripping. VLC cannot play - I get a similar error message with VLC (cannot read region 2/ '" file name).

FYI. these are my Buffy season 3 DVDs that I bought in the UK.

[casstk]

The problem you describe happens on certain PowerBook drives, namely the Matshita UJ-815, 816 and 825 drives. If you have one of the former two, RPC1 (region-free) firmware is available here that will allow you to change regions as many times as you want using RegionX, and allowing MTR to rip any DVD. If you have the UJ-825 drive, Cynikal is currently working on RPC1 firmware. If you have that drive, you'll need to use a different DVD drive or computer until that firmware is available. If you're using a different DVD drive than the ones I've mentioned, please let me know.

Using System Profiler this is what I found about my superdrive:

Vendor HL-DS-ST
Product ID DVD-RW GCA-4020-B
ATA Device atapi
Device revision DO31

Will that help in tracking down the region free firmware?

Thanks again for everyone's help.

FYI, G4, Emac 512MB, running Mac OS 10.2.6.

[pixeljammedia]

Hmmn, not as informative as I had hoped. What does Toast say your superdrive is? Check Recorder Settings under the Recorder menu. Or if you do not have Toast, fire up the trminal and type: drutil info and post what information that gives.

[TugBoat]

No great mystery as to the drive. Type 'DVD-RW GCA-4020-B' into google. You find it's an LG. Then you go HERE.

The mystery is how an LG got in an eMac. Is this stock? I didn't know Apple put LGs in anything recently.....
No, I didn't even want to read the link :P

'ear you go,
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/archives/oct02/103002.html
Rumor is the new 2.5GHz G5s have a LG also. Mmmmmm.....

[WiseWeasel]

Actually, we've also had another report of problems ripping out-of-region DVDs with that drive manufacturer. There is no region-free firmware for that drive, so you must use a different DVD drive or computer to rip DVDs from other regions. Apple sometimes ships that drive in G5s (some 2x2.5 GHz G5s have them) and now apparently eMacs too. I think it's a shame Apple is going with this inferior DVD drive manufacturer in their products recently.

[casstk]

Thanks all. The eMac was bought last summer (2003) from Apple - although I am confused since I thought the DVD burner was made by "Vendor HL-DS-ST". I did seveBal google searches after I posted here and found queries at the Firmware bulletin Board about this vendor under the same model number - -- even a few other Mac people asking the same question, looking for a region free firmware update. They came up with the same answer: that there was no mac firmware upgrade.

So how did you come to the conclusion that this was manufactured by "LG"

[TugBoat]

So how did you come to the conclusion that this was manufactured by "LG"

After the first 3-4 links it became apparent. The topper was the LG in-front of the Firmware thread. Everything else just confirmed it. Now I know that the actual drive reads;
HðL Data Storage
CD-RW / DVD-R/RW DRIVE
MODEL No. GCA-4020B
DRIVE REV. A1
manufactured SEPTEMBER 2002
Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
(...), Tokyo, Japan
MADE IN JAPAN

Try searching the xlr8yourmac Drive compatibility database for HL-DS-ST and then try it for LG.

There is Region Free Firmware for that drive BTW. At least according to the Dangerous Brothers. Of course, you need a PC, and a lot of confidence in the Dangerous Brothers

http://tdb.rpc1.org/#GDR8083N
It's listed as;
'LG HL-DT-ST GMA-4020B (GSA/GCA-4020B)'
RPC1 Firmware based on A109
Good Luck :P

[WiseWeasel]

If it were a PowerMac, I'd say fine; open the sucker up, take out the drive, stick it in a PC, update the firmware, and stick it back in the Mac. Since it's an eMac, however, playing around inside next to the components for a CRT monitor can be EXTREMELY dangerous. The capacitors for CRT monitors hold enough current (when unplugged) to deliver a lethal shock. You would be much better off getting an external FireWire DVD drive, or using a different computer to rip these out-of-region DVDs.