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  1. I love this reliable and feature packed player from 2004. But I’ve been waiting a year to be able to play this DVD set from the Netherlands in this Region A player.

    https://www.catawiki.com/catalog/dvd...-derde-seizoen

    There’s no hack listed for this player here. https://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks

    Can some build a hack to make this player region free?
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  2. Member
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    If there hasn't been a hack for in the past 16 years, it's extremely unlikely anyone would be able to create one now, especially as the majority of those players are long gone.

    Region <alphabet> is for Blu-Ray discs. DVD region codes are numerical. Netherlands is Region 2 and probably PAL

    The [only option, if you want to play the DVD on your player] is to rip (make an exact bit for bit copy of the disc, less copy and region protection) with something like DVDFab* and burn a new DVD with Imgburn**. Your copy will be regionfree. Note that this may not completely solve your issue if your player doesn't support PAL playback.

    *DVDFab is trialware, but the ability to rip remains even after the trial ends.

    **Use only Verbatim AZO (check the package/disc for the AZO logo) or Taiyo Yuden discs. ALL other blank DVDs available today are second tier and likely to have burn issues now or in the future.
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  3. Originally Posted by lingyi View Post
    If there hasn't been a hack for in the past 16 years, it's extremely unlikely anyone would be able to create one now, especially as the majority of those players are long gone.

    Region <alphabet> is for Blu-Ray discs. DVD region codes are numerical. Netherlands is Region 2 and probably PAL .
    Understood, Region 1 for DVDs.

    As the manual states, it plays PAL discs no problem, such as
    https://raru.co.za/movies-tv/37567-ride-the-high-wind-dvd

    But note that the specs of this disc stated here say Region 2. That can’t be right because on the back of the DVD case I have it says All Zones.

    Thanks very much for detailing what I’m sure are the best procedures for minimizing DVD ripping errors. But it’s a chore and added expense I prefer avoiding it at all possible and would add another 5 discs to my prized but burgeoning horde of DVDs and BDs. Fortunately, my Oppo 95 is Region free for DVDs, though I really wanted the flexibility of being able to use both players.

    Question: Am I wrong or are there other JVC players here with similar model numbers for which region free hacks were written? That is, XV-NA5?? or XV-NA7?? Might one of those hacks work for my player?
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  4. Member
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    Have you tried playing the disc in your JVC? Print errors happen, the discs were swapped or it's a copy (even pressed), possibly unauthorized from another country. I collect Asian movies and see the first and third sometimes. Though it's usually the opposite with the disc being region-free instead of region locked as per the cover.

    It's possible that the hacks for similar models may work, but be careful as it's possible, though rare that the player may be locked into a region if there's no All Region option. It's usually reversible though.

    Also, unlike no-brand players, big brand name manufacturers customize the firmware for different countries. So a hack for a player for one country may not work for another, even if the model is nearly identical.

    Which brings us to why region code hacks exist. It's because someone discovers them by trial and error (rare) or someone who knows the firmware design of the player releases it. These are usually on cheap OEM Chinese players sold under numerous names. Instead of using custom region locked firmware, they use chips that are region free, then lock them to the code in the country they're sold.

    This loophole was largely closed with the stricter licensing of Blu-Ray players, making code or software hackable Blu-Ray players extremely rare. They may be hackable for DVDs, but rarely for Blu-Ray. All Region Blu-Ray players either have custom chips installed or are built for sale in countries like the United Arab Emirates where discs from multiple regions are common.
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  5. Originally Posted by lingyi View Post
    Have you tried playing the disc in your JVC? Print errors happen, the discs were swapped or it's a copy (even pressed), possibly unauthorized from another country. I collect Asian movies and see the first and third sometimes. Though it's usually the opposite with the disc being region-free instead of region locked as per the cover.
    Yes, I played one of the 5 discs from the Law & Order CI series Region 2 set in the JVC. It wouldn’t load at all and the player said “Region Code Error!”. All of the set’s Universal Studios packaging and pressings look factory authentic.

    I would only risk trying a hack for a similar JVC model if it was an All Region hack. The NA70BK’s manual also applies to the NA77LS player, but there’s no hack here for that either. The only difference between the JVC XV-NA50BK is that the NA70BK can also play DVD-Audio discs. But no listed hacks for the NA50BK either at videohelp.com

    I did find http://www.dvddemystifiziert.de/codefree_en/jvc.html and then here http://www.multi-region.net/jvc#xv No hacks for any of those three models but it said if so email multiregion@gmail.com .

    “Ride the High Wind” (1966 AKA “African Gold”) on that South African DVD is one of very best adventure flicks in my whole collection. Nothing thrills me like desert locations; think “Flight of the Phoenix” (1965). Apparently, it was entrusted to and well preserved by the South African government for decades before miraculously issued by MNET Entertainment. Thank goodness they did so region free; plays beautifully in the JVC, which has full zoom control.

    Unlike the zoom in my Oppo 95 (or any Oppo, Marantz, Panasonic or Sony) the JVC not only allows you to zoom up to 4X but you can “center” any part of the zoomed image on the screen via the vertical and horizontal controls. And thanks to a member at AVS forum I learned that the Pioneer LX500 BD player also has this advanced zoom feature. I can’t believe that none of today’s other player’s zoom controls do this; some 4K players don’t even have any zoom control.

    Unfortunately, thanks to those fascist control freaks authoring most BD movies the player’s ability to zoom on BD movies is disabled-deliberately or not-by using Oracle’s BD-J authoring platform. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BD-J Of course,, this apparently deliberate sabotage of consumer freedom never happened with DVDs.

    As for that Region 2 DVD set-the only Region 2 discs in my collection¬-I have Universal to thank for this hellish affair. Can you believe that Law & Order CI Season 3 was and probably still is the only season out of print for years? Fans from Amazon chimed in with me to lobby Universal to re-issue them, but to no avail. At some point Universal reissued Season 3 in the UK and elsewhere in Europe but then stopped doing so.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Law-Order-Criminal-Intent-Complete/dp/B001QOGUTO/ref=sr_1_1?d...8&s=dvd&sr=1-1

    But I managed to get this Netherlands issue.

    Regarding BD region issues, I’ve yet to find any well mastered BD movie titles of interest that I couldn’t get on Region A discs (Criterion, Olive, Arrow, Twilight Time, Kino, et al).

    I’ll let you know if I get lucky with http://www.dvddemystifiziert.de/codefree_en/jvc.html If not then at least it will play in my Oppo.
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