can I play "region 2" DVDs? - I'm on an eMac

[Welly]

I don't have any Region 2 (European) DVDs to insert and test out, so does anyone know if I should bother importing Region2 DVDs?

I'm on an eMac in the U.S., purchased in the U.S.

[The Elfoid]

You can change region settings 5 times unless you hack it. You CAN get into the code and do it, but it is not something I've looked into.

[William Wallet]

I've found firmware resets for Cid's iMac (I had to do it once when my sister locked it into Region 1 by watching Jem too often) so I'm sure you'd be able to find one for an eMac if the need arose.

[Welly]

Thanks guys but that's confusing to me because on matters like this I have the intelligence of a two-year-old. I've watched U.S. region DVDs hundreds of times on this computer.

Are you saying that if I insert a Region 2, it will prompt me to change to that setting? and it will only give me that option 5 times? Doesn't that entail being "stuck" on whatever format you changed to on the 5th prompt?

I'm not intuitive enough to figure this one out on my own. Punches self in head. Yeah welly that's probably not helping much. Shut up, brain.

So what do I do?

[TarousZars]

It does welly, Its totally retarted, but that's what it means. I'd suggest using something like VLC for your nonstandard regions. That way you won't ever screw up DVD-Player for regular use.

[William Wallet]

Copy protection is just a pain in the arse for people who aren't trying to pirate shit. And pirating types just circumvent it all easily anyway so I don't know why they bother. Can't they just, I don't know, make things cheaper?

[The Elfoid]

WW, I copy DVDs if I take them to school cuz of the risk, copyright protection's not hard to undo. Google 'Mac the ripper'. Its totally legal to use in many cases

[haravikk]

I frequently play different DVD regions in my PowerMac, it has the Super Drive (writes to DVDs as well) so I dunno if that makes a difference.

I thought all DVD players these days were multi-region without restriction? It just makes more sense, I think you're most likely to find problems with early DVD players (such as those in G3 iMacs).

As said though, there are utilities to fix if there is an issue.

[William Wallet]

Harravikk - depending on when you got your Mac, it could make the difference. For a short while I'm pretty sure they gave that Region stuff the flick (or at least on some models it was easier to circumvent it all).

Elfoid - bugger legal! If it's convenient I'll do it.
Having said that I have just about no foreign DVDs to mention, except for a boring History-of-the-Olympics someone from Germany sent me. So for now, it's moot point.