[I tried posting this to Linux Forums,
but some administrator keeps deleting it,
so I am posting it here. Please excuse
the cross-posting.]
Does anyone know whether there is an easy way to do the following:
1. Copy DVD ISO image to hard disk (easy).
2. Open DVD ISO image for editing (I think that this is easy, but not sure).
3. Edit the region code of the DVD ISO image (this is the key).
4. Save the DVD ISO image, preserving this change, without disturbing
any checksums, if there are any (also a key step).
5. Burn the DVD ISO image so it is identical to the original, but has a
different region code (should be easy).
The object is to start with a foreign DVD that has the wrong region code
for use in North America, and create a DVD that has the right one (1).
Thanks for any suggestions.
Tom

1 yes
2 yes
3 dunno most likely some legal issue prevents that
4 yes
5 yes

>> Does anyone know whether there is an easy way to do the following:
[snip]
>> 3. Edit the region code of the DVD ISO image (this is the key).
[snip]
[jefro wrote]
> 3 dunno most likely some legal issue prevents that
I'm trying to understand why you should raise a
question about number 3 but not the others.

In general, making edits to protected works and/or
making unauthorized copies of them is not allowed.
However, remember that copyright law does allow for
so-called "fair use", and that even libraries make
backup copies of DVDs in their own collections all
the time. DVD publishers have thrown an unnecessary
obstacle in our way in the form of region codes.
The European Commissioner for Competition Policy
has even raised the question about whether this
should be permitted:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases...guiLanguage=en
In any case, IMHO taking a DVD that I have legally
purchased in another country and making a copy of
it with a region code that will allow me, the legal
licensee of the DVD, to view it is fair use.
If anyone knows how to do this, please let me know.
Alternatively, if anyone can let me know how to
edit a DVD ISO image, maybe I can play around with
it and figure it out.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Tom

I learned in the Wikipedia article about region codes ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_reg...#Circumvention
... "... the region code is stored in the the file
"VIDEO_TS.IFO" (table "VMGM_MAT"), byte offset 35. ..."
If anyone can explain quickly how to edit this I would
be very grateful.
Thank you,
Tom

You can use hexedit.

But, I recommend that you get a DVD player that can play Divx, and just rip DVDs to .avi then compile them onto a DVD and watch that. Quality is good, and you save space.

Not surprising but you're trying to twist "fair use" to fit your purpose. But IANAL of course. In any case I view removal and circumvention of media restrictions as set by the copyright holder as unacceptable content for LQ and a violation of the LQ Rules (#13) and so I have asked my fellow moderators to review it. Maybe that's a clue for you as why to your post got deleted in the other forum.

Or better yet, unlock your DVD player, a trivial task in most cases ...

Some DVD players can be unlocked, but not all. I
was unable to unlock mine, so I first bought a
German (region 2) DVD player and later one that
was completely region-free player, and I buy and
watch DVDs from many countries (I am a foreign
language specialist). However, I cannot donate the
DVDs to our local library, because nobody else has
this type of equipment. Buying more hardware is
only a solution for people like me, not for the
general public.
Tom

If one of us is trying to "twist" anything "to suit his own purpose",
it is you, not me. By lumping region codes together with other types
of protection, you make it sound as if the point is to violate the
licensing terms of the DVD, which I have never done, do not do,
and would not do.
DVD region codes were obviously devised to force Europeans to pay
more for DVDs that we pay in North America, and to allow DVDs to
be sold at reduced costs in less-developed countries.
You might want to think about how pharmaceutical companies charge
more for their products here in the US than they do in other
countries and won't allow re-importation. It's clearly a money
grab. It has nothing to do with intellectual property rights.
In plain English, this what is called "dumping". It's not
allowed under free trade agreements, which some companies
only want to enforce when it is in their own interests.
A number of countries have raise the question of whether
region codes should even be allowed under free trade
agreements.
You might also want to think about Apple's M4P file format,
which was obviously created not to protect the artists, but
rather to force consumers to buy Apple hardware.
Many people here in the US are not aware of how few foreign
films actually make it into the stores here. When you walk into
Blockbuster you might think that you can get anything. That's
not true at all. Many foreign films are only available on DVD
in the foreign country where they were produced, and so they
come with the wrong region code. In order to play them here
in the US, you either need to have the right hardware, or you
have to make a copy of the DVD with a different region code.
DVD sellers say that they are trying to control release
dates of translated versions. However, if that were true,
then why does Casablanca come with a region code?
IMHO changing region codes on DVDs is fair use.
Tom

Some content producers are adding further twists by including Java code that is part of the content that does its own region code check. That check may be in the clear if you know where to find it (it will be in JVM byte codes), or it may even be encrypted.

Well, then try hexedit like I said, you can edit binary files.

UnSpawn's purpose is not to twist your words, but simply to protect LQ. If we offer advice that is not currently legal, we are at risk.
There is currently no legal case which has challenged this. While these codes may exist for the purposes you have stated, until a case comes to court or until the EU reviews it and comes to a decision, this is the state of play. Like it or not.

There are instructions for cracking this, but LQ is not the place to do it.

http://german.about.com/library/bldvd2.htm has a discussion about this issue.

> There is currently no legal case
> which has challenged [region codes].
Are there currently any legal cases
which have challenged people changing
them?
Tom

No idea. Seems to be very specific to Germany. Have you tried contacting your MEP or your local MP?

Closed based on comments to date (Not something LQ can help with)