# HG changeset patch # User diego # Date 1189025435 0 # Node ID ff2f302a176b41d42d90509d40d129e14a4120e7 # Parent b4e723b181b7048bff19b211dd2e80a2d8fe1fb4 Replace short region code explanation by more detailed section. diff -r b4e723b181b7 -r ff2f302a176b DOCS/xml/en/cd-dvd.xml --- a/DOCS/xml/en/cd-dvd.xml Wed Sep 05 19:32:34 2007 +0000 +++ b/DOCS/xml/en/cd-dvd.xml Wed Sep 05 20:50:35 2007 +0000 @@ -150,18 +150,36 @@ + +region code -RPC-1 DVD drives only protect region settings through software. RPC-2 drives -have a hardware protection that allows 5 changes only. It might be -needed/recommended to upgrade the firmware to RPC-1 if you have a RPC-2 DVD -drive. You can try finding firmware upgrades for your drive on the internet, -this firmware forum -may be a good starting point for your search. -If there is no firmware upgrade available for your device, use the -regionset tool -to set the region code of your DVD drive (under Linux). -Warning: You can only set the region 5 times. +DVD drives nowadays come with a nonsensical restriction labeled +region code. +This is a scheme to force DVD drives to only accept DVDs produced for one of +the six different regions into which the world was partitioned. How a group +of people can sit around a table, come up with such an idea and expect the +world of the 21st century to bow to their will is beyond anyone's guess. + + +Drives that enforce region settings through software only are also known as +RPC-1 drives, those that do it in hardware as RPC-2. RPC-2 drives allow +changing the region code five times before it remains fixed. +Under Linux you can use the +regionset tool +to set the region code of your DVD drive. + + + +Thankfully, it is possible to convert RPC-2 drives into RPC-1 drives through +a firmware upgrade. Feed the model number of your DVD drive into your favorite +search engine or have a look at the forum and download sections of +"The firmware page". +While the usual caveats for firmware upgrades apply, experience with +getting rid of region code enforcement is generally positive. + + +