Blu Ray Player Region Coding Only firmware based ?

[deba]

Dear All,

Kindly let me know whether Blu Ray Player Region Code is entirely based/works on Firmware and not hardware. If the Region coding is based on firmware only then by updating the firmware from different location of the manufacturer website may change the region code of the player.

Some players allow Firmware update via CD-R like the Sony S360.

Kindly discuss how the Region coding for Blu Ray works when a disk is inserted into the player, Is the information only stored in the firmware?

Thanks.

 

[spirovious]

Oppo had declaired in past that its BDp cant be made regfree by changing FW.
Similarly Panasonic BDp are made regfree with changing chips.

 

[deba]

any reply.......

 

[spirovious]

It is chip based & not FW based.

 

[venkatcr]

Blu-Ray follows a slightly different system as compared to DVD. In DVD, both the player and the media have to encoded. While playing, the player checks whether it's own code matches with the code on the media and then either rejects or plays the media. Since DVD was a more open media, manufacturers did not have to follow any rules, and would allow the region code to be changed, albeit quietly. For example, Oppo never officially published the information to make their DVD Players region free, but every owner knew how to do it. Many manufacturers had tacit agreements with third party developers or with dealers who would change the firmware. Some manufacturers went one step forward. In some areas, they would sell a region free player, though it would carry a region code printed on the back.

The Blu-Ray association have been both more lenient and more strict with Blu-ray. One, they have insisted that all player manufacturers very strictly adhere to the region coding and that the region coding should not be allowed to be changed. So you will not get any information from any manufacturer on how to change or modify the region code. At the same time, the association have been lenient with media developers leaving it to their own choice as to whether the media is encoded or not. For example, all Paramount and Universal Studios releases are region free.

Blu-ray region codes are verified by a software, on both independent players as well as computers. The code is stored in a file of the player program or in the registry. In stand-alone players, it is part of the firmware. When a new firmware is released it specifically checks for the existing region code and ensures the same region coding is executed in the new firmware. So irrespective of where you get the firmware from, you will continue having the same region code.

Third party companies such as Stegen fool the system by sending a region code that the player's software is expecting that could be different from the region code embedded in the media.

Cheers

 

[aneelr]

Dear All,

Kindly let me know whether Blu Ray Player Region Code is entirely based/works on Firmware and not hardware. If the Region coding is based on firmware only then by updating the firmware from different location of the manufacturer website may change the region code of the player.

Some players allow Firmware update via CD-R like the Sony S360.

Kindly discuss how the Region coding for Blu Ray works when a disk is inserted into the player, Is the information only stored in the firmware?

Thanks.

Hi,

Updating FW of different locations is not going to make your player region free, it may make it compatible to that region I guess, not sure though . Even if it's possible you cannot run multiple FW at the same time, so every time you watch a diff region disc, you have to change the FW.

Region Locking is partly HW and partly SW based and is also encoded into their respective BD's. The configuration is set in the players FW wrt the HW, so when you mod the HW, it will bipass the FW restrictions thus making it region free.


cheers.