Region 0 DVD won't play

December 1, 2005 11:40 AM

I have a Sony DVP-NS975 dvd player. I just purchased a DVD (Front 242 "Catch the Men") which lists its region settings as 0 (will play worldwide). The DVD player comes up with an error stating that I'm trying to play an out of region DVD and will not play the disc. The disc works fine in my computer and I have other Region 0 discs that this Sony machine plays just fine. Who do I contact, the DVD seller or Sony?
posted by sharksandwich to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Sony. Not because we know it's their fault, but because only Sony has much of a chance of fixing it right now. At most, the DVD seller can let you return it for a refund or exchange, which isn't what you want. Before talking to Sony, though, I think you should verify whether it is or isn't region zero. Do you have a DVD drive in your computer, or know someone who does? What region does the computer say it is?
posted by tyllwin at 11:57 AM on December 1, 2005

Is the error message that comes up in the style of the DVD player's menus, or does it look like it's coming from the DVD?
posted by cillit bang at 12:03 PM on December 1, 2005

Response by poster: It says right on the package that it is Region 0 (region free). How do I check the actual disc using my mac? It plays fine on the onboard DVD player.
posted by sharksandwich at 12:04 PM on December 1, 2005

Response by poster: The error message is coming from the DVD player itself.
posted by sharksandwich at 12:05 PM on December 1, 2005

A stock Mac DVD optical drive would not play a non-Region 0/1 disc or would present a dialog box, if the DVD player firmware had been set to Region 1. (Unless one has applied a cracked firmware.)

Therefore, by process of elimination, the disc is either a Region 0/1 disc, and therefore your disc player would seem to be the source of the problem.
posted by Rothko at 12:18 PM on December 1, 2005

Response by poster: I just tried playing it on my brother's different DVD player it it also comes up with a Region error. I'm beginning to suspect that it is not a Region 0 Disc...
posted by sharksandwich at 12:18 PM on December 1, 2005

A workaround is to rip it to the hard drive and burn a copy with a different region setting.
posted by smackfu at 12:51 PM on December 1, 2005

Is it possible that the disc is PAL or NTSC and not supported by the player? I think my Sony DVD player gives a "Not supported by this region" error when I have tried to play region-free PAL discs...
posted by curse at 1:05 PM on December 1, 2005

Best answer: The Alfa Matrix site (which appears to be the official distributor) has it marked as Region 0 PAL.

That's probably the trouble.
posted by Remy at 1:18 PM on December 1, 2005

You could try the region-unlock code for your player found on this site. A similar code unlocked my dvd player, so its worth a shot. If that doesnt work I'd say your best option would be to rip it to a computer and re-burn it in your region
posted by harrigton at 1:55 PM on December 1, 2005

One, you call the seller. Two, you ship it back. Three, you get a refund. Or four, you buy a cheap DVD player that plays everything, all region and does PAL to NTSC conversion. (Check videohelp to find one that fits your needs).

(Sorry, couldn't resist)
posted by kuperman at 1:57 PM on December 1, 2005