Help with Playing DVDs on a MacBook?

[Alvin]

Ok, so my girlfriend got a new MacBook last night and I was all jealous

But this afternoon, I talked to her over the phone (she's in Tokyo, I'm in Singapore, she's an air stewardess) and was very distressed because her VLC player wouldn't play her DVD.

From what I can gather VLC opens up and then asks her for the source file.

After doing some reading on 'playing DVDs on MacBooks' via Google, I learnt about the dreaded Matsushita drives region code locks.

Not being able to verify the exact problem until she returns, I'd like to start off asking though;

1) is there any workaround to this problem of playing only specific region DVDs (doesn't seem to be through my Google searches )

2) Any ideas on the VLC problem?

Heeeelp!

P.S. My girlfriend's not very tech-saavy, so I'd like to ask for easy solutions if any. Thank you

[mrpinto]

The DVD player included on the Mac (just called DVD Player, I think) should be able to change its region at least once. So if your girlfriend is reasonably likely to continue getting DVDs from this given region, she might be able to configure the built-in player to play them.

Alternatively, there is a program called MacTheRipper that I believe can remove region encoding by loading the DVD data onto the hard drive, from where it can then be played. In the US, this sort of thing probably runs afoul of the DMCA since it involves circumventing a copyright protection scheme. It is entirely possible that it's completely legal in Tokyo or Singapore. US law tends to be somewhat draconian in the area of restricting fair use as compared to other nations.

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by mrpinto

The DVD player included on the Mac (just called DVD Player, I think) should be able to change its region at least once. So if your girlfriend is reasonably likely to continue getting DVDs from this given region, she might be able to configure the built-in player to play them.

Alternatively, there is a program called MacTheRipper that I believe can remove region encoding by loading the DVD data onto the hard drive, from where it can then be played. In the US, this sort of thing probably runs afoul of the DMCA since it involves circumventing a copyright protection scheme. It is entirely possible that it's completely legal in Tokyo or Singapore. US law tends to be somewhat draconian in the area of restricting fair use as compared to other nations.

Thanks Mr Pinto! She solved the problem after setting the region code. I don't think it's legal in Singapore, but I think this locking of the DVD drive is pretty draconian in itself