About This Video
A quick no frills guide to updating your MacBook's DVD player for region-free use. The Google search term used to locate the rpc1.org forum thread is "Matshita and Apple RPC1 firmware: a summary".
WARNING: Be aware that these changes ARE NOT covered under warranty, so use the software at your own risk. Also, if your DVD player is not listed on the firmware page, then unfortunately you're out of luck.
Leopard (10.5.xx) users: The firmware upgrade will not work under Leopard directly, but a workaround has been found by Viddler user wimmulder so feel free to consult his advice & instructions in the comment he left (I have not personally tried wimmulder's method; I got lucky and used the hack while I still had Tiger installed).
*If any of this seems too risky, save yourself the time and money and just go out and buy a region free DVD player - they're cheap. :)
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since76 (0:54)
1 year ago 0 + -The search term is "Matshita and Apple RPC1 firmware: a summary" just in case you missed it. :-)
appleSteph (0:54)
1 year ago 0 + -hi. i followed your instructions but could not find my firmware revision. my macbook is a matshita dvd-r UJ-857D with the firmware revision of KBV9. the closest i could find was KBVB and KCVB. can u tell me if ither of those are equivalent or just no match to mine. plus i still have one more region change on my dvd player but eachtime i try the disc with a different region it gives me an "error 70001" do you know what this means and how i can fix it. thanks.
since76 (0:54)
1 year ago 0 + -Hey appleSteph, did you get the email I sent you? Hope you were able to figure out the issues you encountered.
chris
1 year ago 0 + -Dude, excellent find!
since76
1 year ago 0 + -I feared this would be an issue. I have my copy of Leopard and am just waiting for some time before I upgrade, but I think I might run into this same issue. BTW, which DVD drive do you have in your ibook?
since76 (0:01)
1 year ago 0 + -PLEASE READ all the warnings given in the description before you try this!
since76 (0:40)
1 year ago 0 + -Be aware that your specific DVD model may not have a hacked firmware for Region Free use.
since76 (1:13)
1 year ago 0 + -If your DVD player isn't listed, then there's a good chance that you're out of luck.
since76 (4:37)
1 year ago 0 + -This hack will not work if you already have Leopard installed. Your firmware must be upgraded in Tiger before you upgrade to Leopard - please see details in description on video page.
jimmerz59
10 months ago 0 + -Since76,
I have a MacBook that I bought back in June.
Here is my drive:
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N:
And the the Firmware Revision: BP10
How should I proceed from here? Is that just like your demo or not?
Thanks,
- J.
jamesmeeboy@gmail.com
since76
10 months ago 0 + -You actually have an LG drive, and not a Matshita drive so the unfortunately the process is not the same and looks like it may actually be more difficult. Some owners seem to have unlocked their drive using a Dell firmware but it's going to require that you use a virtual machine or bootcamp - here's more info: http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=42725
Good luck. :)
noexit1280
8 months ago 0 + -I have a MacBook pro with the following LG drive:
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GWA4080MA
Firmware Revision: AE39
Do you know any more about these drives and how to make them region free?
Thanks,
Douglass
since76
8 months ago 0 + -@noexit1280 - Unfortunately, I wouldn't have any additional info on your drive other than what you will find on Google. Good luck on figuring it all out! :)
jjjapan
9 months ago 0 + -This was awesome... and so easy to follow... however, it seems I also have an LG drive, not matshita... I'm screwed?
on the cached files page that you send us to, there is a link to http://www.powerbook-fr.com/dossiers/dvd_region_free_en_article30.html
I thought i could use this to still follow your instructions, but two problems... 1. This link gives GWA-4080MA, firmware AE38,AE39... and GWA-4080MB, firmware BE38,BE39... and my computer is actually 4080 MA, but B39... which seems impossible based on this list...
2. it downloads as an .exe file...
Which i guess is why you said I would need bootcamp...
In the time since your last comment have you learned anything that could help me out (easier than installing bootcamp?
Your video was so knowledgeable and straightforward I'm mailing even with the comment that indicates you can't help... just hoping... sorry if its a hassle.
john
since76
9 months ago 0 + -Hey John, unfortunately I haven't come across anything new since the video, and believe me that I just happened to get lucky with my install since I found the instructions prior to installing Leopard and my DVD drive had a region free firmware available. Be sure to let us know if you have any breakthroughs and find a solution for your particular drive.
Lin3894
8 months ago 0 + -Hello, thank you for posting this! I have problem, though, was wondering if you could help me. I downloaded all three programs (my drive is: MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-857D, revision KCVB). When I try to run the region-free firmware update, a message pops up: "SuperDrive Update 2.1 quit unexpectedly". Needless to say, the firmware update does not run.
What does this mean, and can I get around this?
- Lin
since76
8 months ago 0 + -Sorry Lin but my knowledge of anything hardware or firmware related on an Apple is extremely limited. Good luck finding a fix and be sure to ask around on the RPC1.org forums.
wimmulder
7 months ago 0 + -For everyone trying this on Mac OS 10.5.*, there is a way to get this to work. I personally tried it and it worked out perfectly. What you have to do is fool the system into thinking the OS version is 10.4.9. This is how you do it:
Find the file SystemVersion.plist in Volume \ System \ Library \ CoreServices
Open up this file in a text editor (I used my HTML editor, Coda) and change the ProductUserVisibleVersion string and the ProductVersion string to 10.4.9.
Run the firmware again and it will be working like demonstrated in the video. After you come back in OS X after the restart and run the programs to test if your player is region free change your SystemVersion.plist file back to the version of OS X you were running and restart your computer.
This step is necessary because the DVD Player software in Leopard only works for Leopard and not Tiger.
Hope this helps!
since76
7 months ago 0 + -Hey wimmulder, that's great news you have there! I'll update the info in the description to reflect your findings! ;)
jemmysham
7 months ago 0 + -Hi thanks for video however my dvd burner isnt as same as yours, here is my dvd burner:
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N
pls write me back when u r free.
since76
7 months ago 0 + -@jemmysham, did you search for your model on the rpc1.org forum thread that I talk about in the video?
since76
7 months ago 0 + -Actually, you might want to take a look at the following link:
http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=42725
Your specific drive appears to be quite difficult to hack.
jemmysham
7 months ago 0 + -i think there is no option for my dvd burner atm :(
since76
7 months ago 0 + -That's a total bummer. I know some people mentioned using a virtual machine running Windows to get it to work but I really don't know what the process entails - I would recommend that you check back on the board to see if anyone has figured it out as I'm pretty sure other owners with the same drive are looking for a solution.
ikonova
6 months ago 0 + -great tutorial thanks so much it's taken me ages to get around to doing this but it's worked a dream. i will just say that if anyone has a player like mine (MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-845E on an ibook) maybe be prepared to hear some unusual sounds when you insert a DVD, could be true for other versions too, and if there are any problems try the good old restart (initially toast titanium couldn't locate my drive at all but now it's fine).
Thanks again!
goolooinb...
3 months ago 0 + -G'day I have a dvd drive on the list and I downloaded the appropriate files but when I click on the region free icon I get a box saying the Super drive Update 2.1 quit and I have to close the box and nothing happens?
So what do you reckon mate?
since76
3 months ago 0 + -Unfortunately, your guess is as good as mine. :( If you check out Google, you'll see that many individuals have had the same problem and it doesn't appear like anyone has a concrete solution to the problem. I would recommend checking out some of the threads as a few individuals have been successful.