To be respected, DVD zoning must respect its users

**aicul** · January 31st, 2005, 02:18 AM

Just wanted to express my grief, like others on this issue. But not on the zoning issue, but its implementation.

Here are some curious effects of DVD zoning.

If you insert a "multi-zone" DVD in a new Mac, iDVD will not read it until you set a zone. This wastefully uses up 1 of the 5 allowed zone changes.

If you reach zone change 5 and try to read a different zone DVD, our DVD suddenly decided that it would go on partial strike.

Let me explain, that. It refuses the different zone - I can accept that. Afterwards, when I put a DVD of the correct zone the DVD half-works. It works for 6 minute intervals only - then freezes. I see no reason why inserting a DVD of the wrong zone in the player should compromise playback of DVD of the last zone setting.

Now if I clear the PRAM, reset most of the OSX settings, caches, prefs and pray,... the DVD will return to normal life. Hence attempting to enter a 6th zone change messes up the DVD player.

Honestly, I believe the DVD zoning could be implemented better.

**lurk** · January 31st, 2005, 08:37 AM

Where by better you mean not at all, right? :-)

**aicul** · January 31st, 2005, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by lurk

Where by better you mean not at all, right? :-)

No!No! No! I'm not getting into that discussion.

My point is...

Why should iDVD count the playback of a zone free DVD as 1-change on a new Mac? Reading a zone free DVD does not count a 1 zone change.

Why should the DVD player go nuts if you insert a DVD of a new zone and the 5 changes are used up. All it has to say is "Sorry, No Go". Attempting to change zones beyond change 5 should not mess up the DVD player.

Now these two examples are Start and End scenarios. I don't really think Apple considered them when implementeing zoning on the DVD players.

As per the zone limitation, lets be honest a quick search on google will yield the required firmware crack the DVD player to RPC1. But I don't have that, thats why I reached zone 5. If this annoys me, what really gets me

is that for a week my DVD player was miss-behaving for some mess-up iDVD made when it told me that a sixth zone change was not possible.

**lurk** · January 31st, 2005, 03:57 PM

Well I would argue for not at all. But I am bitter for having to have duplicate AV hardware just because of this silly system. One of the problems of marrying outside of my continent I guess :-)

**btoneill** · January 31st, 2005, 08:14 PM

The entire letting you change zones 5 times is a nice thing put in place for people who up and physically move their computers to different zones. It is _not_ so you can watch zone's that you're not entitled to. Next time pick a legal issue to complain about, not complaining about how Apple is simply enforcing copyright laws they are bound to comply to.

Brian

**aicul** · February 1st, 2005, 01:56 AM

Originally Posted by btoneill

Next time pick a legal issue to complain about, not complaining about how Apple is simply enforcing copyright laws they are bound to comply to.

Heres a legal issue.

Facts:
a) Loading a zone free DVD on a brand new Mac will generate a zone change.

b) Thereafter, loading a zone free DVD does not generate a zone change.

My legal point is that if behaviour (b) is correct, then (a) is incorrect. Or the opposite. But both cannot be correct at the same time.

I stand for (b) as being correct as a zone free DVD does not need a zone setting. Hence, I lost 1 zone change when iDVD forced a zone change when I inserted a zone free DVD.

Whatever the copyright laws may be, if the editor of the zone free DVD decided they did not want zoning on their DVD, so Apple should respect this - even on a brand new Mac.

Do you still believe I'm complaining about copyright laws?