For a while I've been kinda interested in importing a few US/region A blu-rays (I am in UK/region B). I generally watch my blu rays on my pc using powerdvd, which means I would be able to watch the region A disc(s), and because a lot of my blu ray collection is region free, I'd only have to switch back when I want to play my region B only discs, but I can only switch region 5 times, according to powerdvd.
I've done some research on the matter, and I've found conflicting information. The two main pieces of info are as follows:
- The region is part of the Blu-ray drive's firmware, and so any attempts to circumvent the switch limit is pointless unless custom firmware is installed.
- The region is completely based in the player/software that reads the disc, so theoretically the drive could switch regions an infinite amount of times, if the software can be tricked into resetting the switch limit.
Im not sure what one is true. I don't want to run the risk of potentially locking my drive down (I know I'm kinda paranoid), but I don't want to just give up and potentially not be able to enjoy some blu rays not available in my region. Any info is much appreciated.
word counter VidMate Mobdro
Note: I am aware that ripping completely ignores region and I do rip most of my blu rays, but sometimes I like to watch them off the disc, as I compress my rips to save space.