Region-Free DVD playback under Mac OS X came up when my friend Dave asked about watching a region 2 DVD of One Leg Kicking, a movie he filmed. Current software/firmware limits computer DVD players to five (5) region switches before the change is set as permanent.

DVD Region Codes are xenophobic, archaic and a nuisance, this information should be made widely available.

I haven’t had a chance to try these out yet, so I’m not sure if any of them work.

• Mac DVD Resource
• DVDRegion 1.5 a region modification tool available on VersionTracker.
• Region Free DVD Conversion

Another possibility might be the open source DVD player VLC, although it probably can’t do anything about region-based hardware lockouts.

I don’t think it’s illegal (under US Code Title 17, Chapter 12 §1201(k)(4)(D) — third paragraph from the bottom) for me to talk about this, although it might be illegal for a “non-professional” to use the linked applications. Whatever non-professional means. It amazes me a law like the DMCA was ever passed.