Just when I think I might want to see this movie

[alabaster]

I find out I can't.

Damned region 1.

[Gnorn]

If, when, it is released I'm gonna order it anyhoo. There must be ways to convert to region 2. I've got friends who are very handy with puters and stuff, maybe it is possible to rip the DVD and burn it as region 2 ?

-Gnorn

[FALLINGSTAR]

alabaster said:

I find out I can't.

Damned region 1.

You could always get a multi region player. Try Asda they've got some great bargains with dvd players and I'm sure I've seen multi region players in there.

I managed to get a dvd recorder for £85 recently so have a look around.

Mind you there's still the question of if we even see it or if it will be worth watching in the first place.

[maniacs]

Amazon are doing one for twenty five pounds! Honestly!!!

[Killraven]

Or you could try out Richer Sounds...they do a nice line in big brand names out of the box (most of the supermarket brands are Chinese made and usually more cheap-and-nasty rather than cheap-and cheerful :.

I'm expecting my Richer-sourced Toshiba will be able to take this film (and the Asylum version, of course! ) in it's stride.

KR

[timeship2]

All this region encoding annoys me. Today they throw words such as globalisation around and talk of a global market, but its only a global market for the sellers not the buyers. I can understand a global release where they want to control its release in stages, but where you get get movie that is only encoded for one market it effectively cuts off those outside that market who would be quite willing to pay even a premium to obtain it. Also I should be able to buy a movie here and send it to my family or a friend in the UK without them having to be concerned whether their play can play it or not.

Of course in the past there was a legitmate reason for the incompatibility for VHS in that the USA was NTSC and the UK is PAL.

These days you can purchase a region free player but you shouldn't have to and often these are not mainstream devices which you might have as the centerpiece of a home theatre system. The fact that you can obtain region free players makes a mockery of the encoding even if they are not technically 'allowed'. You can see this pressure from the industry on some of the players that used to be hackable which are now not. The Apex brand here in the USA being a good example. These were often easily hackable to play region free, but some of the later models aren't. My APEX model is unable to be hacked via software methods for instance.

It seems with modern technology they are using it to create *more* restrictions on buyers. I can fully understand copy protection to stop piracy, but region ecoding to stop legitimate buyers from purchasing outside their market is absurd. They don't do with CDs so why movies? Of course I am quite sure its crossed their minds at some point to do it with CD's.

[Gnorn]

No they haven't. But now that you mention it, Timeship... :-)

-Gnorn

[alabaster]

It's largely because the law still follows agreements signed decades ago. The international rights to distribute a War of the Worlds title belong to Paramount and Paramount alone, as per an agreement signed by HG Wells's son in 1951, before video, before the web, before anything. Nowadays, with the internet pretty much making redundant the original purpose for staggered international release dates (because people now find out about films online before they've even finished production, rather than by word of mouth after their reception in the States), there is no need for such legal agreements. X-Men and Star Wars III have both shown that rapid international release dates make money. But the old contracts still exist, and must be honoured, thus the deliberate hobbling of DVDs to protect copyright.

[krys666]

Ooh! I think I might have multi-region! And what about PS2?



But then I can't bloody order it from over the pond!

[P0tn00dle]

Hi there, to unlock you home dvd player then try one of the many websites offering free unlocking code (never pay for this as its free info at some sites), try this one if you cant find one www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/forums/default.asp?Forum=176 also if you want to unlock your pc dvd player then just download one of the multi region decoder patches, once again there free , if you have any problems finding what you need then please feel free to get in touch with me via pm through this site with the make and model of your player and ill try to find a the code you need.

[astax]

If you cant unlock your dvd player you can always rip it using DVD Decrypter, this makes it region 0 (playable on anything), then reburn it to a disc using instant copy or something like that.

[Lensman]

alabaster said:

But the old contracts still exist, and must be honoured, thus the deliberate hobbling of DVDs to protect copyright.

But that's just it-- the region encoding is *not* to protect copyright, it's to protect marketing. Supposedly the reason is that studios can only afford to make up a limited number of film prints, and those have to complete their run in one area of the world before being sent on to the next. I can understand why companies want to protect their "bottom line" but this is not a legitimate reason for laws. It has nothing to do with copyright or artistic integrity-- it's protectionism, pure and simple.

And I continue to be baffled that so many on this forum write as though there's no difference between NTSC and PAL standards on encoding DVDs. Your player may be able to play either type, but your TV can only display one or the other, so unless you've got special circuitry inside your DVD player (like I do-- I'm in the U.S. but want to be able to play PAL discs) you're not gonna be able watch a Region 1 DVD in Europe.

Of course, if you're watching movies on your computer (shudder!) then you won't have that problem-- computers handle DVDs differently.

[P0tn00dle]

Your tv will play different encoding of DVDs providing it han handle the refresh rate, either PAL or NTSC is only the playback of the picture. If your VCR, DVD or whatever you play your viewing through, is capable of playing the format , the television (providing it can handle the correct refresh rate in hrz) will show the picture to go along with it. I dont have any expensive new tv or dvd player and i had to use an unlock code to unlock the region in the dvd player to multi-region and all my NTSC movies play fine.
here once again is a web address to go to for questions and answers to problems in multi region changes to your player www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/umdvdfaq/default.asp?Category135
this should clear things up and help those with problems.

[theredweed]

I used this website and mine is now multi region

www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks

[twilite]

I think the main thing people seem to be ignoring here is that there are not 1, not 2, but 3 versions of the same story coming out quite close together! Tim Hines has already said that there's been some mud throwing from Paramount... follows really! All any self respecting War of the Worlds fan has wanted to see is a faithful adaptation of the book... not some "updated" American version where America saves the day and America suffers the slings and arrows (or heat rays and black smoke) We had independence day and it was enjoyable. why remake ID4? you should be awaiting the pendragon version and putting your money toward getting that film released!!! or do you like the idea of Team America coming again to save the m*f*in day!!!!! Don't judge a book by it's cover!!! this could be the film we all really want to see...

[P0tn00dle]

.........and in the same breath it could be a load of cheap budget nonsense, the simple fact remains that untill all films are seen there is no point in making assumptions. If tim hines pulls his finger out and starts to give out info about this film and treat the WOTW fans that would make or break this movie with a bit more respect then he would get the respect back, and he hasent as yet so he wont

[uuulllaaa]

What anoys me is that myself and many others have pre ordered the dvd for june 14th and pendragon cant even be bothered to confirm or tell us different as to whether we will be getting this around that time.Pendragon do the decent thing to prevent other people wasting there time and money expecting the dvd to pop through there door in a few weeks time.Or just confirm we will.

[alabaster]

Hey! What's with all the Pendragon hate? Last time I was here I couldn't say a word against them without getting into an argument. I've finally come round to the idea that it just might be a decent bit of film and now everyone seems to have switched sides. Am I just instinctively contrarian or what?

[EvilNerfherder]

Most of us have pretty much put this movie out of our minds until we get something solid on it, not for any other reason. I hate to say it (because I am all in favour of this film) but Tim Hines, to many fans, is the boy who cried wolf as it stands.
We at this site, as probably the biggest concentration of WotW fans on the web, have given him ample chances to keep us in the loop and make use of the goodwill (and let's face it.. free publicity) we could offer, but we have heard nothing. So what are we supposed to think? There really is no point in going on and on about it, either the guy puts up or shuts up. He's evidently decided to shut up.
Whilst I still want to see this film happen, I will believe it only when I see it for myself.
And nothing could persuade me to pre order this. Only when I've had proof it's on the shelves somewhere will I part with my cash.
Twilite, it's odd you should talk about judging a book by it's cover when, in your post, you do exactly that about the Paramount flick. It's pretty obvious to those who have followed the developments on that film that it will be far from a remake of ID4.. Or the '53 movie for that matter. It's surprising alot of people who were initially against the whole idea.
We'll give Tim Hines all the support he could wish for when decides he wants to level with us as to what the hell is going on. Until then, there's little else to say about it.