# Uh-oh. Did I mess up just now? (DVD regions) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312 "2003-05-20T06:54:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/1 "2003-05-20T06:54:50Z")
A few months ago, I saw a movie called “Take Care of my Cat” in the theater. Now I want to get it on DVD. I can’t find any news of it being released in the U.S., so I figured I’d have to buy the DVD from Korea. This is not a very well-known movie, not even in its native country, so I can’t just buy it in the Korean store. My only option is ordering it online. Which I just did. EXCEPT that on the site ([www.yesasia.com](http://www.yesasia.com)), it says that it’s a region 3. On the other hand, several OTHER sites claim that this region 3 is actually an all-region. Can I hold out hope of this thing working on my DVD player? My PS2? Maybe my laptop? Should I just cancel my order as soon as possible? ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/2 "2003-05-20T07:09:32Z")
Get an all-region player. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/3 "2003-05-20T07:13:56Z")
Do a google search for deregionlocking for your DVD player. Chances are, like mine, your player is easily converted to an al region player just by hitting a combination of buttons on the remote. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/4 "2003-05-20T07:19:30Z")
My main DVD player is my PS2. Anything that can be done about that? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/5 "2003-05-20T07:56:44Z")
[VCD Help](http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdhacks) seems to say the only way to do this for your PS2 is to purchase device modifying items. There are many ways to hack your laptop’s DVD player. You just have to look for them. Region 3 is SE Asia, Eash Asia including Hong Kong. They may mark it 3 but they may not have made it 3. Try and play it. If you do decide to buy a DVD player look it up at the site I linked to first. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/6 "2003-05-20T15:14:53Z")
You’re probably out of luck with your PS2 and standalone player. the PS2 would require a mod-chip and the standalone player probably would require a hardware mod, as well, depending on the make & model. Your laptop drive is probably easily patched with a firmware update to make it region-selectable. The link above to VCD Help is a great starting point. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/7 "2003-05-20T20:23:58Z")
Thanks everyone! I guess I’ll just wait until the postman brings it by, and worry about it then. Worst case scenario, I’ll have to sell it off on ebay or something. I’d be bummed if I never got to see this movie again, though. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/8 "2003-05-20T21:21:49Z")
You might try to watch it at a local University Library. If they also have a problem just take their make and model to VCD Help and see if there’s a code to change the region. Just be kind enough to change it back when you’re done. Or maybe one of your friends has a DVD player that can handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-did-i-mess-up-just-now-dvd-regions/176312/9 "2003-05-20T21:35:08Z")
If you have a CD burner and some free time, you could rip the DVD on your laptop and convert it to a VCD, which won’t play in your PS2 but might work in your DVD player. If you have access to a DVD burner, you can make a region-free copy of the disc. Otherwise, you might want to pick up a cheap DVD player (Norcent, Sampo, Citizen, Apex) that can be region hacked with the remote.