How do you convert DVDs from European format to US format?

[yoshi]

I really need to find a way (that is inexpensive) to run DVD information from European DVDs as US DVDs (or some other format--but DVD would be preferable).

I've been told that there might be software that can do this. Not sure how this would work.

In short: I have Euro DVDs and I want to play them in the US. What do I do? (Using a European DVD player is not an option.)

[Jeratain]

http://www.doom9.org/

[yoshi]

Thanks very much for the link.

Damn that's a complicated process. *ucking CCA.

(It's unbelievable that they got away with region codes, meanwhile you can get sued by a company on the other side of the planet for saying anything that would make their branch operatins in your country look bad--it would breach certain 'free trade' contracts.)

[Zwelgje]

Most DVD players can be made region independent. A series of buttons must be pushed on the remote and you can play all DVDs.

[hbdragon88]

Why not just boy a "region-less" DVD player, so you can watch movies from all countries?

Regions are really sucky...I heard that for the BTTF DVD collection, the R1 DVDs had a lot more features (commentaries and deleted scenes) than the European ones, or something like that.

[yoshi]

@Zwelgje: You can clear region code just by pressing a series of buttons? No region-free software or messing with BIOS required? Sounds too easy.

@hbdragon88: See the thing is, it's not really for my personal entertainment but to use in an academic capacity; I can get European documentaries on DVD that, unlike enterainment-based European material, are not available in North America (i.e. they are not sold here because it just wouldn't be profitable).
So, I could do as you say and get myself a region-less DVD player and use that in-class, but I don't like the idea of using the originals or running the risk of the machine frying for some reason, thus leaving me with no way of playing the European DVDs--this is material for an entire course so that's a situation I really would like to avoid.

My problem is really with the European DVDs, not the North American DVD players.

The site Jeratain linked provides means of making you DVD player region-free (using DVD Genie for instance). [The site may include DVD software tools but I haven't had time to look through the entire site.]


Ideally, what I need is this:

1. A means of copying data from European DVDs using a North American DVD burner. (I assume that since it can't read the data, it can't copy it to your hard-drive either.)

2. A means of removing the region protection from the copy so that it can play on any DVD player (i.e. remove/change the protection data of the DVD software).