Following on from the EP35 region free mod, those clever guys have worked out a way of making the EP30 region free for DVD also (remember that HD DVD was always region free, this is for DVD playback only).
It’s a lot more complex than the EP35 mod unfortunately and a “dirty hack” as they put it. Be warned, you could brick your player, so only proceed if you feel happy with a dirty hack and the risks involved. Hopefully an easier mod will pop up later.
This wonderful device for budget HD movie watching, whilst was always region free for HD DVD discs, can now be made region free for SD DVDs with some modified firmware. This means upscaling of your DVD collection to 1080p regardless of DVD region.
Many thanks to those involved in getting the mod working.
To get this to work you need to apply some firmware that has the region free mod in it. The firmware currently available is version 1.3, which is older than latest firmwares available. However once the mod is applied, you can safely update to new official firmware releases without losing the region free status.
Also, if you have more recent firmware (up to 4.0 at least), you can roll back to the modified 1.3 and then re-apply firmware updates.
Note that RCE encoded discs require an extra handset hack as follows:
RCE HACK.
1) Turn on player
2) Open tray, put disc in tray but don´t close
3) Push T.search on remote
4) Push 1, 3, 9 and “Region number” (e.g. 1 for US discs)
5) Push T. search on remote.
You will see TEST on your player
6) Press PLAY on the remote
When player is turned off, this setting is cleared.
Channel 4 recreates Kubrick’s The Shining… or at least has produced a short promotional piece using look-a-like actors and crew in 70s dress, with a one-shot walk through around the sets of The Shining from Stanley’s point of view.
This piece serves to promote More 4’s Kubrick season starting on 15th of July, and will be shown in the next few weeks across Channel 4 and More 4 in the UK.
I’m much neglecting this site, and also neglecting the very film I campaigned to see!
Anyway (as I’ve posted over in the HTF): having finally gotten around to watching the Donner cut (after I was begging for it so long!), though have to say I did hold out to get it in HD…
A huge massive big thank you to all involved in making this happen!
Wow.
Not sure how to feel about it really. I love it, but it’s certainly quite a different film. It’s going to take a little getting used to.
What stuns me is just how much footage there was, and how much had been reshot by “the other guy”. It’s quite weird in places as it’s a case of watching the film you know but something is just different, and of course it’s because the same scene but shot by someone else.
The test footage and bits of CGI don’t bother me at all. They work pretty well. Much of the new footage is fantastic. Some a little rough around the edges, where perhaps at the time would have been polished off had it made it into the theatrical release. Some perfect though. Everything with Brando is excellent.
A sense that things are missing of course because of knowing the other version so well, but nothing really major sticks out. The ending I’m not so sure, but then I never really bought it in Superman either. It looks great though regardless.
Not content with killing off retailers because they are a threat to Sony’s market protection business model (Google: Lik-Sang and Sony), or putting rootkit viruses on CDs to infect consumer computers just to stop people copying their CDs, Sony are at it again with DVDs by producing a disc that won’t play in some players… including their own brand players!!!
Trawling around for all things Kubrick on the now trendy video web (of YouTube and similar fame) here are a few things of interest I’ve dug up.
The first is another Lego classic. There are many Lego spoofs about and I was looking for one I saw a while a go but found this instead (sorry for any adverts that may occur)
and along the way I came across this clip of Kubrick accepting a DWG award during the making of Eyes Wide Shut before his death…
And finally this news article about an 80s audition video for Full Metal Jacket that’s been doing the rounds on the web and the subsequent tracking down of the guy who made it.
