DVD Region Unlock Script

[denmoff]

Is anyone using a script to unlock the DVD region so that a non-admin that opens the DVD player app for the first time can set the region? This script is no longer supported with Mavericks.

[charles_hitch · Accepted solution]

This should allow the user to set it the first time.

#!/bin/sh
security authorizationdb read system.device.dvd.setregion.initial > /tmp/system.device.dvd.setregion.initial.plist
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set class allow" /tmp/system.device.dvd.setregion.initial.plist
security authorizationdb write system.device.dvd.setregion.initial < /tmp/system.device.dvd.setregion.initial.plist

[charles_hitch]

@rtrouton has a great blog post on how to work with authorizations in Mavericks http://derflounder.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/managing-the-authorization-database-in-os-x-mavericks/

[denmoff]

Great! Thanks. I've seen his post. Just wasn't sure exactly how it worked with the DVD region code. I'll give it a shot.
UPDATE: That worked!! Thanks again.

[bwiessner]

Thank you! This is awesome!

[rcorbin]

As far as I can tell this one seems to work with 10.10. Is there any change for 10.10 ? Anyone tested this ?

[ejep520]

This is no longer producing the desired result, in 10.10.4.

Here is the 10.10 plist for system.device.dvd.setregion.initial

Erik

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>allow-root</key>
    <false/>
    <key>authenticate-user</key>
    <true/>
    <key>class</key>
    <string>user</string>
    <key>comment</key>
    <string>Used by the DVD player to set the region code the first time.  Note that changing the region code after it has been set requires a different right (system.device.dvd.setregion.change).</string>
    <key>created</key>
    <real>415233754.50270402</real>
    <key>group</key>
    <string>admin</string>
    <key>modified</key>
    <real>415233754.50270402</real>
    <key>session-owner</key>
    <false/>
    <key>shared</key>
    <true/>
    <key>timeout</key>
    <integer>2147483647</integer>
    <key>tries</key>
    <integer>10000</integer>
    <key>version</key>
    <integer>0</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

[GabeShack]

Any update to this on 10.10/10.11?

Gabe Shackney
Princeton Public Schools

[Chris_Hafner]

Having fought this issue a LONG time ago there is one super important caveat you should know. You can only change an internal DVDs region 5 times before it locks itself to the last region. Perhaps this can be sorted out but...

Our solution, use VLC! It will play DVDs from any region without caring in the slightest!

[rcorbin]

After Mavericks came out we had to switch to a different script. As far as I know this one is still working on Mavericks and up. Looking through this thread it looks like the same one that @charles.hitch has posted.

!/bin/sh

security authorizationdb read system.device.dvd.setregion.initial > /tmp/system.device.dvd.setregion.initial.plist
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set class allow" /tmp/system.device.dvd.setregion.initial.plist
security authorizationdb write system.device.dvd.setregion.initial < /tmp/system.device.dvd.setregion.initial.plist

[apizz]

I agree with @Chris_Hafner. We have projectors in all our classrooms and Apple's DVD Player treats copyright very strictly, so if you try and project a DVD from DVD Player with a second monitor all you see in the window is a grey box and no video content.

VLC is the way to go, in my opinion. If you are thinking of switching to VLC, I setup a policy to run on all our managed machines once per user per computer and use a script I made to change the default DVD video application to VLC, which took some doing. Script is below.

#!/bin/bash
osascript -e ' tell application "System Events" 
    tell CD and DVD preferences
    set properties of video DVD to {custom application:"/Applications/VLC.app", insertion action:open application}
    end tell
end tell'
exit 0

[Nix4Life]

Gotta agree with @Chris_Hafner .

sooner or later the 5 will get used. We ended up going with 5KPlayer. Region Free, one point for all media, does airplay and it's free. Really helped our foreign language dept.

[Chris_Hafner]

@LSinNY I'm deeply in love with VLC but I've not run across 5KPlayer yet. While it looks super neat, it also looks like something I couldn't put out in an edu environment.

@aporlebeke Yea, Apple is a little over the top on video/iTunes content after having spearheaded the DRM free music shift.