Unlockable Region-Locked Blu-rays

[Cortiz]

Does anyone knows if the French Grudge 2 is unlockable with a Panasonic player using the top menu trick?

[Cortiz]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

Does anyone knows if the French Grudge 2 is unlockable with a Panasonic player using the top menu trick?

Anyone?

[chetripley80]

Has anyone with a Panasonic player tried the 2016 Studio Canal release of Kurosawa's Ran (with the 4k remaster)?

I'm growing impatient with waiting for a Region A release, and don't want to have to resort to purchasing the 2010 release.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by chetripley80

Has anyone with a Panasonic player tried the 2016 Studio Canal release of Kurosawa's Ran (with the 4k remaster)?

I'm growing impatient with waiting for a Region A release, and don't want to have to resort to purchasing the 2010 release.

I tested it on my Panasonic DMP-BD80...the trick does in fact work for the ‘16 “Ran”.

[Dailyan]

I went through my region b locked titles that will and won't work with "top menu"...tested on Panasonic DMP-DB80, YMMV on other Panasonic players or brands.

Works:

[Show spoiler]
Notes:
All extras should play fine unless specifically noted.
Cross of Iron: Menu will default to German. Extras will not work due to PAL SD.
The Deer Hunter: Bonus disc boots as well.
Ice Cold in Alex: Sylvia Sims interview and John Mills home footage won't play due to PAL SD. Trailer and gallery play fine.
My Darling Clementine: Second disc works as well.
Outlaw Star: All four discs work.
Pickup on South Street: Disc will “Stop” but press “Play”, “Stop”, and then “Top Menu”
Ran: Bonus disc will not load…menu might be locked at PAL.
They Live: Bonus disc boots as well.

Won't work:

[Show spoiler]
Notes:
The Dam Busters: Menu will play on an endless loop with no options selectable.
The Driver: Disc will not "read".
Dunkirk (Vintage Classics): Menu will play on an endless loop with no options selectable.
The Man in the White Suit: Will be stuck on “Stop”, no region lock warning.
The Titfield Thunderbolt: Menu locked in PAL SD

[surfinhank]

I just tried the top menu trick on my Sony player (which seems to be more strict than the Panasonic) with the new UK Studio Canal release of "They Live" and it worked. I'm still waiting on the other Carpenter films to arrive, but it's a good bet they'll be the same.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by surfinhank

I just tried the top menu trick on my Sony player (which seems to be more strict than the Panasonic) with the new UK Studio Canal release of "They Live" and it worked. I'm still waiting on the other Carpenter films to arrive, but it's a good bet they'll be the same.

Did the bonus disc work as well?

[StingingVelvet]

"Top menu" working on a Sony is pretty rare I feel like. StudioCanal must have really done the barest of bare-bones locking on those haha.

[surfinhank]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

Did the bonus disc work as well?

I tried it today and oddly enough the bonus disc does not work (at least on a Sony). And even stranger, I got The Fog today and neither of those discs will work with the top menu. I guess I was wrong, maybe They Live is just a weird fluke.

[Jar Jar Stinks]

I've been able to get the following to work on my Panasonic player (but not my LG):


The Zero Theorem - Wild Side Video


The Killing - Arrow Academy

[JackForrester]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

I went through my region b locked titles that will and won't work with "top menu"...tested on Panasonic DMP-DB80, YMMV on other Panasonic players or brands.

Works:

[Show spoiler]
Notes:
Cross of Iron: Menu will default to German
The Deer Hunter: Bonus disc works as well.
My Darling Clementine: Second disc works as well.
Pickup on South Street: Disc will “Stop” but press “Play”, “Stop”, and then “Top Menu”
Ran: Bonus disc will not load…menu might be locked at PAL.
They Live: Bonus disc works as well.

Won't work:

[Show spoiler]
Notes:
The Driver: Disc will not "read".
Dunkirk (Vintage Classics): Menu will play on an endless loop with no options selectable.
The Man in the White Suit: Will be stuck on “Stop”, no region lock warning.
The Titfield Thunderbolt: Menu locked in PAL SD

Thanks for taking the time to do this. So those titles that do work and you had nothing to say on your notes "fully" work? Extras, special features etc?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by JackForrester

Thanks for taking the time to do this. So those titles that do work and you had nothing to say on your notes "fully" work? Extras, special features etc?

Thank you. I should clarify in my notes about extras. Arrow and Eureka seem to either have the extras upscaled to 1080p or in some sort of 480i/60 (Maybe even 576i/60 if that even is a thing) container. I've played a few extras on "The Long Goodbye", "Paper Moon", "The Lost Weekend", and "The Thing" and they all work perfectly. The only real extras (from my list) that won't work will be "Cross of Iron" and "Ice Cold in Alex" (Excluding the trailer and stills gallery) due to those being in PAL SD.

[grodd]

On the Panasonic, all Arrow discs I tried worked (The Thing, House box set, etc etc) all Koch Media titles I tried like Army of Darkness and Phantasm 2 works, Fright Night 2 from 84 Entertainment works. All Studio Canal discs I tried worked, like the Fog.

Does not work: French Metropolitan titles like Dawn of the Dead or Texas Chainsaw 3D. Friday the 13th titles from 84 Entertainment did not work which is strange because 84's Fright Night 2 worked.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by grodd

Friday the 13th titles from 84 Entertainment did not work which is strange because 84's Fright Night 2 worked.

With some labels some discs might work and sometimes they won't. It's a 50/50. StudioCanal/Optimum is my biggest mixed bag with what will and won't work.

[HorrorBlu]

Did Arrow recently start cracking down on this?

I can't get it to work with Flowers In The Attic. The "wrong region" screen doesn't even come up.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by HorrorBlu

Did Arrow recently start cracking down on this?

I can't get it to work with Flowers In The Attic. The "wrong region" screen doesn't even come up.

That’s peculiar. The only region locked Arrow release I have from around the time of “Flowers in the Attic” is the standard edition of “Carrie” and it works fine. Did you try pressing “stop” and then quickly press the top/disc menu button on your remote?

[LordSummerIsle]

I didn't realize that there were unlockable discs. I've never encountered this problem with my region free OPPO

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by scwilli1

I didn't realize that there were unlockable discs. I've never encountered this problem with my region free OPPO

You're misreading something here. The point of the thread is region-locked discs which work on normal players, using a trick.

[HorrorBlu]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

That’s peculiar. The only region locked Arrow release I have from around the time of “Flowers in the Attic” is the standard edition of “Carrie” and it works fine. Did you try pressing “stop” and then quickly press the top/disc menu button on your remote?

Yes. It works on several other Arrow titles I own (Hellgate, Runaway Train, The Burbs, etc), but no dice this time.

[Jeffne Browning]

Hi all, does anyone have try Lionsgate release "Machete Kills" region B bd works on Sony blu-ray player region A model S-490?

Thanks.