Region locked UHDs

[andreasy969]

Did anyone contact Shout about this yet? I would do it myself, if I actually owned the disc (since I wouldn't be able to play it then), but won't based on word-of-mouth. No offence.

[JimDiGriz]

Well as long as its just for anime movies that's just fine by me

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by NLScavenger

Fwiw, here's the "startup.properties" file in the JAR folder from the Lionsgate UHD of Ghost in the Shell (1995).

disc.regions=a,b,c
disc.regions.rental=a,b,c
disc.episode.count=-1
disc.episode.commentary=-1
disc.parental=-1
disc.is_uhd=true
disc.title.region_error=11
disc.title.feature=5
disc.title.vam=6
disc.title.top_menu_disabled=7
disc.title.top_menu_enabled=8

Maybe a BD region code check can be enforced in UHD via BD-J, but someone with knowledge about BD-J would have to chime in.

French UHD (which is same as US/UK UHD);

 disc.regions=a
disc.regions.rental=a
disc.episode.count=-1
disc.episode.commentary=-1
disc.parental=-1
disc.is_uhd=false
disc.title.region_error=11
disc.title.feature=5
disc.title.vam=6
disc.title.top_menu_disabled=7
disc.title.top_menu_enabled=8

From ViCklatereur, who I asked to share the info here.

[rewak]

disc.is_uhd=false

How?

[Kyle15]

So from what I gather; they're authoring a UHD disc but then setting a "no-UHD" flag in the TOC to implement Blu-Ray region locking? Lordy that's heinous.

Wonder what the BDA would have to say about this? It sounds like it'd be a rule breach.

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by rewak

disc.is_uhd=false

How?

Originally Posted by Kyle15

So from what I gather; they're authoring a UHD disc but then setting a "no-UHD" flag in the TOC to implement Blu-Ray region locking? Lordy that's heinous.

Wonder what the BDA would have to say about this? It sounds like it'd be a rule breach.

I don't know if the lines are correct (they're from the French UHD that works on region B players). Maybe AnyDVDHD messed with it, or perhaps the French UHD is programmed with the region check removed.

[BluProofie]

This is licensed from Toho, right? That’s probably why. They are notoriously difficult to deal with and might’ve made Shout do this.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

This is licensed from Toho, right? That’s probably why. They are notoriously difficult to deal with and might’ve made Shout do this.

It is. I say it’s a 50/50 change either Toho had some of their usual stupid licensor restrictions, or Shout made the biggest blunder of the year.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by professorwho

It is. I say it’s a 50/50 change either Toho had some of their usual stupid licensor restrictions, or Shout made the biggest blunder of the year.

Yeah. I know everyone is quick to blame Shout, but this is Toho we are talking about.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Yeah. I know everyone is quick to blame Shout, but this is Toho we are talking about.

They are a bigger handful than Godzilla!

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

They are a bigger handful than Godzilla!

Speaking of Godzilla, the Toho UHD of Weathering With You has a few leftover files from the Toho and Warner Bros UHDs of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Japanese end credits, German/French dub credits and more)

[Bn43]

Originally Posted by evoof

Except that buying the movie digitally gets you a much lower picture and audio quality. Ripping your discs gets you a 1:1 copy of everything, even the extras.

I'll eventually wanna rip all my 4K discs anyway, for backup purposes. Although, the discs will become the backups and the rips how I watch them.

They should really update the compatibility list on that makemkv.com thread. Had no idea flashing would work on my UH12NS40 until I read a thread about that particular drive.

[Bn43]

And, actually, I've had so many 4K discs freeze on me that I'm gonna try to rip each before viewing even before I build my NAS that can store them all. Requiem for a Dream a few days ago froze two minutes before the end credits. Annoying.

[emailking]

Sorry for discovering this guys haha. Although I guess trainspodder found one a few years ago, so there's probably more out there that we're just not aware of. Really sucks. But hopefully the list stays out 2 or very small. No more all UHDs are region free though. That ain't true.

Weathering With You is the best traditionally animated UHD I've seen with great HDR, especially in the water and falling snow scenes, and the 4K detail really helps here too. Wasn't a huge fan of the movie but I'd still recommend it based on the UHD once the price comes down. But buy in your region if you're not region free!

[emailking]

Originally Posted by slimdude

Well this is strange because 4K UHD Blu-rays are supposed to be region free, unless your region free mod is malfunctioning. This is why I've never install a region free mod on my Oppo 203 because, I had an instinct that it will eventually create playability problems with the player. Whenever you modify anything from its original productivity, it's subjected to cause problems because it's a foreign object. If a disc is not region free or region A, I just won't buy it.

The region lock messages are encoded on the disc, so they have a region lock message on the UHD regardless of what my player is doing. Also, it was confirmed by a user with a Region B XBox One S, and you can't change the region on those. So I don't think it has anything to do with the region free mod causing an issue with playback.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

I wonder if anime distributors are once again trying to get around BDA rules by accessing resources to impose geographical restrictions not sanctioned by BDA. I know that some anime publishers used country coding on BDs to prevent North American anime BDs from being played in Japan (and vice versa) even though they're both Region A. Perhaps they're now using resources to access regular BD region coding that isn't supposed to be used with UHDBD.

Yes indeed, it's not come as a massive shock that the anime lot have found a 'workaround' for enforcing UHD's region coding just as they used the geo lockout on those Region A discs to stop them from playing on non-Japanese Region A sets. And yes, using regular BD's system makes sense, i.e. use that region coding just for the startup portion of the disc and author everything else after that as a regular UHD would be.

I don't necessarily think it's a harbinger of doom for the UHD format itself though because the geo lockout method hasn't taken off on BD, it's just the wildly overzealous anime distributors who've used it. BD does still have its region locking, true, as that's still 'good enough' to satisfy most sane distributors whereas UHD doesn't have that backstop, so that leaves it open for more rights holders to potentially use this workaround, but if the disc is 'out of spec' as a result then most won't choose to use it.

Originally Posted by emailking

The region lock messages are encoded on the disc, so they have a region lock message on the UHD regardless of what my player is doing. Also, it was confirmed by a user with a Region B XBox One S, and you can't change the region on those. So I don't think it has anything to do with the region free mod causing an issue with playback.

Now you've gone and done it, applying common sense and simple logic to prove his absurd claim to be false.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by geoff d

2020 just keeps on giving, doesn't it? The apocalypse is truly upon us

Sebastian2.gif

[kristoffer]

Ahh crap. I hope this doesn't become a trend or that CC locks their discs when the finally decide to join the party.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Ahh crap. I hope this doesn't become a trend or that CC locks their discs when the finally decide to join the party.

Seeing that Criterion has released some Region Free titles (ones they could clear international rights for), I don't think they will. They may make some questionable choices (as does everyone), but I don't think they'd want to do that. It would ruin their reputation. Even if casuals can't notice things like video compression issues or audio noise reduction, region locking a region free format is a scummy move, regardless of who does it, so people would notice.

(Plus, I think that's why they haven't entered the UHD game yet- international rights- they want a title they can secure international rights for that isn't already on UHD somewhere else in the world. They're aware they have competition and probably didn't release Crash or Elephant Man on 4K for that reason. I still think they should've, as they would be fantastic discs, but I can see why they might not have.)

[CrazyBlu-RayFan]

Of course it's an anime that begins 4K region locking, Japan is super strict regarding rights and region capabilities.