- For infrequent multi-region users, I’d recommend giving VLC a try first, but for hard core region switchers, a region free drive is the way to go. My thanks to everyone at rpc1.org and to the great work of XVI, Las Vegas, and The Dangerous Brothers for making the utilities and firmware available. The Latest on Region Free DVD Viewing.
- Here's one way to make your Mac play most any DVD, regardless of its assigned region coding: Get an external DVD drive - the internal drive does not seem to allow region-free.
- I've done the research and it seems both of these computers don't have the right drives to flash and reset the firmware. Can anyone possibly point me in the direction of an external firewire cd/dvd burner that is region free or can be made into one. Macbook Matshita CD-RW CW-8221 Firmware Revsion GA0J G5 HL-DT ST DVD-RW GWA-4165B Firmware.
Open DVD Player for me. Insert a DVD into your Mac that has a different region code than the one your DVD drive is set to. If you haven’t reached the 5 maximum DVD region change limit, you’re asked whether you want to change the DVD region. Choose a region that matches the DVD region. External DVD Drive, USB 3.0 Portable CD/DVD +/-RW Drive/DVD Player for Laptop CD ROM Burner Compatible with Laptop Desktop PC Windows Linux OS Apple Mac Black 4.3 out of 5 stars 21,875 #1 Best Seller in External CD & DVD Drives.
Playing and watching DVD movies on your computer is great. However, if the DVD disc has a region code that doesn't match where you live or where you buy your computer, you will fail to play the DVD on your computer.
So if you want to enjoy DVD movies with different DVD region codes, you need to change the region on your computer first. Changing DVD drive region is very easy. Just remember that you can only change the region for five times. After the fifth time, the DVD drive region will be locked to the region you last chose permanently.
Follow the guide to unlock DVD regions in Windows (Windows 8 compatible) and Mac.
How to change DVD region on a Windows (Windows 8 compatible) PC
1. Open 'My Computer' and right click on the DVD drive icon. Choose 'Properties' from the drop down menu.
2. Select the 'Hardware' tab and choose the DVD drive from the disk drives list. Then click 'Properties'.
3. Go to 'DVD Region' tab and choose the geographic area you want. Then click 'OK' to finish the DVD region changing.
How to unlock DVD region on Macintosh
1. Insert a disc into your Mac's DVD drive.
2. Set the region code for your Mac following the window the prompts you to choose DVD region code.
Other way to play and watch DVD movies with different DVD region codes
Since the DVD region can be changed for only five times and then the DVD region will be locked permanently, many people are looking for better ways to play and watch DVD movies with different DVD region codes. Here are two easy ways:
1. Copy and back up your DVD to a region-free DVD with a DVD copy software and a blank DVD disc. Aimersoft DVD Copy will help you copy and backup DVD movies to DVD disc with 1:1 quality. The copied DVD is region-free and you can freely watch it on your computer. For Mac users, there is DVD Backup for Mac provided.
2. Rip DVD to videos for playback on computer or portable devices. Aimersoft DVD Ripper can help you crack DVD protection and convert DVD to any popular video and audio formats for playback on iPhone, iPad, iPod, Zen, Archos, etc. For Mac users, please turn to DVD Ripper for Mac.
Here we introduce 6 free DVD players for Mac with features that make each one special and awesome, covering VLC, KMPlayer, XBMC, Mac Media Player, Apple DVD player and 5KPlayer, based on online opinion polls and a complete data analysis from download sites and reviews.
Despite the popularity of streaming services, many people still keep some old DVDs, buy new DVD releases, and play these DVDs. Can you play a DVD on an Mac computer? Yes, but you need to make sure that you have a workable DVD player for your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro. In this article, we put together the top 6 best DVD player for macOS Big Sur 11, Catalina 10.15, Mojave 10.14, High Sierra 10.13, etc.
Tips:
- If your Mac doesn't have a built-in DVD drive, you can check the best external DVD drive/player for Mac and choose a favorite one.
- If you want to play a DVD on Mac without a DVD drive, you can digitize DVD first with MacX DVD Ripper Pro. It can rip both homemade and commercial DVDs to whatever formats Mac computer accepts like MOV, MP4, M4V with ease, such that you can play DVD on Macbook Pro/Air, Mac mini, iMac without a DVD drive.
Top 6 Best DVD Player for macOS Big Sur, Catalina and Earlier
1. Apple DVD Player
Apple DVD Player is an app that is bundled within Mac OS X. If you have a SuperDrive on Mac, insert a DVD into the DVD drive and the DVD Player will open automatically.
It supports all the standard DVD features such as multiple audio, video & subtitle tracks as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough, DVD access URLs and closed captions.
Some people may think that Apple's DVD Player disappears with the release of macOS 10.14 Mojave, just like other 32-bit apps. But actually not. It has been updated to a 64-bit app. Simply use Spotlight, search for DVD Player, and then you'll find it at the top of the Top Hits. Double lick on the app icon and it will launch.
Comes bundled in Mac machines and is totally free to play DVD on MacBook Pro, iMac, etc.
It is fully compatible with DVDs authored by DVD Studio Pro and iDVD.
It enforces most restrictive measures of DVD technology, such as DVD region code and user operation prohibition.
It lacks a DTS decoder, which means DTS tracks cannot be played through the Mac's built in speakers or analog output.
Older versions of DVD Player won't work on external DVD drives.
How to Play a DVD Using Apple DVD Player on Mac?
You simply need to insert a DVD and the DVD Player app will start playing it automatically. If the auto-play doesn't happen, please tap the Space bar after the DVD is recognized.
2. 5KPlayer
Sometimes Apple DVD Player will not work, so you may have to download a third-party DVD player on Mac. Free 5KPlayer is one of the best choices.
Free External Dvd Player
It may be new for many people but it is an awesome region-free DVD player for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, etc. Without any ads, malware or spyware, it is 100% safe to get both homemade and copy-protected discs playing on iMac 5K, Macbook Air/Pro, Mac Mini, and more with near HD quality.
The Mac-stylish UI is highly acclaimed among DVD users. Working as an all-in-one free media player, it can also play ISO image, Video_TS folder, 4K/8K UHD videos, 3D videos, etc, all at your fingertips.
Support playing DVDs protected by region codes, CSS, RCE, Sony ARccOS, Disney DRM, etc;
Not only a free DVD player for Mac computer, but also an HD/4K UHD media player, downloader and Airplay sender/receiver;
Clean and awesome skin and UI.
Not found yet.
How to Play DVD on Mac with 5KPlayer?
After inserting a DVD, you simply need to open 5KPlayer, click the DVD button in the main interface, and then open and play your DVD.
Download 5KPlayer for Mac here: https://www.5kplayer.com/5kplayer-download-mac.htm
3. VLC Media Player
VLC is the most popular open-source and cross-platform media player that supports physical media (DVD, Audio-CD, VCD), almost all audios and videos (H264, MPEG4, MP4, MOV, AVI, Ogg, MKV, MP3, etc). It is the best option available as free DVD player for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, etc.
Technically, you can even use this Mac DVD player software to play encrypted DVD discs without the aid of any third party software, as long as your Mac computer has a DVD drive for you to insert and view your disc.
Great audio/video performance;
Support playback of encrypted DVDs from Disney, Sony, paramount, etc;
Support a wide range of media file types, including HD and Bluray discs.
The user interface is a little bit unlikeable, with skin options needing enhancement;
Region Free External Dvd Drive For Mac
Run into problems like VLC won't play MKV, VLC won't play DVD and VLC audio sync from users feedbacks.
How to Use VLC to Play DVD on Mac?
1. Find VLC in Applications and open it.
2. Click Open media in VLC, choose Disc, and then select your DVD and hit Open. Then VLC will begin playing DVD on your Mac laptop or desktop.
Download VLC DVD player for Mac here: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html
4. KMPlayer
KMPlayer is similar to VLC, which is also a solid open-source media player that can deal with any media and subtitle formats you throw at it, ranging from VCD, DVD, AVI, MKV, OGM, 3GP, WMV, QuickTime to compressed audio album.
The bonus features enable you to play damaged/incomplete AVI file, locked files while downloading and even play movies without worrying about formats and storage on Android and iOS. Editor from CNET gives KMplayer 4-star rating. No wonder it is one of the best DVD player for macOS to play DVD movies on Mac mini, MacBook, etc.
Easy access to subtitle management, brightness adjustments and frame captures;
Handle a bewildering variety of media files;
Stream local videos to your mobile device via Wi-Fi, provided you install Connect app on Android or iOS.
A preview-heavy Mac DVD movies player that throws ads and links constantly;
Sometimes fail to play DVDs on Mac due to Region Code issue
5. XBMC (now Kodi)
Labeled as the High Definition Hub for all kinds of media, XBMC Media Center joins our top 7 best DVD players working on Mac list with no ambiguity. This free open-source media center is a pretty good contender as 5KPlayer, being easy to use, slick and supported by a large community of users. It offers a number of options and settings that allow you to play DVDs on Mac OS right out of the box from the main menu something other free DVD players cannot do yet maximize DVD playback quality.
Look great from the start with lots of skins;
Stream video over a network with no effort.
Take some time to customize for Macs.
6. Mac Media Player
Macgo Free Mac Media Player is a basic but efficient program to play all kinds of media files right on your Mac, whether they originate on your computer or on a disk. As soon as you install this program, it's ready to go, so you won't have to worry about managing complicated configurations or setups before you start playing your files. It also offers super high definition visual effects & fabulous DTS5.1 audio spectacle.
A powerful high def video player with hardware acceleration capabilities.
Has the potential to use up plenty of system resources
FAQs
1. Is there a DVD player on Mac?
Yes. It is called DVD Player. This Mac DVD Player app isn't missing with the appearance of macOS Mojave. Where is the DVD Player in Mac? There're two ways to find and open it.
- Method 1. Go to System > LibraryCoreServices/ > Applications.
- Method 2. Click the little Spotlight icon in the top right corner of your Mac's screen. Search for 'DVD Player', and then the DVD Player app's icon should show up at the top of the Top Hits. Double click on the icon, and the app will launch.
2. Why is my DVD not playing on my Mac?
There are many reasons causing this:
- System issue usually after upgrading macOS.
- Bad or damaged superdrive. If your DVD drive is damaged, the player will not be open.
- Region issue on commercial DVDs.
- DVD disc is scratched or dirty. In this case, your DVD disc player can accept discs but they do not mount or are automatically ejected.
- Unsupported DVDs such as some commercial DVDs. If your DVD discs are not supported, the player will go to a black screen and then unexpectedly quit.
Solutions: As the reasons about DVD player not working above, you can find the corresponding way to fix DVD not playing problems, such as repairing or purchasing a new DVD drive, removing DVD region code, cleaning the dirty DVD discs, fixing the scratched DVDs, converting unsupported DVD to MP4 and the like, etc.
3. Why Apple DVD Player says 'Not Permitted'?
If this error message pops up for certain DVDs, it may be because it doesn't support the DVD protection or DVD type; if this error appears for every DVD, the problem might be the settings. For more details, you can read 'How to Fix Apple DVD Player Not Permitted Error on Mac'.
4. Why does DVD Player say 'supported disc not available'?
This message appears when there is no disc in the DVD drive or when it can't recognize video content burned onto certain types of DVD-RW discs. You can burn the content into a DVD-R disc. For more details, check article 'How to Fix Supported Disc Not Available'.
Region Free Blu Ray Drive
5. Why does DVD Player say 'skipping over damaged area'?
This is because your DVD is scratched. Check 'How to Fix Scratched DVD'.
6. Why does Mac automatically eject DVD?
All Region Dvd Drive
It happens because you insert a DVD whose region is different from the one the DVD drive is set to, and you don't change the region code when prompted, or when you have reached the maximum number of region changes.
Region Free External Dvd Drive For Mac Os
7. How to play DVD on QuickTime?
What Is Region Free Dvd
Many users wonder how to play a DVD on QuickTime. But actually, QuickTime can't play DVD. You can either use the dedicated DVD Player app on Mac or a third-party program.