I believe I see the problem here. It's a communication problem.
I'm looking at the "Blu-ray Disc Region" dialog. I'm asking what 'Blu-ray Disc Region' > '(o) Disc is region free' means: Is AnyDVD affirming that the disc is region free, or is AnyDVD asking me whether to 'make' the disc region free (through emulation or whatever). Kindly reread my original post (this thread-starter).
I'm not sure if affirm is correct expression.
Affirm means confirming something. AnyDVD can't always find out whether a disc is region-free or not, and if not what 1/2 region/(s) it is locked to. So I'd not use the term affirm in that context question "or whether AnyDVD was affirming if region-free?" you wrote.
It's always the user who confirms/affirms to AnyDVD that the disc would be region-free or locked by some region. It's always the user to tell AnyDVD how to try to handle the region-check code on the disc, if to do anything or to do nothing ("Disc is region free")
In some cases AnyDVD finds out the accepted player-regions or if region-free on some discs by itself, so with setting "Automatic" AnyDVD removes all region lock automatically, or does nothing automatically, when it detects region-free (with setting "Automatic")
"...is AnyDVD asking me whether to 'make' the disc region free (through emulation or whatever)?"
No, the AnyDVD dialog "Disc is region free" just means that the user tells AnyDVD that the BD-Disc would (already) be region free. Telling to AnyDVD that the condition of the disc that it (already) supports A+B+C. Nothing else. So in fact pretty sure, the checkbox "Disc is region free" does nothing.
So the "Disc is region-free" checkbox doesn't make a region-(player)-locked Disc region-free, because it does nothing.
And when a Disc accepts all player-software-regions (region-free) it's logical there's nothing necessary to do anything anyway
.
Of course when a disc accepts all regions, you could also check the box "A" ,"B" or "C". Then AnyDVD would do something a bit to put some code to the disc that tells the disc it would be played in an A/B or C player. As the Disc is region-free anyway, even if you select A /B or C, it's still playable and likewise still region-free.
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What I was irritated, afaik even a region-free
(pressed region-free BD-ROM, not prepared through AnyDVD) doesn't have an authentication, it's just checking-code which checks for players-software-region, and if the code on the disc detects (any) A/B or C in the playback-software it accepts playback.
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Just ISO-copies or virtuallized Discs, AnyDVD adds that authentication, which outsmarts PowerDVDs region-authentication -message.
If you select wrong region AnyDVD to put false region-authentication the virtualized disc ISO-copy is permanenly unplayable in PowerDVD, regardless if you change region-identity-setting in PowerDVD
The best explanation how I understood the devs, but maybe I'm wrong again
I know that might be confusing, if that's so, why at all necessary to have the dialog "Disc is region-free"?
I'd say it's also confusing when disc is region-free, and all settings AnyDVD dialog the accepted regions or potentially region free, why should it be documented to select region A / B / C and "Disc is region free" would be missing? (That would be confusing for the normal people, who don't know they could also select A /B or C on a region-free-disc.
That would just raise more in the long-term effectively insignificant questions, just to understand, but not hindering the region playback experience, not any bad copy to expect anyway
So hence to avoid distraction I'd say AnyDVD also offers the checkbox "Disc is region-free".
Maybe some help help-drop-up text in AnyDVD could be useful on those region settings to explain all that stuff shortly.
EG:On region-free box:
Please verify on the box, package, on the disclabel, that there is ABC pictured or no region lock marking listed.
On Region-free discs, there's nothing to do anyway. "This setting does not do anything."
"This setting does not remove any region-lock, because it does nothing"
On Region A box :
That similar like-wise text remains "You have to declare the region of the disc" not of the drive! see package. BD-drive doesn't have BD-region codes.
"If the Disc is region-A-playback-software locked, please check this box. This will add A-authentication", the result will be region-free.
"If the disc is region (A+B) or (A+C) locked you could also check this box, the result will-be region-free"
"If the Discis already is region-free, you could potentially check this box, the resulting Disc remains region-free."
On Region B box :
That similar like-wise text remains "You have to declare the region of the disc" not of the drive! see package. BD-drive doesn't have BD-region codes.
"If the Disc is region-B-playback-software locked, please check this box". This will add B-authentication", the result will be region-free.
If the disc is region (A+B) or (B+C) locked you could also check this box, the result will-be region-free"
If the Disc already is region-free, you could also check this box, the resulting Disc remains region-free."
On Region C box :
That similar like-wise text remains "You have to declare the region of the disc" not of the drive! see package. BD-drive doesn't have BD-region codes."
"If the Disc is region-C-playback-software locked, please check this box". This will add C-authentication", the result will be region-free.
"If the disc is region (A+C) or (B+C) locked you could also check this box, the result will be region-free"
"If the Disc already is region-free, you could also check this box, the resulting Disc remains region-free."
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@markfilipak
I really must say I can't confirm mislabeled region declarations on package, all discs I've backed-up they all had correct region declared on the package.
Maybe on some few boxes without any marking, the disc has a region-lock.