====== Hacking Region Free DVD on the LG LHB655NW Home Theatre ======

{{:lhb655nw:lhb655-region-menu.jpg?nolink&400 |}}Unlike the rest of the streaming world, I like to own my things. Unless the boo-hoo-cancel-culture-woke-folk start making house calls I can continue to enjoy Season 2, Episode 4 of the IT Crowd on DVD. Streamers can't.

I recently picked up the complete DVD collection of The Fast Show from the BBC for a very good price but it was Region 2. I'm Region 4. So began the journey of looking for codes and remote sequences to try and hack the region.

Thankfully I did find the method that centres around requiring a special CD to switch into Region Select Mode. This method is well known for many LG players, but this is the first proof that it works with the LHB655 / LHB655NW and I'll fill in the blanks so that you don't go off the path.

{{ :lhb655nw:lhb655.jpg?direct |}}

===== What you need =====

  * A CD-RW or CD-R disc.
  * A burner drive
  * Burner software. I use K3b on Kubuntu, but it doesn't matter so long as you pick the right modes etc.

===== The disc =====

You can just [[https://blog.waynejohnson.net/lib/exe/fetch.php/lhb655nw:lhb655-region-hack.zip|download the zipped ISO for the disc that I prepared here]]. You need to unzip it. There is next to nothing on it so the zip file is tiny. Please don't buy these on ebay.

===== Making the disc yourself =====
If you don't want to download the ISO, you can follow the basic steps in this post to make your own:

https://www.avforums.com/threads/make-lg-bp125-dvd-player-region-free.1717812/#post-25116412

But in short:

  - Create a new CD project
  - Create the following empty folders: ''\violet0000\rubicon\''
  - Download this file and copy it into the ''rubicon'' folder: https://www.avforums.com/attachments/montblanc-txt.873684/
  - Rename MontBlanc.txt to MontBlanc.dvd

===== Burning the disc =====
Insert either the CD-RW or CD-R and use the following settings to burn it properly. And yes, these settings do matter. If you get it wrong, the player will treat the disc as a Data Disc and think that you might be supplying a disc of video files, which it is happy to try and play for you.

If you made your own project with previous step you can move on. If you downloaded the ISO, select it with with your burner software.

{{ :lhb655nw:k3b-burn-project.png?direct |}}

You need these settings:
  - ISO 9660 format
  - ISO 9660 Level 1
  - Joliet extensions: YES
  - Rock Ridge extensions: NO

Start the burn.  

===== How to use the disc =====

  - Turn on the LG LHB655NW Home Theatre System
  - Eject the tray and place the hack disc onto the tray.
  - Close it
  - In a few seconds a plain black screen with a cyan border will appear, with the Region menu.
  
The Region Select Screen will look like this:

{{ :lhb655nw:lhb655-region-menu.jpg?direct |}}

If you get the Data Disc Screen, it means you made a mistake creating the disc, or with one of the burn settings. It will look like this:

{{ :lhb655nw:lhb655-data-menu.jpg?direct |}}

On the Region Select Screen:

  - Press 0 (for Region 0 - which is Region-free).
  - Press Pause to close the menu.
  - You can eject the disc.
  - Put in your foreign DVD and enjoy.

You are done and your LHB655NW will be region free. You have beaten the man. The LG man.

===== Credit and source =====
https://www.avforums.com/threads/make-lg-bp125-dvd-player-region-free.1717812/#post-25116412