[vox-tech] DVD DRM Problem

[Bob Scofield]

My son has spent a lot of time in New Zealand the last few years, and is 
getting ready to go back.  His laptop is a Toshiba purchased in the U.S.  
When he rents DVD's in New Zealand, Windows Media Player warns him that the 
DVD he is about to play was made to be played in a different part of the 
world.  (I.e., Windows is telling him that his computer distributed in the 
U.S. is about to play a DVD distributed in New Zealand.)

Windows then gives him a chance to change the DVD type on his computer so that 
he can play the New Zealand DVD.  But there's a catch.

The catch is that he is only allowed to change the DVD type so many times.  
After the limit is reached his computer will be frozen so that he can only 
play one type.  Thus as strange as it sounds, he may end up in California 
with a computer that can only play DVD's distributed in the New Zealand, 
Australia, et. al. area.

He says he downloaded a program that would play DVDs with no DRM hassle.  But 
that program messed up his computer.

So the question is:  Can anyone recommend DVD playing software that runs on 
Windows 7, and that will play DVD's without freezing a computer to one type 
of DVD?

(It certainly seems to me that world travelers who can't break from Windows 
ought to be dual booting.  Do Mac's have this problem?)

Thank you.

Bob