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Region-Free DVD player?

ryst

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ryst

ryst

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I have been looking for a region-free DVD player but have had no luck so far. I know I can find one online but I would really like to find one in a local store. But Best Buy, Circuit City and the other places like that don't carry them. Any suggestions on where I could find one? A rep from Best Buy suggested Walmart but I couldn't find one there either!!!! I live in ATL. HELP!
www.myspace.com/apocrypha
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Prague

Prague

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I'll assume you are in the US.

 

You won't find one in a store. Even overseas, you won't find one in a store. Officially, manufacturers aren't allowed to make these, so defeating the Region software is a cottage industry. The "cottage" also assumes any warranty, if offered.

 

I have used a place in the USA that is reliable, though. The Pioneer ones worked just fine. They also work on 110 VAC (some have auto power supplies for 220VAC, too).

 

Here's a couple:

http://www.mindlogic.com/Prod_MSDVD.shtml

ElectronicsDirect.com

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Angelo Clematide

Angelo Clematide

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Nathan;

This model plays DVD-Video of all regions, PAL & NTSC standard incl. DVD-Audio, SACD etc.

 

Pioneer ELITE DV-45A, region-free DVD player

 

http://www.mindlogic.com/MSDVD_PION_dv-45a_DTL.shtml

 

There are also many DVD player which can be re-programmed to other regions:

i.e. model Roadstar DVD-3620H, $53.--:

- power on the player

- push open close "Open / Close"

- push once the button "Prog"

- push three times button "Enter"

- you see a menu, select with up and down your region

- push button "Stop" and the code will be saved.

-Peace, Love, and Potahhhhto
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BOOKUMDANO

BOOKUMDANO

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Of course, as the Elite info says, to watch a Pal region dvd that's played back on the Elite player...in Atlanta...you'll also have to have a tv that can understand the Pal signal coming from the Elite. Or you can buy the 250-$1600 pal to ntsc convertors they talk about and plug it into the back of the Elite. It's not a situation where you load a Pal dvd into the Elite, and the signal comes out ntsc.

 

I'm not much into tv anyway and there's no dvd on the planet (outside my own region) that would make me spend a couple of grand for stuff to watch it on.

 

The issue I usually see is from people who wish to make dvd's for all regions....or who wish to decode various region videos for playback here in the US on a standard ntsc region 1 system.

 

By the way, many of the region-free players on ebay are modified..no warranty. And usually the info on the auction will talk about that. Whether any of them will load a Pal dvd and spit out ntsc signal...doubt it. But you could ask the sellers. There might be technology there I know nothing about.

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RABid

RABid

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Wasnt one purpose of regional coding to enable companies to price their DvDs according to region without fear of imports messing up the pricing system? Just like prescription drugs, the US was to be charged higher rates.

 

It should be easy to find computer DvD players that hackers can bypass the region restrictions. That makes me wonder, can my computer DvD ROM be made to play both video formats to screen?

 

Robert

This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

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Prague

Prague

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Yea, I was making a few too many assumptions about Ryst's needs.

 

A PAL disc in these players will put out PAL video. An NTSC disc will put out NTSC. You MUST have a multistandard monitor.

 

http://www.mindlogic.com/Prod_MSTV.shtml

 

The committee that licences the DVD emblem does NOT allow manufacturers to sell mutli-region players. These modifications do void warranties, but the places that do the modifications do offer warranties of their own. Sometimes, it's only 90 days, though.

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Flemtone

Flemtone

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Originally posted by Mats Olsson.:

You can buy almost any player and modify it yourself.

 

For info on how to modify different models, go here

 

Good luck, please keep us posted!

Mats is, as usual, correct. I bought, at a local department store, the cheapest DVD player I could find, then went to the dvd-hacks site and found the combinations of buttons to press on the remote-control to open up the 'administrator's menu' in the player. Changing a field on that menu should make your dvd player region-free.

 

Go to Mat's site and see the possibilities (although it may look strange to see directions that say "press 999, then 'eject', then the menu button, etc). It really does work, but see if the dvd-player you want to buy has a hack listed.

 

Good luck. We're all counting on you.

 

-Tim from Jersey :thu:

Play. Just play.
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Angelo Clematide

Angelo Clematide

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It is the following way:

 

a) all PAL DVD player play NTSC DVD's

 

b) no NTSC DVD player plays PAL DVD's (however there are very few, but normally not in the stores)

 

There are two types of PAL players:

 

c) the one who give out PAL when you play NTSC,

and of course PAL when you play PAL.

 

d) the ones who realtime transcode NTSC DVD and give out PAL signal.

 

That's how it was till lately.

 

e) Now today there are so called multiformat/multiregion DVD players who play all broadcast standards. With this model the Question is what do they give out when you play a PAL DVD - i would be locical thet they give out PAL and NTSC - i don't know for sure.

 

I suggest that you buy a NTSC multiformat/multiregion NTSC DVD players and then you need also a TV-Set who can read both standards. This TV are called Multisystem TVs,

this will allow viewers to watch broadcasts and recordings of various standards, inlcluding PAL, SECAM and NTSC on the same set.

 

Multisystem see here:

http://www.mindlogic.com/Prod_MSTV.shtml

-Peace, Love, and Potahhhhto
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Brakka

Brakka

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RE: Region hacks (Mats' post):

Not all Region 1 (North American) dvd players can convert PAL to NTSC, check to make sure the one you get does. If it will play "Region-free" discs, then there is probably a hack that will let you play discs made for other countries. And there are hacks for other things too- like restarting a dvd from where you left off even if the power is turned off.

 

"Hack" sounds scary, but sometimes all it really means is finding a workaround like selecting a track without the player checking the Region (as opposed to playing the movie from the dvd menu).

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Angelo Clematide

Angelo Clematide

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the next closed thing would be that you plug in your tv to the Mac's graphiccard tv output.

 

Or tell here the name/model of your current tv-set and i check what else is possible.

 

I like that DVD also:

http://www.loaded247.co.uk/index.php?s=2&id=9428

 

But Nathan, this DVD is also available as NTSC region 1:

http://www.loaded247.com/index.php?s=1&id=4547

-Peace, Love, and Potahhhhto
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ryst

ryst

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Angelo,

I don't have the actual model number of my tv handy at the moment. It's an Apex 27". Cheap like me! I already have the first season on DVD. It looks and sounds wonderful. The second season hasn't been "officially" released yet. I showed the first season to my wife and now she loves the show. My avatar says it all. My G5 is in another room. I do, however, have an old 500mhz g4 powerbook. This should work, right? I just need the correct cable.

www.myspace.com/apocrypha
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Brakka

Brakka

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ryst-

 

go to bestbuy.com, and to the site that Mats linked to in his first post (dvd player hacks). Sort the best buy list by price, and cross-reference with the dvd hack site to see if there has been a hack discovered for a particular player.

 

I have a Toshiba sd-3900, about a year old, and it will play all regions with a hack. The current similar Toshiba model is the sd-3960, $69, but there is not yet a region hack for it at that site since it just came out.

 

A few of the players on the first page of the best buy list have hacks available.

 

And you don't need a PAL tv, but be warned that the PAL>;NTSC conversion is not perfect, but good enough for a dvd set that you can't get on R1

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Angelo Clematide

Angelo Clematide

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Originally posted by ryst:

here is the link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=617&item=6333130162&rd=1

 

It says Region one but I have a hard time beleiving that since this set originally came from Spain...which is region 2. Will my powerbook be able to play PAL or any region DVD's?

Yes, a Powerbook or general a computer plays PAL as well NTSC. The region with Software players can be changed.

 

The Playstation 2 plays NTSC DVD's. If your american Playstation plays PAL, i don't know.

 

http://www.us.playstation.com/support.aspx?id=troubleshooting/playstation2/dvd.html

 

This link with ebay is probably a selfmade hack of someone, it's not even mentioned that this is a real DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). It says it's a Digital Video Discs, which is not the same as a DVD. As far as i know only the Twin Peaks - Series 1 is out on DVD.

 

This is a good example how Hollywood politics with region can make one mad.

 

If it goes on like that i author you personally a NTSC DVD Twin Peaks.

-Peace, Love, and Potahhhhto
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