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Joe Blevins 
"Don't I look handsome?"
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 Posted - 06/11/2007 : 17:17:03
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Hello, all.
I've come to the conculsion that eventually I'm going to have to get one of those DVD players which plays foreign discs. I need something that will play all regions, plus both PAL and NTSC discs. And, of course, I need these to play on a standard American TV set.
Does anyone here have any experience with such a thing? There are numerous sites advertising such things, but I'll be honest and admit I don't know exactly what I'm looking at when I see these products. I just don't want to get ripped off.
Essentially, what I want is a DVD player that works with my American TV set and which plays any DVD, regardless of country.
Thanks. |
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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 06/11/2007 : 17:31:19
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| To be honest, I didn't even realise that D.V.D.s involved the PAL/N.T.S.C. difference - I assumed that the regions were just a cynical mimic of the profit advantages of that difference. Anyway, I bought my only D.V.D. player quite a few years ago at a cheap price and that came with a code to enter to make it region-free. I get the impression that that is the case for most players now, at least here. |
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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 06/11/2007 : 20:11:59
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Please please please get proper advice from a professional. There are various international standards. There are compatibilities and incompatibilities between actual disks and machines. Some disks will play on a machine via the tv monitor, and others via the drive on your computer and others on both. Some DVD players can be converted, some are encoded. It's a bloody minefield!
Please do NOT take the word of some inexperienced store clerk or "gee, I think what you have to do is" or "my nephew's dog's gynecologist says"
Please do NOT buy this stuff on eBay ... a friend of mine really got ripped off when the seller swore the machine played European region disks when it only worked on Asian regions.
There are reliable experts for this stuff. If it's important to you, seek them out.
Please, Joe!
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 06/11/2007 : 21:55:12
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In Australia most DVD players are region free and NTSC/PAL, even tho the box says Region 4.
The best thing to do is to take a region free or 2 or 4 disc with you to the store and get them to play it with the DVD player that you are thinking of buying. That's what I do whenever I need to update my player.
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bife
"Winners never quit ... fwfr ... "
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Posted - 06/12/2007 : 00:28:49
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
In Australia most DVD players are region free and NTSC/PAL, even tho the box says Region 4.
Same in singapore, almost all DVD players sold here are configured/reconfigured as region free.
Since half my collection of DVDs was bought in Europe, and the other half in singapore, that's quite important to me!
I am worried about going back to Europe and getting stuck when I have to buy a new, European-coded DVD player.
There are websites that will give you region free 'codes' to de-region your DVD player, but you have to really look round hard to find one that isn't trying to charge you for the privilege (I never trusted these), and I only managed to de-region one of my European-purchased DVD players with a code from the internet.
So really your best bet is to come on out to Asia for a holiday and buy one here  |
Edited by - bife on 06/12/2007 00:29:21 |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 06/12/2007 : 02:21:18
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Americans get it hard. The region system collapsed in NZ a long while ago, you can't buy a DVD player over here that isn't PAL/NTSC and multi-region. The reason was simple:- when multi-region versions became available everyone stopped buying the region-coded versions.
DVD players by default are manufactured as multi-region but are coded prior to leaving the factory, so it simply involves disabling the region coding. This can either be done by yourself with the appropriate magic on the remote (some brands do NOT have the capability to remove region coding), or they'll be made multi-region by the retailer or distributor prior to sale even though they are still stamped on the package as region coded.
And as foxy said, I'd take a non-region 1 DVD to the shop, and preferably a PAL one too, and test before buying. |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 06/12/2007 : 02:50:09
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Oh, one other thing. Assuming your TV only has an NTSC option, you'll probably have to get a DVD player that outputs a pseudo-NTSC signal (when playing PAL DVDs). Best bet would be the cheapest DVD player you can find that's been bulk produced in China for the Asian markets, they're made to play absolutely anything and display it on any TV. The picture won't be the best but at least it will display.
If your TV has both PAL and NTSC options (mine does) then it gets a whole lot easier, as then the DVD player can simply output the signal in whatever form it uses on the DVD (PAL or NTSC). |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 06/12/2007 : 07:11:04
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quote:
Originally posted by bife
quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
In Australia most DVD players are region free and NTSC/PAL, even tho the box says Region 4.
Same in singapore, almost all DVD players sold here are configured/reconfigured as region free.
Also here in Israel - they only sell region free (or all zone) DVD players.
Your problem will be your television. Our televisions are usually multi-system sets as well, and my Sony has a button for changing the signal so that the picture shows up right on the television, both for the DVDs and the videos (yes, I still have tapes. I'm not going to replace all those great Disney films I bought when the kids were small. I hope to have grandchildren some day). I suggest you find the specs of your television and take it into the shop when you buy the DVD player to see if it will work properly or not.
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PAL/NTSC and region-free DVD players
