All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#951 Post by David M. » Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:16 am

If you're in Europe - or hell, even if you're in the US, I would be more inclined to buy a specific cheap (and basically perfect AV quality) Panasonic BD player. With a bit of technical skill and a donation (affordable) to the firmware developer, you can make it region switchable with some custom firmware. Actually applying for the modified firmware can be surprisingly tricky, though.

Still, In Europe that's probably a much better deal, given how good Panasonic BD players are.

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#952 Post by Finch » Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:05 pm

Any Panasonic BD players you'd recommend in particular, David?

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#953 Post by David M. » Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:09 pm

They all have basically the same AV quality, but the higher up the range you go, the better build quality (quieter drive motors etc) and features (built in wireless networking) you get.

I got a DMP-BDT120 free when I bought a Panasonic plasma and use that. If you are buying one with the idea of making it region switchable, just check it's supported on http://www.firmwareinfo.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; first.

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#954 Post by Finch » Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:40 pm

thanks David, much appreciated

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jindianajonz
Jindiana Jonz Abrams
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 8:11 pm

Re: Business Models: Twilight Time vs. Olive Films

#955 Post by jindianajonz » Wed Aug 21, 2013 5:26 pm

I'll admit I haven't done too much research, but my problem with going region free is that I don't understand how it's done. I've seen people say you need to get someone to modify certain players but that just seemed to complicated, not to mention my (probably unwarranted) anxiety about sending a player in to some shady DVD hacker who will probably steal my identity through my viewing habits (that's a thing, right?)

Unfortunately, I saw the post about the cheap Seiki player from Sears while I was on vacation, and when I got back I went to find the link to purchase it literally 3 hours after somebody had posted that they were sold out. If the Seiki or something comparable was readily available, I'd go region free in an instant, but so far I haven't seen anything like it.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Business Models: Twilight Time vs. Olive Films

#956 Post by knives » Wed Aug 21, 2013 5:47 pm

I don't know if you are talking DVD also or just Bluray, but for DVD it is easy as pie and even can be done for free and with no hacking (which won't result in identity theft anyway). For me I just download the VLC player which automatically reads in all formats and regions (even Bluray if you can play them on you computer). That's for free and absolutely safe. If you want it for an ordinary player you'll have to do a little bit of research though many are PAL capable meaning that you can import R0 discs easily (and with Blu-ray you can do that no matter the player).

Hacking usually just means pushing a few buttons on your remote to change the region on your player.

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jindianajonz
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Re: Business Models: Twilight Time vs. Olive Films

#957 Post by jindianajonz » Wed Aug 21, 2013 5:59 pm

knives wrote:I don't know if you are talking DVD also or just Bluray, but for DVD it is easy as pie and even can be done for free and with no hacking (which won't result in identity theft anyway). For me I just download the VLC player which automatically reads in all formats and regions (even Bluray if you can play them on you computer). That's for free and absolutely safe. If you want it for an ordinary player you'll have to do a little bit of research though many are PAL capable meaning that you can import R0 discs easily (and with Blu-ray you can do that no matter the player).

Hacking usually just means pushing a few buttons on your remote to change the region on your player.
Sorry, I was referring to a physical blu-ray player- i hate watching things on my computer.

So wait, I'm confused- I had thought that R0 meant any player could play them, and region free players would let me play regions 2-4. Is this not the case?

Sorry for the off topic discussion, mods! :oops:

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jedgeco
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:28 am

Re: Business Models: Twilight Time vs. Olive Films

#958 Post by jedgeco » Wed Aug 21, 2013 6:00 pm

kingofthejungle wrote:
jedgeco wrote:I imagine that there are lots of people who are film fans and enjoy watching Blu-rays, but don't care enough to go through the hassle of buying a new Blu-ray player (from a specialty outlet), shopping overseas, dealing with currency conversion, waiting ~2 weeks for something to show up in the mail, etc.

It's a big country, lots of people are lazy, and it's not like there aren't enough domestic releases to fill up one's time.
Ordering from a non-US Amazon site works exactly the same way it does domestically, it automatically converts currency, shipping is usually between $6-12 (depending in where you order from), and my orders from Amazon uk, de, es, and fr all arrive more quickly than my domestic orders from importcds. As everyone else has pointed out, many great American classics are only available in other regions, and as far as I'm concerned, going region-free is a no-brainer.
The ease of ordering from overseas is, of course, something you learn after you do it. Most people don't care enough to bother.

I'm not trying to make an argument for not being region free, I'm just trying to explain what I imagine is the rationale.

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vsski
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Business Models: Twilight Time vs. Olive Films

#959 Post by vsski » Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:56 pm

jindianajonz wrote:Sorry, I was referring to a physical blu-ray player- i hate watching things on my computer.

So wait, I'm confused- I had thought that R0 meant any player could play them, and region free players would let me play regions 2-4. Is this not the case?
It actually is very easy to buy a region-free BD player or DVD player, the bigger issue is what are you willing to spend. There are essentially two categories of players available, those that are hardware modified, meaning someone actually opened up the player and enabled multi-region coding, the other is a software download to the player that switches region codes through a command on the remote (actually even with the hardware option you press a button on the remote to switch regions for BDs - DVD region switching is automatic).
HW modified is typically more expensive (unless you know how to do it yourself). The advantage is that if the manufacturer publishes new firmware upgrades you can easily download them to the player without impacting the ability to switch regions. With some of the SW packages it can happen that new firmware upgrades disable the region switching capabilities, thereby turning your player into a region locked player.

What knives was referring to with PAL and NTSC and Region 0 applies to DVD players only. You not only need a multi-region player to play DVDs from a different region but also a player and/or TV that can play both PAL and NTSC discs. Even a Region 0 disc from Europe that theoretically can be played in any locked US DVD player is only watchable if your player and/or TV can read PAL content (assuming the disc content is PAL - some MoC discs are NTSC).

If you want to know about the options for region free BD players just google them and you will find lots of companies come up in the US that sell these players - just be prepared for prices which can be vastly more than what you are accustomed to paying for a region-locked player, which is why the Sears deal was really sweet.

Zot!
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:09 am

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#960 Post by Zot! » Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:36 pm

Isn't there always something like the Seiki available? My Momitsu was the Seiki of its day. Cheap, no hack required, and still working perfectly years later. It also does NTSC to PAL conversion. I couldn't do without it. At least half of my viewing is from other regions. As noted, ordering BDs from overseas is simple and relatively inexpensive, sometimes cheaper than the domestic release. You may have to wait an extra couple of days to have it arrive...but not long. I've ordered from UK, Oz, Japan, France, Scandinavia, Germany, etc...all with no problem. We may not have flying cars, but ordering foreign movies in the 21st century is a breeze.

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Caligula
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Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:32 am
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Re: Business Models: Twilight Time vs. Olive Films

#961 Post by Caligula » Thu Aug 22, 2013 5:21 am

vsski wrote:There are essentially two categories of players available, those that are hardware modified, meaning someone actually opened up the player and enabled multi-region coding, the other is a software download to the player that switches region codes through a command on the remote (actually even with the hardware option you press a button on the remote to switch regions for BDs - DVD region switching is automatic).
There might even be three categories:

1) Hardware modified (Oppo, Cambridge Audio);
2) Via remote; or
3) My setup (I have a Denon BD-player) where I have two flash drives, one for region A and one for region B, that I have to plonk in to the USB-port whenever I want to change regions. Works quite well, actually. Strangely enough the option doesn't seem to be available for Marantz, their sister company (not in my country, anyway, the last time I enquired).

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#962 Post by David M. » Thu Aug 22, 2013 5:22 am

I've not heard of the Denon flash drive thing - where do you get the files to put on the drives? Freely available?

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Caligula
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#963 Post by Caligula » Fri Aug 23, 2013 3:10 am

David M. wrote:I've not heard of the Denon flash drive thing - where do you get the files to put on the drives? Freely available?
I have the files with instructions on how to use them - they should work for the DBT1713 and DBT3313 players. I have the Denon DBT 3313 and it works like a charm, playing any BD I throw at it - Criterion, MoC, Twilight Time's Big Heat, Japanese, Korean releases. I probably shouldn't say where I got the region-change files - don't want the relevant party to land in trouble. Suffice to say it's an official source.

If anyone wants the files with instructions PM me with your email address and I'll be happy to forward them.

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#964 Post by fdm » Fri Aug 23, 2013 3:17 am

Don't have details, but I recall reading of a USB only option for the Oppo 93 as well (no internal hardware additions needed).

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#965 Post by David M. » Fri Sep 06, 2013 1:41 pm

Any word if this (like the previous Pialat) is region free?
Region B locked.

I see people in Region A upset about Region B locked titles on an almost daily basis. 6 years ago, I'd have laughed if someone had predicted that Region B would be envied.

Region switchable players will bring a lot of comfort. Not an ideal situation... but you have the power to change your player much faster than the industry can change its ways.

Obviously, my opinions about region locking are my own.

The Doogster
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:07 pm
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Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#966 Post by The Doogster » Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:55 pm

David M. wrote:Region switchable players will bring a lot of comfort. Not an ideal situation... but you have the power to change your player much faster than the industry can change its ways.
I have a $99 Toshiba Blu-Ray player that is switchable between region A and B, using the remote control. I have about 200 region A discs and about 400 region B.

When Toshiba lost the Blu-Ray versus HD DVD battle, its Blu-Ray players became multi-region as a two-finger salute to the Blu-Ray consortium. Note that you may need to install a firmware upgrade to access the multi-region function.

There are several other brands of Blu-Ray player on the market that offer multi-region access.

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#967 Post by David M. » Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:00 am

When Toshiba lost the Blu-Ray versus HD DVD battle, its Blu-Ray players became multi-region as a two-finger salute to the Blu-Ray consortium.
I'm not sure if that's 100% true (I think the region switchable firmware actually came about because of Australian fair competition laws), but I hear that online a lot - it's a good story :D

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swo17
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Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#968 Post by swo17 » Tue Sep 10, 2013 11:30 am

David M. wrote:I see people in Region A upset about Region B locked titles on an almost daily basis. 6 years ago, I'd have laughed if someone had predicted that Region B would be envied.

Region switchable players will bring a lot of comfort. Not an ideal situation... but you have the power to change your player much faster than the industry can change its ways.

Obviously, my opinions about region locking are my own.
Off topic, but will we ever see the day that Blu-ray players can be modded to be truly region-free with regard to Blu-ray (as they are for DVD) as opposed to just region-switchable? Every time I switch between Regions A and B I feel like I'm taking a little life out of my player. (It usually takes me a couple tries to get the code to take, and I often have to reset my player after I've done so in order for it to show something other than a black screen. Throughout all of which, I'm panicking of course that my player will brick.) So I'm region-free, but I don't entirely feel "free"--I try to save up my Region B discs to watch them all at once, generally no more often than once a month.

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#969 Post by tenia » Tue Sep 10, 2013 11:49 am

swo17 wrote: Off topic, but will we ever see the day that Blu-ray players can be modded to be truly region-free with regard to Blu-ray (as they are for DVD) as opposed to just region-switchable? Every time I switch between Regions A and B I feel like I'm taking a little life out of my player. (It usually takes me a couple tries to get the code to take, and I often have to reset my player after I've done so in order for it to show something other than a black screen. Throughout all of which, I'm panicking of course that my player will brick.) So I'm region-free, but I don't entirely feel "free"--I try to save up my Region B discs to watch them all at once, generally no more often than once a month.
Most likely : never, simply because DVD players were not Region Free, but region All, meaning Region 0. However, by using letters instead of numbers, you lack the equivalency of a 0 in the alphabet, thus the need to change the region manually. However, I don't remember what prevents a BD-player to be set up as ABC. :-k

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#970 Post by David M. » Tue Sep 10, 2013 12:35 pm

Off topic, but will we ever see the day that Blu-ray players can be modded to be truly region-free with regard to Blu-ray (as they are for DVD) as opposed to just region-switchable?
Likely never. On DVD, the region coding was part of the logical format, i.e. the decision on whether to play the disc or not was handled by the player.

On BD, all players actually play all discs. To region-lock a Blu-ray Disc, the disc author has to manually add commands which crash the disc/lead it to a dead end if it detects it's playing in a certain region machine. (This is why you have all these cases/workarounds where some titles can be made to play on some players by pressing "1" or "top menu").

To have an auto region switching BD player, you would need to have a fairly complicated mod chip or firmware hack which tried to read the programming commands to see which region is the "Right" one for playback. Say you have commands that read:

if Region=A goto Title1
if Region=B goto Title0
if Region=C goto Title1

There's no way a machine can be programmed to automatically know which of those paths is the "Right" one for playback. So, it's likely to stay manually switchable.
Every time I switch between Regions A and B I feel like I'm taking a little life out of my player.
I really wouldn't worry about that. I'm not sure which player you have or how the region switches are implemented, but I don't see why it would take the life out of the player any more than changing menu options would.

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swo17
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Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#971 Post by swo17 » Tue Sep 10, 2013 12:39 pm

David M. wrote:I'm not sure which player you have or how the region switches are implemented
Oppo BDP-93, regions switched by entering a code and resetting the player.

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Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am

Re: 135 / BD 67 Van Gogh

#972 Post by Drucker » Tue Sep 10, 2013 12:47 pm

swo17 wrote:
David M. wrote:I'm not sure which player you have or how the region switches are implemented
Oppo BDP-93, regions switched by entering a code and resetting the player.
I too am always a wee nervous about how ever since putting the chip in, the Oppo logo flashes, then the screen goes black, and then it comes back again. It didn't do that before I started region switching.

Pink Lemonade Patrol
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2013 3:17 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#973 Post by Pink Lemonade Patrol » Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:56 pm

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this (http://www.world-import.com/region_free ... layers.htm) website for purchasing All-Region players. They seem pretty legit just by what they say on their website, but I was wondering if anyone here had purchased anything from them and can confirm that they are a reputable site to do business with.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give in this matter.

gselich
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:24 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#974 Post by gselich » Sat Sep 21, 2013 8:46 am

Pink Lemonade Patrol wrote:Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this (http://www.world-import.com/region_free ... layers.htm) website for purchasing All-Region players. They seem pretty legit just by what they say on their website, but I was wondering if anyone here had purchased anything from them and can confirm that they are a reputable site to do business with.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give in this matter.
I purchased my player from them about three months ago. I am very happy with them. They take a bit longer to ship than they indicate on the website, but that's no big deal. The merchandise is as described, quite well packed for shipping, and the communication was excellent. Their lifetime region free guarantee was a strong motivating factor in my choosing this dealer.

Mathew2468
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:40 pm

Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#975 Post by Mathew2468 » Fri Sep 27, 2013 10:02 pm

I just watched Second Sight's POSSESSION BD on my regionless Sharp BDHP70U but it messed up during the subway freakout (!). I'm guessing it was during the layer switch. Skipped and glitched. I went to the next chapter and rewound but 4 minutes were inaccessible. I'm not asking for help, but I'm wondering if this is a common problem when playing foreign BDs.

Another reason to double dip with the Mondo Vision!

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