All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

[barryconvex]

thank you everyone who replied. i'm going to try the LG BP220 because they have them in stock at the best buy down the street. can anyone confirm that the hack on these models is simple and won't have to be performed every time i want to switch regions? i have yet to buy a blu ray disc so i'm not that concerned with switching zones...yet. this is strictly to watch my region 2 dvds...again thank yous in advance...

[Michael Kerpan]

A standard American version of LG BP220 apparently won't do PAL to NTSC conversion. See: http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/3464 ... ions/page2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Koukol]

thank you everyone who replied. i'm going to try the LG BP220 because they have them in stock at the best buy down the street. can anyone confirm that the hack on these models is simple and won't have to be performed every time i want to switch regions? i have yet to buy a blu ray disc so i'm not that concerned with switching zones...yet. this is strictly to watch my region 2 dvds...again thank yous in advance...

"Expense is not a factor" and you're going for a LG? ](*,)

[barryconvex]

expense wasn't a factor until i mentioned it to my wife...sorry,i should've edited that post. is there a blu ray player for less than $100 that will play my region 2 dvds with a single hack?

[perkizitore]

Most blu-ray players can play Region Free for DVDs by setting the DVD Region to 0. However, as I mentioned before get either the Toshiba BDX1200 or the 3200 for a cheap, reliable and hassle free player.

[barryconvex]

why is there such a difference in price on the LG models that are region free on bombay electronics as opposed to amazon? i saw that LG model here:

If you're interested in splurging and getting a region free one (hardware hacked - works wonderfully and you can still update the firmware while retaining the region switching capability), you can get one here (where I got mine) for $190 shipped using the coupon code BARGAINOFFERS. They throw in a free HDMI cable, too.

then checked best buy and they have the same model for $100 cheaper...

[perkizitore]

These are hardware modded, so the charge you for the chip and installation. That makes them future proof to any problems compared to region free players unlocked by firmware.

[barryconvex]

ok,thank you...as you can see,i'm way out of my depth here...i really wish philips still made the dvp 5982...love that player...i'm going to take your advice perk and go with the toshiba..

[manicsounds]

The Insignia player I have is tricky with DVD regions. I can obviously change the region to whatever, including a 'region free' option, but if I put in a region 3 disc on that setting, it won't play. Why? Because the 'region free' DVD setting on the Insignia means the disc itself must be region free. If I want to play a region 3 disc, I must set it to region 3. Region 2, Region 2. Not a big problem really. It's about as much hassle as entering the "Down, R, Up, L, Y, B" code.

[Emak-Bakia]

A heads up for anyone looking for an inexpensive, region free blu ray player: the Seiki 212S currently available at Sears is made region free simply by entering “Setup > 8520” at the menu screen. I bought one a few months ago after my Insignia bit the dust, and haven’t had any problems with it so far. It’s a very basic player without wireless, but that just happens to be perfect for my current setup.

The only real problem is that the remote is one of the most poorly designed, unresponsive controls I’ve ever handled. But with a $49.99 price tag, it will do until I can afford to buy a better quality region free player. Word is, though, that these models have been discontinued and they’re already out of stock at other outlets, so I'd suggest acting quickly.

[twicebilled]

The only real problem is that the remote is one of the most poorly designed, unresponsive controls I’ve ever handled. But with a $49.99 price tag, it will do until I can afford to buy a better quality region free player. Word is, though, that these models have been discontinued and they’re already out of stock at other outlets, so I'd suggest acting quickly.

I use this player as an all region player and haven't had an issue yet with it playing anything. Also I had the same issue with the remote until I switched out the batteries, its still not as responsive but I felt the batteries shipped drained.

[Michael Kerpan]

How does this do with PAL to NTSC conversion (for DVDs -- and sometimes extra content on Blu-Rays)?

[twicebilled]

How does this do with PAL to NTSC conversion (for DVDs -- and sometimes extra content on Blu-Rays)?

It upscales all DVD content so PAL isn't an issue I believe similar to watching blu-rays. The upconverter is not bad for $49.99... but then again you are only paying $50 for a region free player.

[Zot!]

How does this do with PAL to NTSC conversion (for DVDs -- and sometimes extra content on Blu-Rays)?

It upscales all DVD content so PAL isn't an issue I believe similar to watching blu-rays. The upconverter is not bad for $49.99... but then again you are only paying $50 for a region free player.

Upscaling wouldn't necessarily be enough for PAL content, as it runs at a different frame rate, but as you are having no problems, it sounds like it is doing it without you being aware.

[Emak-Bakia]

I've watched several PAL discs and I noticed no problems with the conversion to NTSC. Admittedly, my eyes for this sort of thing aren't the sharpest, but there was never an instance of any obvious glitches.

[cdnchris]

I'm just going to throw in some praise for this player. I've been looking for another player (cheap preferably) and once I saw the post about the one at Sears I picked one up. I hooked it up and it works beautifully. Changed it to play Region B and it of course plays without issue. Picture and sound both appear to be fine.

The default for DVD is 0. I threw in BFI's The Devils and I didn't notice any issue with the PAL to NTSC conversion. You really can't tell. Checking out a few DVDs upscaling is decent, not great, but fine enough. I'm sure it will break in a year, but it's a bargain at $50.

(Remote is spotty, though. Only real complaint.)

[matrixschmatrix]

I just got mine, and after changing the region code, I popped in the MoC Metropolis disc and it played with no trouble. It came preprogrammed to show everything in 480 for some reason, but that was an east enough fix (though it had me worried for a bit, as everything seemed blocky and unimpressive looking)

[cdnchris]

Oh yeah, mine was like thay too. Oddly it comes set up to be hooked up to a CRT as the default. Had to change every default but didn't take long.

[rrot]

And it [the Seiki SR212S blu ray player] is now gone from Sears online...and just about everywhere else too it seems.

[jindianajonz]

So now that I seem to have missed out on the Seiki, what are some other good, cheap, easy-to-setup region free players that are still available?

[cpetrizzi]

What type of multi-region blu-ray players do you guys have? Is this a decent one?

[cdnchris]

If I'm reading this page right, you might be able to find reconditioned Seiki players here: http://www.searsoutlet.com/Blu-ray-Play ... uyUsedOnly (Of course, I think they're only "store pickup")

[David M.]

I really hope those Seiki players do a good job of reproducing what's on the disc given how many people in the US are using them!

[Zot!]

I really hope those Seiki players do a good job of reproducing what's on the disc given how many people in the US are using them!

Is there really that much of a difference between players when you're outputing an all digital stream?

[rrenault]

I'm wondering, I purchased AnyDVD a few months back but only paid for two years worth of updates. Do you think there'd be a way to change it so I could get lifetime updates (i.e. calling them and asking if I could pay a little extra on top of what I already paid)?