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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SpiderBaby
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 6:34 pm

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

#776 Post by SpiderBaby » Wed Nov 23, 2011 6:39 pm

Need help in finding a region free player and here are the things holding me back:

1. Mostly want it for dvds (UK ones mostly) but I would love to get a good/cheap blu-ray player (don't know if all MoC DVDs can play on a region free blu-ray player, hence why I don't know if I should get a region free blu-ray player instead of a dvd player). I also still don't know anything about the PAL/NTSC difference from another region's DVDs and if PAL can play on a U.S. T.V. if you have a region free blu-ray player. I know the difference between PAL/NTSC just don't know if a region free BLU-RAY player will play both PAL/NTSC dvds on a U.S. T.V..

2. I know little to nothing about sitting up a player to be "region free", so don't know if some "comes-out-of-the-box" region free or not.

3. Should I wait for maybe an online Black Friday type sale for a region free player? Trying to find a reasonable priced one (cheap) but at the same time, doesn't have problems with it (breaking down a couple months after you got it, etc).

Thanks for any help in advance.

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

#777 Post by MichaelB » Wed Nov 23, 2011 6:50 pm

Anyone in Britain might be very interested to know that Richer Sounds are selling Toshiba BDX-1200 Blu-ray players for a mere £49.99 - and they can be made multiregion with the aid of nothing more challenging than a memory stick and a downloaded firmware upgrade.

I bought one today, and it works brilliantly - our very own David Mackenzie, whose judgement I tend to trust in these matters, wrote a rave review on AV Forums, which I'm very happy to endorse.

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Peacock
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:47 pm
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#778 Post by Peacock » Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:40 pm

MichaelB wrote:Anyone in Britain
Anyone anywhere who is looking for a multi region Blu player should pick this up! You might need a $15 voltage converter to attach to the plug instead of a standard adapter though.

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mfunk9786
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#779 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:55 pm

I think that is ultimately going to be my region free plan, I just bought a very well-reviewed and higher end LG region locked player, and I will just get a player from the UK to be paired with it. Annoying, but it's what needs to be done at this point after so many disappointments (fuck you, Insignia and Sherwood)

David M.
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#780 Post by David M. » Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:09 pm

And here's how to make it region free.

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

#781 Post by Michael Kerpan » Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:13 pm

Does anyone ship this to the US?

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perkizitore
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#782 Post by perkizitore » Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:16 pm

There is an Amazon marketplace seller that does, with shipping to the US total comes up to $150.

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

#783 Post by Perkins Cobb » Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:50 am

Anyone here have a region-free LG BD630? 220 Electronics has 'em for under $200. Can't find any reviews except for Amazon comments on the Region A-locked version. Am I going to regret buying one this cheap?

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mfunk9786
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#784 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:22 am

I have the 670 (region locked) and like it so far, but to be fair, I've only had it a week. Are you saying there's a way to unlock these?!

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

#785 Post by Perkins Cobb » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:28 am

Well, it looks like 220 sells a region-free version of the 670. Whether there's a do-it-yourself kit out there, I dunno -- that's beyond me.

What do you get for the extra c-notes on that one vs. the 630 -- Wifi and 3D? I will be following the David Hare rule of never plugging my region-free player into the internet, but the 3D is tempting.

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mfunk9786
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#786 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:29 am

It was on sale for the same price as the 630 - I have no use for the 3D.

Before spending that much, consider that some people have hardware issues with this line of LGs (not everyone, but enough that I threw on a 3 year store protection plan!). Read some reviews on Amazon, apparently some of the disc drives are poorly manufactured.

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Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

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

#787 Post by Minkin » Wed Dec 07, 2011 2:42 am

I know that I have previously been in support of the Sherwood player, but I feel that I've been particularly lucky with mine (although it will occasionally refuse to play a disc and I can't go to the languages tab on the player's settings without the thing freezing).

Knowing other people's poor luck, I am wondering what player people are suggesting now? I'm getting this as a gift to someone, so I'd rather it work with remote codes - rather than downloading something onto it + I'd rather spend less than $200 (rules out the Oppo) + I'm in the US.

So, is this the equivalent to what MichaelB was talking about? Anyone know if the same download codes will work? (I don't see why not, other than one being sold in the UK vs US - but i'd like to know).

zone_resident
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 1:33 pm

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

#788 Post by zone_resident » Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:17 am

Perkins Cobb wrote:Anyone here have a region-free LG BD630? 220 Electronics has 'em for under $200. Can't find any reviews except for Amazon comments on the Region A-locked version. Am I going to regret buying one this cheap?
I have had the BD 630 for one month or so.

I put mostly Region A and region-free Blu-Ray discs. I've also tried Region-B locked BFI Ozu discs.. It worked well.

Changing zones.. you need to turn off the player and press the "Blue Botton" on the remote and 1, 2, or 3 for different zones. In a few cases I needed to repeat the procedure a few times (because you don't see or hear anything from the player) before it works. But it worked eventually in all cases.

It isn't connected to Internet, and I agree that it is wise to keep it that way!

I hope this helps.

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mfunk9786
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#789 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:54 am

A hardware-unlocked LG BD630 is on sale for $189.xx after the coupon code displayed atop the site. Apparently this place is very well regarded: There's a lifetime guarantee that the player will remain region free even if you routinely update the firmware, and it has also been modified to play PAL discs. I went for it and took my BD670 back to the store. Once I get this one I'll report back on how it works - it seems like there's no required code entry/shenanigans involved in switching regions, either.

FYI: This unit also plays Netflix, Vudu, YouTube and more; and has recently added Hulu Plus. It isn't wireless, but the wireless equivalent (BD640) is also offered on Bombay Electronics for an additional $30 or so.

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

#790 Post by Perkins Cobb » Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:47 am

I just got the LG 630 from 220 Electronics a few days ago. Pleased with the image quality, which is at least as good as the Region A Sony I'd been using as my primary player, and the Blu-ray region switching is very easy (and I'll only do it once in a blue moon, anyway). Will keep an eye on it regarding some of the flaws mentioned above (or on Amazon) and report back if it self-destructs.

Also haven't really tested PAL playback for R2 discs yet. I thought the Sherwood was a surprisingly good upscaler in general, much better than the Sony, and I'll miss that if the LG isn't as good.

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mfunk9786
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#791 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:50 am

How does the region switching work on yours?

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Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

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

#792 Post by Minkin » Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:15 am

Thanks Mfunk,

After all the bad press on the Insignia players and my fears over what firmware a new sherwood would have, I bought the LG that you linked - as a gift for my family. Should be a good Christmas.

Perkins Cobb
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm

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

#793 Post by Perkins Cobb » Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:15 am

mfunk9786 wrote:How does the region switching work on yours?
The same as zone_resident's, although the switching he describes is only necessary for Blus -- the unit plays all DVD regions without needing any remote codes. It's very intuitive -- probably rememberable (yes, I know that's not a word) without having to keep the codes & instructions on a post-it next to the TV, which I had to do with the Sherwood.

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mfunk9786
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#794 Post by mfunk9786 » Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:39 am

So the BD630 from Bombay Electronics is wonderful, but it doesn't stream Hulu like the BD670 does. Ugh, my pursuit of only having one player for all my Blu/streaming/USB needs continues. But seriously, this player is wonderful - the hardware is much better than the hardware used for the BD670. Nice and quiet, and it loads so much faster than any Blu-ray player I've ever had.

Perkins Cobb
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm

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

#795 Post by Perkins Cobb » Fri Dec 16, 2011 2:23 am

mfunk9786 wrote:So the BD630 from Bombay Electronics is wonderful, but it doesn't stream Hulu like the BD670 does. Ugh, my pursuit of only having one player for all my Blu/streaming/USB needs continues. But seriously, this player is wonderful - the hardware is much better than the hardware used for the BD670. Nice and quiet, and it loads so much faster than any Blu-ray player I've ever had.
My only complaint so far is that there's no subtitle button on the remote. I'm used to using that to catch a line of dialogue whenever I can't hear it, so that alone could demote this to being a secondary player.

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Emak-Bakia
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:48 am

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

#796 Post by Emak-Bakia » Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:42 am

I am very pleased to note that domino's Insignia recommendation worked. I finally got the model he suggested, and after about five minutes spent loading the old firmware onto a flash drive and then uploading it onto the player, it works beautifully. My region 2 releases that have been collecting dust in anticipation of this day will now be given new life! I really can't recommend this player enough. The total cost for the refurbished player from Amazon plus shipping and a two year Square Trade warranty was under $60.

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stagefright50
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#797 Post by stagefright50 » Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:15 pm

So I've got the model before domino's (NS-WBRDVD) and it plays PAL/Region 2 DVDs just fine with the "9113" unlock, but when I finally got my Touch of Evil Blu from MoC yesterday I was saddened to find it wouldn't play! I know this player will work but the firmware on my machine is too recent. If anyone has or comes across the original or older than 2010 firmware, please let me know.

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Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

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

#798 Post by Oedipax » Sun Dec 18, 2011 4:27 pm

stagefright50 wrote:If anyone has or comes across the original or older than 2010 firmware, please let me know.
Saw this link (ISO file) over on blu-ray.com. Here's the thread in question.

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stagefright50
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Re: All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice

#799 Post by stagefright50 » Wed Dec 21, 2011 1:58 am

Oedipax wrote:
stagefright50 wrote:If anyone has or comes across the original or older than 2010 firmware, please let me know.
Saw this link (ISO file) over on blu-ray.com. Here's the thread in question.
Thanks for the help. This firmware is for the WBRDVD2 model and I've got the generation before. The link helped though. I'm going to hound these people for help too!

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

#800 Post by TMDaines » Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:44 pm

God, a external Blu-ray drive for the PC is great! I got a Plextor for Christmas for my desktop PC, which is currently at university, and to my surprise the drive works perfectly with my four-year-old laptop, which doesn't even have a standalone graphics card. It's all plug and play so it literally takes 20 seconds to plug it in, slip in a Blu-ray and be multi-region with the software of your choice! Pretty much everything I read online seemed to scaremonger and suggest that you need a pretty powerful PC to be able to play Blu-rays but that really isn't the case at all.

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