Region-free DVD players?

dipstick · Sep 5, 2004, 05:23 PM

Hey guys I'm wondering if anyone can point me to any region-free home dvd players? I want it to be able to play PAL and NTSC dvds with DiVX playback being a major plus. Anyone seen such a beast available in the US?
Thanks for any help.

Vampyromaniac · Sep 5, 2004, 07:52 PM

http://www.codefreedvd.com/
http://www.zonefreedvd.com/
http://www.dvdbuyingguide.com/

some major brand names on those pages...

dipstick · Sep 6, 2004, 02:02 PM

Thanks a bunch for the links but I think I have hit a new wall with this as it seems I will also need a PAL compatible TV. Oh well, it was worth a shot
Thanks again

Vampyromaniac · Sep 6, 2004, 05:35 PM

no dude, check out some of the players on those sites
"The JVC XV-N50BK is a code free player and so therefore it plays discs from regions 1-6. The player also has a built in NTSC/PAL converter, so you can play PAL discs from abroad and play them on a standard NTSC TV. "

Zardon · Sep 6, 2004, 05:59 PM

same as some of the players you get here, just reverse

dipstick · Sep 6, 2004, 06:46 PM

Thanks for the help but I lucked out this morning. I say screw it with PAL so I went to Best Buy and picked up the JVC XV-NP10S for only $130 mostly because it also plays DiVX disks and I can use my SD/Compact flash cards with it. Well not only does it do that well but it also plays freaking PAL disks! How awesome is that!! Highly recommended

Thanks again for all the help

Vampyromaniac · Sep 6, 2004, 06:48 PM

glad it worked out for you

is it region-free, too?

dipstick · Sep 6, 2004, 07:27 PM

Not sure to be honest but doesn't make it region-free if it plays Greek dvds? They use PAL and I'm sure their dvds are another region.

Vampyromaniac · Sep 6, 2004, 07:39 PM

yup, mulit-region at least, but probably region-free

Geminiwave · Sep 6, 2004, 07:40 PM

most players will translate it...the problem is that PAL has a different aspect ratio than NTSC so theres always gunna be those black bars on the side. kinda sucky.

I would recommend the Philips DivX player. It has a VERY EASY hack(involving typing in a 4 digit code...thats it) that makes it region free. I've tested it with region 2 and region 4 so far. One of them was PAL I remember

pr0digal jenius · Sep 6, 2004, 11:41 PM

or you could buy a cheapo laptop with a video out....:-P

Geminiwave · Sep 7, 2004, 08:39 AM

where do you get said "cheapo" laptop. I've wanted one for some time but I've found that people on ebay expect near the prices they paid for their laptops 5 years ago(i see 800mhz laptops going for $700!!!!!!)

I wanted to get a DVD compatible laptop for under $300 but im thinking its not possible.

swimtech · Sep 7, 2004, 02:09 PM

The thread is veering, but wanted to let you know you should be able to pick up a used IBM 600e with a DVD Rom drive for about that...

dipstick · Sep 7, 2004, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geminiwave

most players will translate it...the problem is that PAL has a different aspect ratio than NTSC so theres always gunna be those black bars on the side. kinda sucky.

I would recommend the Philips DivX player. It has a VERY EASY hack(involving typing in a 4 digit code...thats it) that makes it region free. I've tested it with region 2 and region 4 so far. One of them was PAL I remember

That is a good one and the one my bro wants to pick up because of its awesome price. But could you please tell me if it plays xvid and if it decodes DTS audio? I know all dvds players have the DTS logo but only 5% of those actually decode the stream.
Thanks

Geminiwave · Sep 7, 2004, 05:00 PM

okay what you have to realize about the Philips player is that it has about the same compatibility as the rest...the difference is that it can actually have codecs added. Unfortunatly I havent figured out how to get it working but many people have been doing firmware hacks.

in any case it does to DTS as far as I've tested and most Xvid runs like a dream(certian resolutions dont work very well...like very high ones. But I would avoid running super high res video on it anyway as it wont fit on the screen so well. your TV is only at like 400something by 200somthing anyway.

well in any case its a great player. It plays *almost* everything I throw at it(so far the one thing that hasnt worked are ogg vorbis media files. it'll play ogg vorbis audio but not the video) and my only complaint is that it has a scaling problem(its because of the TV, not the DVD player really though) that can sometimes cut off the subtitles of anime rips. Thats it though. No biggie. and its CHEAP!

dipstick · Sep 7, 2004, 06:54 PM

Awesome, thx for the info bud. I'll let him know it does everything he wants it to do.
Thx

Sep 5, 2004, 05:23 PM	#1
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Region-free DVD players? Hey guys I'm wondering if anyone can point me to any region-free home dvd players? I want it to be able to play PAL and NTSC dvds with DiVX playback being a major plus. Anyone seen such a beast available in the US? Thanks for any help.

Sep 5, 2004, 07:52 PM	#2
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	http://www.codefreedvd.com/ http://www.zonefreedvd.com/ http://www.dvdbuyingguide.com/ some major brand names on those pages... __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

Sep 6, 2004, 05:35 PM	#4
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	no dude, check out some of the players on those sites "The JVC XV-N50BK is a code free player and so therefore it plays discs from regions 1-6. The player also has a built in NTSC/PAL converter, so you can play PAL discs from abroad and play them on a standard NTSC TV. " __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

Sep 6, 2004, 06:48 PM	#7
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	glad it worked out for you is it region-free, too? __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

Sep 6, 2004, 07:39 PM	#9
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	yup, mulit-region at least, but probably region-free __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

Sep 6, 2004, 02:02 PM	Thread Starter #3
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Thanks a bunch for the links but I think I have hit a new wall with this as it seems I will also need a PAL compatible TV. Oh well, it was worth a shot Thanks again

Sep 6, 2004, 05:59 PM	#5
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	same as some of the players you get here, just reverse

Sep 6, 2004, 06:46 PM	Thread Starter #6
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Thanks for the help but I lucked out this morning. I say screw it with PAL so I went to Best Buy and picked up the JVC XV-NP10S for only $130 mostly because it also plays DiVX disks and I can use my SD/Compact flash cards with it. Well not only does it do that well but it also plays freaking PAL disks! How awesome is that!! Highly recommended Thanks again for all the help

Sep 6, 2004, 07:27 PM	Thread Starter #8
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Not sure to be honest but doesn't make it region-free if it plays Greek dvds? They use PAL and I'm sure their dvds are another region.

Sep 6, 2004, 07:40 PM	#10
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 64	most players will translate it...the problem is that PAL has a different aspect ratio than NTSC so theres always gunna be those black bars on the side. kinda sucky. I would recommend the Philips DivX player. It has a VERY EASY hack(involving typing in a 4 digit code...thats it) that makes it region free. I've tested it with region 2 and region 4 so far. One of them was PAL I remember __________________

Sep 6, 2004, 11:41 PM	#11
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	or you could buy a cheapo laptop with a video out....:-P

Sep 7, 2004, 08:39 AM	#12
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 64	where do you get said "cheapo" laptop. I've wanted one for some time but I've found that people on ebay expect near the prices they paid for their laptops 5 years ago(i see 800mhz laptops going for $700!!!!!!) I wanted to get a DVD compatible laptop for under $300 but im thinking its not possible. __________________

Sep 7, 2004, 02:09 PM	#13
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	The thread is veering, but wanted to let you know you should be able to pick up a used IBM 600e with a DVD Rom drive for about that... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Sep 7, 2004, 05:00 PM	#15
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 64	okay what you have to realize about the Philips player is that it has about the same compatibility as the rest...the difference is that it can actually have codecs added. Unfortunatly I havent figured out how to get it working but many people have been doing firmware hacks. in any case it does to DTS as far as I've tested and most Xvid runs like a dream(certian resolutions dont work very well...like very high ones. But I would avoid running super high res video on it anyway as it wont fit on the screen so well. your TV is only at like 400something by 200somthing anyway. well in any case its a great player. It plays almost everything I throw at it(so far the one thing that hasnt worked are ogg vorbis media files. it'll play ogg vorbis audio but not the video) and my only complaint is that it has a scaling problem(its because of the TV, not the DVD player really though) that can sometimes cut off the subtitles of anime rips. Thats it though. No biggie. and its CHEAP! __________________

Sep 7, 2004, 06:54 PM	Thread Starter #16
dipstick HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: USA Posts: 3,609 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Awesome, thx for the info bud. I'll let him know it does everything he wants it to do. Thx