[navin]

Ok I am no movie fan but my wife is.

We used to use our PS/3 to watch movies which was fine untill we decided to rent a few. None of the rental movies worked.

What we found out was that almost all rental movies (Hollywood productions) are Region 1 (US) while our PS/3 was Region 5 (India).

Sony India (which sells DVD and Blu Ray players that are NOT region blocked) will not unblock the PS/3. So we have no choice but to pruchase a DVD/BD player which can play all regions.

Options:
1. Sony BDP-S370 (we are getting this at a discount from Sony India because I gave them a piece of my mind). However it's USB port does not supprt NTFS

2. Philips BDP 2700/51 (even the guys at Philips are not sure about NTFS support)
(Philips - Blu-ray Disc player BD-Live USB2.0 Media Link DivX Ultra - BDP2700/51 - Blu-ray disc players - Blu-ray and DVD - Sound and vision)


We dont need Blu Ray right now but in the future we might. So we are looking for a Blu Ray player that can play all regions Blue-Ray and DVD as well as handle NTFS via USB so we can hook up a hard disk with AVCHD movies on it.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by navin

Options:
1. Sony BDP-S370 (we are getting this at a discount from Sony India because I gave them a piece of my mind). However it's USB port does not supprt NTFS

2. Philips BDP 2700/51 (even the guys at Philips are not sure about NTFS support)
(Philips - Blu-ray Disc player BD-Live USB2.0 Media Link DivX Ultra - BDP2700/51 - Blu-ray disc players - Blu-ray and DVD - Sound and vision)


We dont need Blu Ray right now but in the future we might. So we are looking for a Blu Ray player that can play all regions Blue-Ray and DVD as well as handle NTFS via USB so we can hook up a hard disk with AVCHD movies on it.

I don't think any Major Manufacturer sells DVD or BlueRay players which don't include the region code check. You may find chinese ones which do.

As far as DVD Players are concerned, I have found that Philips Customer Service in India is very helpful with this - they guided me through unlocking my DVD Player.

Another thing you can do is to look at this site
DVD Player and Blu-ray Player region codes - VideoHelp.com

Around 70-80% of the hacks given on this site work.
A lot of them are trivial - like pressing few keys in a sequence on the remote. That was the case for my Phillips DVD Player - and the hack on the videohelp site matched the one given by the customer service.
However, some players (sony and others, I think), the hacks are pretty difficult to implement.

Another good thing about a Phillips DVD Players is that plays any damn thing you throw at it - old DVDs, scratched DVDs, home recorded ones, vcds etc while my Samsung Player chokes on a lot of discs. So hopefully, their BluRay players are also as good.

[s0uljah]

I have come up with the following list to be mated with a Panasonic x20D (HD ready).

DVD-PL:
Pioneer Dv420
Philips 3368
Philips 3388

The only difference I noticed between the Philips 3388 and 3368 was gold plated terminals. The 3388 commands a 1.3k premium, would there be any other necessary features Im missing out that warrant the extra Gandhi's ?

Requirements :
*Easy Region unlock
*Accepting HDD for media playback (we have a number of HDD, so can format to Fat32 if needed but NTFS ready would be good. (This would save the bucks on a media player.)

Also plan to add a Logitech z5500 as the audio section (No audiophiles here, they are moving up from old CRT speakers ) So how does one rig the panel/DVDp/audio?

[navin]

Originally Posted by carboy

Another good thing about a Phillips DVD Players is that plays any damn thing you throw at it - old DVDs, scratched DVDs, home recorded ones, vcds etc while my Samsung Player chokes on a lot of discs. So hopefully, their BluRay players are also as good.

Originally Posted by s0uljah

I have come up with the following list to be mated with a Panasonic x20D (HD ready).

DVD-PL:
Pioneer Dv420

Carboy,

We tried the Sony and the Philips and though their DVD section was unlocked their Blu Ray was Region C locked and could not be unlocked.

So my wife got the Pioneer 420 for now. If and when we find a player that can play DVD and Blu ray from any region (and also our old VCDs) we'll replace the Pioneer.

To be honest I found the Pioneer 420 to be terrible. Sure it plays anything but it feels cheap, it looks cheaper, and the picture quality is not much to look at. But for under 4K I guess that's what you get.

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by navin

To be honest I found the Pioneer 420 to be terrible. Sure it plays anything but it feels cheap, it looks cheaper, and the picture quality is not much to look at. But for under 4K I guess that's what you get.

Is it available with B/W or only in the parallel market?

Is your viewing on full HD? I might consider the philips then if PQ is a drawback of the pioneer (though this is for a HD ready setup and not folk who by any means would resetn non HD content)

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by navin

Sony India (which sells DVD and Blu Ray players that are NOT region blocked) will not unblock the PS/3. So we have no choice but to pruchase a DVD/BD player which can play all regions.

Playstation 3 Update: Hackers Make PS3 Root Key Public | ThirdAge

Is it possible that this will also allow bypassing Region codes for the PS3 ?

This is essentially nothing but a 'root' or 'super admin' privilege code

[VW2010]

@Navin,

I think currently one definite way to achieve the region free player is with Oppo BDP 83. The mod kit is tested and works as a charm. Oppo players are just fantastic except for the cost. Currently the mods are available from a Europe dealer near Netherlands( I think) and the player with the Mod kits are sold by the same dealer. I am thinking of getting the mod kit but just hanging in now to see how the BDP 93 (mod kits) come out(when and how much).

Did you also check the Samsung BDP players?

[amidoc]

Originally Posted by navin

Ok I am no movie fan but my wife is.

We used to use our PS/3 to watch movies which was fine untill we decided to rent a few. None of the rental movies worked.

What we found out was that almost all rental movies (Hollywood productions) are Region 1 (US) while our PS/3 was Region 5 (India).

Sony India (which sells DVD and Blu Ray players that are NOT region blocked) will not unblock the PS/3. So we have no choice but to pruchase a DVD/BD player which can play all regions.

Options:
1. Sony BDP-S370 (we are getting this at a discount from Sony India because I gave them a piece of my mind). However it's USB port does not supprt NTFS

2. Philips BDP 2700/51 (even the guys at Philips are not sure about NTFS support)
(Philips - Blu-ray Disc player BD-Live USB2.0 Media Link DivX Ultra - BDP2700/51 - Blu-ray disc players - Blu-ray and DVD - Sound and vision)


We dont need Blu Ray right now but in the future we might. So we are looking for a Blu Ray player that can play all regions Blue-Ray and DVD as well as handle NTFS via USB so we can hook up a hard disk with AVCHD movies on it.

Hi

Recently purchased the Panasonic DMP BD 45 blue ray player from Alpha ( Multi product shop in Juhu). Most of the blue ray discs which i borrow from the library are region 1 so this player is perfect for that. The same model sold officially does not play region 1 . Only issue i am facing is that when i load a normal imported dvd's it says that this region is not compatable but since i have a pioneer dvd player i am okay with that.

One of the drawback in while watching blue ray is that if u stop a movie mid way and power off it does not start automatically from the same position and u have via the chapter route to arrive at where you stop the movie. i dont know whether its a player issue or a technology issue.

[chetans]

bought philips 3326 dvd player in a a hurry.
however when i put in the original dvd, which i rent through bigflix, i get region code error.
how can i fix this issue?

[shankar.balan]

Sony DVD players - (the new ones) are really good - they even come with a HDMI cable so you can connect it to your HD / HD Ready TV for better quality than you used to get with the red, yellow and white traditional connector cord. Ive seen there is a clear difference in quality on account of the HDMI cable - atleast in my observation.

Ive been using Sony DVD players for the last several years and none of them have ever grumbled about Region 1,2,3 etc. They seem to be "Region-free".

That said the earlier Philips DVD players Ive had were also pretty good and pretty tough as well. These were also Region Free though purchased in India.

I have not graduated to Blu Ray or HD DVD or whatever yet.

One query, will a Blu Ray or HD DVD player still be able to play all my standard DVD's or not?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by chetans

bought philips 3326 dvd player in a a hurry.
however when i put in the original dvd, which i rent through bigflix, i get region code error.
how can i fix this issue?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ml#post1530379

Call the Philips toll free help line. They will give you the number of a local phillips authorised service center who will guide you through how to set the region code to 0.

[VW2010]

One query, will a Blu Ray or HD DVD player still be able to play all my standard DVD's or not?

Absolutely. The players needs the right codec's to convert digital signal to video signal. So a BD player or HD DVD player will have the right codec's to convert the digital signals.

Apart from codec the BD players use what they call the "Blue" laser. The current players are completely backward compatible with ability to play CD's, DVD's and BD disc.

The codec's come into picture where they can read files from Hard disk avoiding the need for a BD.

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by carboy

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ml#post1530379

Call the Philips toll free help line. They will give you the number of a local phillips authorised service center who will guide you through how to set the region code to 0.

Facing the same problem with my DVP3568 here. Does setting the region code to zero allow you to play any region dvds?

[Newpunter]

I need a little help here. My DVD player has gone bust and i'm looking for a cheap DVD player. I have found the following Blu Ray players in my search which look very VFM. I am tempted to buy the LG model as it seems very VFM with all the necessary features.
Which is the best option among the below four ? I am looking for maximum features at minimum price :
LG BD550 @ 5,990
http://ezone.futurebazaar.com/Produc...Player/2449248

Onida BDX1110 @7,990
http://ezone.futurebazaar.com/Produc...Player/2450714

Philips BDP3000/05 @8,920
http://ezone.futurebazaar.com/Produc...Player/2441928

Samsung C550 @10,990
http://ezone.futurebazaar.com/Produc...Player/2449568

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by Newpunter

Samsung C550 @10,990
http://ezone.futurebazaar.com/Produc...Player/2449568

You can get 5% cashback at Reliance Digital.

I purchased this as a compromise between a WD Live + New HD dvd player.

At 10400/- I think its a nice go between and gives you future Blu-Ray support.

I was able to region unlock this for DVD's following a web tutorial, it was completed in the first attempt.

As a Media Player - Most formats, allows pausing of content. Very sharp interface and smooth transitions. Great PQ even with normal TV show rips.

Has NTFS support as well

I guess it will have few negatives but not as far as functionality compared with our old philips dvd player this is a dream, its has fast loading times as well.

Here is a pretty comprehensive discussion of this product if you decide on this product. I haven't found the time to check it out yet :
Official Samsung BD-C5500 master owner's thread