Recommend a region free player please.

[gore]

Yeah, something not too expensive. I am struggling to find those hidden gems lately so I finally need to break down and get some R2's. I think I'll start with the Burning since I have never seen it and am sick of waiting for a r1 release. Any suggestions for players and dvds is much appreciated.

[SaviniFan]

Lotsa threads on this in the past, but I'm to lazy to link myself. You'll see alot of praise for the easy to get and cheap Philips DVP642. You can probably find it at your local Best Buy and it has a very easy remote hack. I've got a Toshiba model myself that has a bit better of a picture than the Philips, but the model number escapes me at the moment since I'm at work. It was also at Best Buy.

[KillerCannabis]

I've got a Sampo DVE-612N and it does a great job.

[Myron Breck]

Or someone could just link to that thread with the site address for the hack codes...then you won't have to buy a new one at all.

[bigdaddyhorse]

www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks

:) Good luck, you might already be region free!

[Evil Dead Guy]

I have a Philips DVP 642 and it has been a real good player. not had any problems so far ( Knock on wood ).

[Crystal Plumage]

You still might need a PAL -> NTSC converter.

[gore]

Thanks for the hack links but I have been watching through game consoles. Pretty much any dvd player will be an improvement I'm sure. I've looked before at places like best buy but I never saw any specification about region free. When I ask the employees they tend to look lost on the subject. :lol: I'll do some forum searches.

Any suggestions on dvds that arent available in R1? (other than asian stuff)

[dwatts]

Well, My Xbox is region free. Not sure what game console you're using. But yeah, any old cheap DVD player does a better job.

[gore]

Well, My Xbox is region free. Not sure what game console you're using. But yeah, any old cheap DVD player does a better job.

Xbox by modification or is it region free out of box?

[Ash28M]

You still might need a PAL -> NTSC converter.

Are there region free players that don't do this?

[Crystal Plumage]

Any suggestions on dvds that arent available in R1? (other than asian stuff)
Check out this recent thread:
http://www.horrordvds.com/vb3forum/showthread.php?t=27398&highlight=region+free

Or you could check out Xploited (http://www.xploitedcinema.com/),Diabolik (http://www.diabolikdvd.com/),Absurd (http://www.absurd-online.dk/shop/default.asp),Chainsaw (http://www.chainsawvideo.nl/) or Machiavel (http://www.machiaveldvd.com/main.cfm?p=accueil&l=en) .

[dwatts]

--Xbox by modification or is it region free out of box?--

It's been chipped.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Thanks for the hack links but I have been watching through game consoles. Pretty much any dvd player will be an improvement I'm sure. I've looked before at places like best buy but I never saw any specification about region free. When I ask the employees they tend to look lost on the subject. :lol: I'll do some forum searches.

Any suggestions on dvds that arent available in R1? (other than asian stuff)

You won't see any players in any retail stores being advertised as region free, and most employees at the stores will be clueless when asked about it. Use that link I provided as a shopping tool, and jot down notes as to what players are at Best Buy or whereever, then run the make and model # to see if you can hack it. 99.9% of players can convert PAL to NTSC, I've only heard of 1 or 2 that can be region free but not convert PAL. If they can't there's probably notes on videohelp about it.

[shift]

Ok... there is a lot of recommendations of dvd units already posted here.

Some important things to ask yourself.

1. How will you hook it up? VGA, COMPONENT, COMPOSIT, DVI, S-VIDEO?

2. How much you want to spend?

3. Do you just want something cheap? You know like college kid pocket book and thats an El Cheapo unit?

================

Will if I was to get one and just a basic great dvd player. I choose the Phillips DVP642. Remote hack easy. Unit cost less then 60 bucks @ wal-mart. Or if you want to be brave and careless about quality control, check out APEX or Daewoo (at target) can be hacked. Check out www.nerd-out.com

[Katatonia]

Are there region free players that don't do this?

Surprisingly, there's tons. On many name brand DVD players you can easily find a hack to make it region-free, but many of those players have no built in PAL-to-NTSC converter. So you can easily play a Region 3 DVD (NTSC) from Hong Kong, but not a Region 2 DVD (PAL) from the UK. Or if it does play, the screen would look so screwy that it would be next to impossible to actually view it.


I also recommend the Philips DVP642. It's been a worthy player for the price range, and even plays some discs that none of my other players will.

[Chad]

Even though its already been mentioned several times already:

I'll give yet another recommendation for the Philips DVP642. Excellent player that supports just about anything and is usually under $70. And its available just about anywhere (Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Target, Best Buy, etc.).

One player I DON'T recommend is the Cyberhome CH-DVD 300S. Even though I've seen it go for as low as $10 after rebate, it bit the dust after a couple of months.

[Damed]

I too have the dvp-642. So far it's been a fantastic region free player.

[SaviniFan]

My region free player is the Toshiba SD-3980. It doesn't play any DivX like the Philips does, but the PAL to NTSC is slightly better. It also has a very easy remote hack and is cheap and easy to find at Best Buy.

[Ash28M]

One player I DON'T recommend is the Cyberhome CH-DVD 300S. Even though I've seen it go for as low as $10 after rebate, it bit the dust after a couple of months.

You may have had some bad luck with yours. I've had mine over a year and it's still working fine.

[Mortis]

Good call. :D Oh, and my Philips works great.

Check out this recent thread:
http://www.horrordvds.com/vb3forum/showthread.php?t=27398&highlight=region+free

[maybrick]

I did a comparison recently between my Philips 642 and a Cyberhome (don't know model number. sorry.) with my PAL Phantasm. My conclusions were that the Cyberhome has better picture quality than the Philips. However, the upper matte line on the anamorphic widescreen image wavered so much that it was distracting and frames were being skipped over on a regular basis. I'd say stick with the Philips.

[Sinister Ash]

I've used various multi-region dvd players that can properly convert pal->ntsc.

I recommend looking at the Malata DVD players if you want to spend a little more money. Certain models have very accurate x-y scaling to zoom out just enough to see the entire picture. This eliminates overscan that many TVs have. I have the Malata N996, one of the earliest models, and it's holding up great after all these years of watching imports. I have not used the newer models, but I assume that they can only get better. The mediamatics chip does excellent conversion. HKflix has a bunch of malata models as well as some other brands, but I haven't used them before.

The next option if you want really cheap, I'd say go for a Cyberhome 300 (the current avail model from Best Buy). Fairly decent quality picture, not as good as the Malata, but it does the trick. If you can get the Cyberhome CH-500, try to get that one, it seems to have better picture quality than the 300. I have used both. Both were available from Best Buy. Some people have had bad experineces with them, but none of mine have crapped out on me yet. I guess it's the luck of the draw with the cyberhomes.

Two other players that I've briefly tested are:
APEX, the pal->ntsc conversion is poor on the model that I've tried. (can't remember the model number though)
Sampo is decent, and better than APEX.

Or you can always see if you can find a region hack your computer's dvd drive.

Great resources for these things are: videohelp.com and rpc1.com

I hope this helps. I wouldn't know what I'd do without my region free players with pal conversion chipsets! Good luck on finding the right player for you.

[Chad]

You may have had some bad luck with yours. I've had mine over a year and it's still working fine.
Yeah, it could be I just got a lemon. And I've heard others like you that have had them for over a year with no problems whatsoever. Then again, I've also read quite a few complaints like mine where they'll just die all of a sudden for no apparent reason after only a month or so. Anyway, for that cheap of a price I guess it'd be worth the gamble. :cool:

[adric]

alright, my Philips DVP642 is just about to bite the dust so im looking for recommendations on a new, up to date player that i can easily make all region. is the philips still the standard, or has a new player come into anyone's home i should know about?

[eric_angelus]

I just got the Philips DVP5982 (to replace my 682) and it is a great player that upconverts to 1080P and is easily converted to all region. I actually like this one so much that I am pretty much using it as my main player now...not just for my import discs as I did with the 682. I picked it up at Best Buy for about $60.

[Shannafey]

What Eric recommended is probably an upgrade to what I bought a few months ago at Best Buy:

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVP5960-Player-Upscaling-direct/dp/B000G18DR0/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-7058667-3778841?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1189773588&sr=8-1

This player is great! I region hacked it and it plays everything I put in it, as well as DIVX files and MPEG files. It looks amazing upconverted on my 47" LCD.

[SaviniFan]

What Eric recommended is probably an upgrade to what I bought a few months ago at Best Buy:

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVP5960-Player-Upscaling-direct/dp/B000G18DR0/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-7058667-3778841?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1189773588&sr=8-1

This player is great! I region hacked it and it plays everything I put in it, as well as DIVX files and MPEG files. It looks amazing upconverted on my 47" LCD.

I have the Philips DVP5960 as well. Easy region hack and as Shannafey said, the 1080i upscaling looks great on a HDTV. DivX is a nice bonus and it has a front panel USB port.

[Shannafey]

The 5960 also plays PAL DVDs just fine!!

[MorallySound]

The 5960 also plays PAL DVDs just fine!!

I may have to pick this sucker up. Been meaning to go region free for quite a while.

[Shannafey]

I may have to pick this sucker up. Been meaning to go region free for quite a while.


The only 2 minuses I have are minor and one is the fact that you can't just hit the open button to start the deck up. Something I'm used to with most decks. The other is, there is no Last Memory button on the remote. You can put a dvd in a press play instantly and it will go to the last location, but I like that Last Memory feature more. Other than that, you can't beat a deck like this for less than $70.

Region Hackable, Pal compatible, plays DIVX, MPEG, MP3, WMA, JPEG and almost any disc you put in it, has a USB port and is upconvertible to 1080i!! Great deck!

[DrHerbertWest]

I got a DVP-642 for our anniversary last year and it still works great. Makes a little humming noise once in a while but never had any issues with the playback. Works great for all regions.

[Ash28M]

Just get an Oppo and be done with it. It's the best you can get for the money IMO.

[chrishicks]

Just get an Oppo and be done with it. It's the best you can get for the money IMO.

+1

[onebyone]

Just get an Oppo and be done with it. It's the best you can get for the money IMO.

I recently got one of these and it really is amazing. Plays every single thing I throw at it, even things that haven't played for crap in years. Love it.

[Sinister Ash]

1. Malata N996 (or the newer version) - this player has lasted me for years, and so far has out performed all the other players I've owned. Best pal-ntsc conversion and zoom out x-y functions to fix overscan problems. bought for about $200 (but this was long time ago when region free dvd players were scarce, but it's worth every penny).

2. Philips 642 - excellent dvd player that doesn't have to be special ordered. Great pal-ntsc conversion. bought for about $80USD.

3. Cyberhome (2 different versions) - somewhat crappy picture, doesn't play homemade dvds well. But for about $30-$40, it's ok if you want something small , cheap and can play region free. pal-ntsc is ok.

Have fun!

[Devo1313]

Protron 800 I got from Big Lots for $20 has lasted me over 2 years now. You just to Nerd-Out.com and get the codes and you're set. Haven't had any problems yet.

[adric]

i ended up grabbing a Philips DVP5960 at best buy for 60 since it was off the display shelf. seems to play fine although i want to test it on my projector with the hd upscaling.

[Shannafey]

Protron 800 I got from Big Lots for $20 has lasted me over 2 years now. You just to Nerd-Out.com and get the codes and you're set. Haven't had any problems yet.

Wow! That's a great buy!

[Darga]

Is the Oppo DV-980H ($169) good enough or should I be going for the DV-981HD ($229)?

[Horrorphilly]

I have a Sharp DV-SL1000W and while it is region free.I have problems playing some region 1 dvds and older anchor bay dvds.It also wont play dvd-rs.I may have to pick up a region free player with hdmi up convert.



Sean

[Horrorphilly]

Just get an Oppo and be done with it. It's the best you can get for the money IMO.

What model number do you have? Im thinking of getting one but dont wanna buy the 981 or the higher end model.My player is really f@cking up big time and its brand new.Thanks for the help.



Sean

[Horrorphilly]

Is the Oppo DV-980H ($169) good enough or should I be going for the DV-981HD ($229)?

Did you ever buy that OPPO yet? If you have what model did you get? Im looking to get one but dont wanna spend a ton of dough on it.




Sean

[808man]

at k-mart they have a DVD player for $19.95 (or less when on sale) called GPX
Model # D1816. it says R1 on the back of the unit but it plays anything and everything with no problems right outta the box. well mine does anyway. i was told about it on another site last year. good luck!