I've had it with Insignia blu-ray players...need a new region-free player...advice?

[Matt89]

Alright so I first went with an Insignia player as my first region-free blu-ray player. It stopped working halfway through the warranty and I returned it last summer in exchange for another one. SURPRISE SURPRISE, it just broke again the other day (with a disc inside this time!) It's been more than a year and they won't let me exchange it...now I'm region-locked again with my PS3. Anyone know of any good players for a reasonable price? (Less than $200 preferrably...or in and around there)

I'm thinking of instead just maybe getting a region-B player (and get a plug adapter) imported and have two machines, one region A and the other region B. I have a bunch of region B blu-rays that are no longer watchable and I'm pissed that this shit has now happened fucking twice to me. Insignia can lick my hairy nutsack.

Any suggestions?

~Matt

[Dobby]

Originally Posted by Matt89

Alright so I first went with an Insignia player as my first region-free blu-ray player. It stopped working halfway through the warranty and I returned it last summer in exchange for another one. SURPRISE SURPRISE, it just broke again the other day (with a disc inside this time!) It's been more than a year and they won't let me exchange it...now I'm region-locked again with my PS3. Anyone know of any good players for a reasonable price? (Less than $200 preferably...or in and around there)

I'm thinking of instead just maybe getting a region-B player (and get a plug adapter) imported and have two machines, one region A and the other region B. I have a bunch of region B blu-rays that are no longer watchable and I'm pissed that this shit has now happened fucking twice to me. Insignia can lick my hairy nutsack.

Any suggestions?

~Matt

I too would very much like to know also what Matt is asking. I agree Insignia players are pieces of shit and I'm poor. So I can't just blow money out my pie hole like a thug. So any and all info would be greatly appreciated! If necessary I will bump this thread till we get some solid answers. Oh and please don't start linking old threads. We are not newbies we know this has been discussed already. Players are always being made and newly produced. So this simply a fresh new start and friendly new discussion.

[Stige]

well the cost is more but,
I found the best thing was buying a bluray burner and burning a region free copy every time I buy another region. Costs more pr bluray, but I know if the player breaks i can buy a "good" player without worrying

[ekent]

I got this model from Don May Jr. on Facebook, and have no experience with it at all:

http://www.bombayelectronics.com/LG_...regionfree.htm

[hots4]

Panasonic blu ray players are available region free (mod chipped), they always have PAL & NTSC compatability so you will never have any problems with the PAL extra's not playing, i've got a model (BD35 can't remember exact model, i'm at work while i'm typing so cannot check), and i've had no problems, it's one of the older models and they still do firmware updates which is also a bonus.

[MorallySound]

Matt, since you're a fellow Canadian, go to WalMart and get a Seiki BD660. They are a "no-name" type brand, but I've had one now for 2 years and have had no problems. Plus they are only $80. Just uses a remote code to get to the manufacture settings screen and change the region codes. Blu-ray AND DVD region free.

[Dobby]

Would be nice if we could continue getting more recommendations.

[msw7]

Originally Posted by ekent

I got this model from Don May Jr. on Facebook, and have no experience with it at all:

http://www.bombayelectronics.com/LG_...regionfree.htm

I bought that model a few months ago, and do recommend it. There are a few mildly annoying quirks though.

First, when playing a DVD, the subtitles are on by default. They also turn themselves back on if you hit pause, slow-motion, or FF, REW buttons. It's simple to turn them off again (without interrupting the movie), but it's odd.

Second, it auto-switches DVD region, but sometimes crashes and needs to be turned off and back on before it will load a disk (or it's just really slow sometimes and I'm impatient; not sure). It's never failed to play a disk though.

Third, the blu-ray region switching is by menu (not automatic), and you need to tap in a code with the remote to activate the menu. The menu goes away if the machine loses power (but comes back again if you tap in the code). I don't have any blu-rays from another region, so I haven't tested this, but I don't see any reason why it should be a problem.

The last minor thing is that for some reason the buttons on the remote feel much easier to work with when I use my right hand, and are kind of awkward with my left hand (I'm left handed). Again, not a deal breaker by any means, but just a bit of a negative.

On the positive side, the menu options are extremely easy to navigate, and it loads disks pretty quickly. For DVDs, i prefer it over my old Malata player (which sometimes failed to play disks entirely, which this has never done). And blu-rays are amazing.

[SaviniFan]

I've been region free for a while with my PC blu-ray player, but I finally thought it was time I did it for the living room. After doing a bit of research I have decided on an Oppo. They seem to always get top reviews, and I suppose they ought to with how much they run. So I got me the Oppo BDP-103: http://www.bombayelectronics.com/Opp...regionfree.htm

Should arrive Monday. Looking forward to it.

[The Tall Man]

I use my PS3 for region free bluray, it has custom firmware on it. If your firmware on your PS3 is 3.55 or below, you can do it. If not, maybe pick up a cheap PS3 on eBay that's on this older firmware, then update it with Rogero CFW 4.30 V5.

The menu lets you simply pick whatever region you want, then just insert the movie, no reboot required.

[msw7]

just a quick update on the region free player I have -

It's the Orei, not the LG (but still from Bombay electronics). I solved the subtitle problem by setting it to play Tamil subtitles by default - most discs don't have these so no subtitles play (there is no option to not play any subtitles by default, strangely).

But, it still needs to be rebooted frequently for DVDs, particularly if it powers off with a disc in the player (it probably hangs 1 or 2 times out of 5 in that case).

I haven't connected it to the internet to see if there might be firmware upgrades that would help, but it's still mildly annoying.

[buck135]

I have had my Orei from Bombay Electronics for about 6 months now. It cost me about $150 and has handled everything I've thrown at it (BD's and DVD's from all over the world, 3D bd's, etc). It doesn't have online capability, though I haven't needed to. No firmware issues (knock on wood).

[msw7]

Originally Posted by buck135

I have had my Orei from Bombay Electronics for about 6 months now. It cost me about $150 and has handled everything I've thrown at it (BD's and DVD's from all over the world, 3D bd's, etc). It doesn't have online capability, though I haven't needed to. No firmware issues (knock on wood).

Yeah, mine does play anything, just not always right away. Does yours have subtitles on by default, or any way to turn that off? (for DVDs only, not blu-rays)

[buck135]

Originally Posted by msw7

Yeah, mine does play anything, just not always right away. Does yours have subtitles on by default, or any way to turn that off? (for DVDs only, not blu-rays)

When I get a DVD from a foreign country, the subtitles or audio is usually defaulted to that specific country. I use the Audio button on the remote (which is right below the left/right/up & down arrows) to modify the audio and the Sub button is right next to it which takes care of the subtitles. Hope this helps.

[Egg_Shen]

I'm still rockin' my insignia I bought for $40.00 about a year ago. Not the best machine, but it works. I only have four or five discs that are not region A, so $500 is not something I want to spend on them.