Who doesn't have a region free DVD player?

Blitzkrieger · 13-07-2003 1:43pm #1

I'm sick of ads listing 'multi-region' as a feature on a DVD player when nobody in their right mind would buy one that wasn't region free. So.....quick poll : Was anybody dumb enough to buy a region encoded DVD player?

Silvera · 13-07-2003 2:02pm

enlighten me, what is a "region encoded DVD player" ?

oeNeo · 13-07-2003 2:21pm

I don't know what I have tbh, my Dad bought it and I've only used it two or three times.

Makaveli · 13-07-2003 3:44pm

To be honest, alot of people don't even know there is region encoding on dvds.

imp · 13-07-2003 3:48pm

Personally I think its important to specify whether its a region-free player or not. Otherwise a buyer could end up buying a Region 2 player when they expected a region-free one.

}:>

Makaveli · 13-07-2003 4:02pm

Originally posted by Silvera
enlighten me, what is a "region encoded DVD player" ?

http://www.ilovedvd.co.nz/regioncodes.asp

sceptre · 13-07-2003 5:26pm

Originally posted by Makaveli
To be honest, alot of people don't even know there is region encoding on dvds.

I think you're right there. And of those that do know obviously there will be a few who'll think there's no need for them to have one. Anyone who just rents from their local Blockbuster won't need one.

seamus · 13-07-2003 5:43pm

I have one that's region 2 encoded. Got it as a present, and at the time didn't know about regions anyway.

In principle now, I wouldn't buy an encoded player, but it's mostly immaterial. Most people who buy DVD players aren't going to be buying stuff from the net, and nowhere in Ireland is going to sell any region other than 2 without having big warning stickers all over the box. And people buying stuff overseas tend to be wary about such media, especially when buying in America. I can't count the no. of friends going to the states this year that asked me whether CDs bought over there would work here. It's almost taken for granted that there are at least 3 distinct regions for most products - America, Europe and Asia. Regions on DVDs is a forced incompatibility, which is what annoys me most about it.

The lack of coverage that regions get annoys me though. Very few DVD cases have the region *clearly* marked, and even less DVD players do.

po0k · 13-07-2003 6:19pm

Alot of players allow for region-free "firmware upgrades" (great term that) by bruning the .bin or .hex onto a CDR or CDRW and popping it in the drive, maybe with hitting a few buttons on the remote simulateously or in some specified order to get it to flash.

Afaik Sony doesn't.
I wonder why.

weemcd · 13-07-2003 11:16pm

i cheated by gettin a region x disc for my ps2! it was less than £14, and came with a remote, and a better quality rgb cable!

seamus · 14-07-2003 3:49pm

In fact, a web search yielded the fact that my player is in fact region-free.

Which is nice.

Orion · 14-07-2003 4:11pm

I got my one from Techtronics in the UK (over the net naturally). It's chipped multi-region with RCE detection - they buy them in, chip them and sell them on with their own 1 year warranty. Had it two years now - no problems.

I didn't know you could get completely region-free players.

AdMMM · 14-07-2003 4:40pm

My DVD player is region encoded, my dad likes buying the cheapest **** from Argos, I personally hardly ever use it, but watch DVD's on my PC's nice and wide 25" Screen, with 120w speakers.... oh yeah!

Borzoi · 15-07-2003 8:03am

I had the choice of a good quality region 2. or a crappy region free player for the same price - I went with the quality.

This was a few years back before DVD players were free with every pack of cornflakes.

MrB · 15-07-2003 12:53pm

I bought a nice Marantz DVD player from Richersounds about a year ago, it came region free, but it can be set again to any region with a few button presses on the remote.

BTW. Shame that Richersounds left, they where like a shining light in a Dublin full of Dixons and Peats

po0k · 15-07-2003 2:45pm

We got a Powerpoint cheap piece 'o piss region free.
It works. It has a built-in 5.1 amp, plays everything you can throw at it. Cost the brother €130

sceptre · 16-07-2003 12:59am

Originally posted by [JcCM]Murderer
My DVD player is region encoded, my dad likes buying the cheapest **** from Argos, I personally hardly ever use it, but watch DVD's on my PC's nice and wide 25" Screen, with 120w speakers.... oh yeah!

I suppose he didn't go for the Bush 2023 when it was cheap in Argos? Multi-region out of the box IIRC.

Silent Bob · 16-07-2003 7:00pm

Apparently there are doubts over the legality of regionalised DVD players and regionalised DVDs, at least in Europe anyway. Something to do with stifling the free market I think.

Either way I can't wait for it to be deemed illegal to sell region encoded media in Europe

BKtje · 17-07-2003 9:44am

fear the DVD power of my playstation 2

MrB · 17-07-2003 9:51am

Damn right, region encoding is 100% just a way of screwing over the consumer, it has no positive features at all.
I get pissed off when people try to tie region encoding with anti-piracy, they are two completely separate things.

If region encoding where made illegal in Europe would that affect games consoles as well? I can't see why not

MrB · 17-07-2003 9:52am

Originally posted by B-K-DzR
fear the DVD power of my playstation 2

and my Xbox

Who doesn't have a region free DVD player?

Do you have a region free DVD player? 37 votes

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