Help finding a Name Brand region free DVD player - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

xtrawidth · 2007-01-31, 01:59 PM

I am currently in the market for a new dvd player, as my current JVC just gave up the ghost this week...

Trouble is, being an british ex-pat, I need something that will happily play all region discs, PAL or NTSC.

I bought the JVC from somewhere in Chicago, mail-order - though I don't particularly want to go that route again having been stung by UPS charges one too many times.

So I set about trying to find one in Canada. Seems nigh on impossible to get a reputable name brand...

Was looking for a Cambridge Audio player, as I'd read they were region free out of the box. No dealer can seem to agree on a price, or which models are current etc.

I called Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto, as they carry NAD's which I've also read are hackable or whatever. They certainly are all dual standard as in PAL & NTSC... When I asked the guy if they sold any players that could be region free, he told me to go to Yonge and Dundas... When I suggested the NADs they sell might be, he went away, came back, and told me they used to be, but now they're R1 only. I think he's a liar... It seemed like he was just like the sales assistants in Future Shop - the kind that resort to a product's manual for the answer to your question...

Finding these players is not that hard in the UK... Why is it proving so tough over here!?

eljay · 2007-01-31, 03:09 PM

Numerous brand-name players can be made region-free with a simple "hack" that usually involves nothing more complicated than pressing a few buttons on the remote. (I have personally "liberated" my OPPO, a Yamaha, a Toshiba and a LG.)

Search this site for "region free hack", or visit VideoHelp.com/DVDhacks.

xtrawidth · 2007-01-31, 03:11 PM

teh only issue with that is praying that the manufacturer hasn't updated their firmware to stop the hack...

Cyclism · 2007-01-31, 03:21 PM

If you get the "hack" to work, then why would you then download and install the updated firmware if you are afraid it would stop it?

xtrawidth · 2007-01-31, 03:23 PM

No you misunderstand...

Say a hack is posted on the web in Nov 2006, and the player is manufacturered in Jan 2007, there's a chance the firmware on the player already won't allow the hack anymore. right?

eljay · 2007-01-31, 03:26 PM

Depending on the player you're eyeing, you may be able to get confirmation of the viability of a posted hack from another owner or from a discussion board. If you're planning to buy a player from a big-box store, you can simply return it if the hack doesn't work.

Cyclism · 2007-01-31, 03:27 PM

True, but you can always check the firmware update site to see if they've implemented the Region free suppression or not and take the risk that the one you're buying was manufactured before the update.

2007-01-31, 01:59 PM	#1
xtrawidth Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 52	Help finding a Name Brand region free DVD player I am currently in the market for a new dvd player, as my current JVC just gave up the ghost this week... Trouble is, being an british ex-pat, I need something that will happily play all region discs, PAL or NTSC. I bought the JVC from somewhere in Chicago, mail-order - though I don't particularly want to go that route again having been stung by UPS charges one too many times. So I set about trying to find one in Canada. Seems nigh on impossible to get a reputable name brand... Was looking for a Cambridge Audio player, as I'd read they were region free out of the box. No dealer can seem to agree on a price, or which models are current etc. I called Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto, as they carry NAD's which I've also read are hackable or whatever. They certainly are all dual standard as in PAL & NTSC... When I asked the guy if they sold any players that could be region free, he told me to go to Yonge and Dundas... When I suggested the NADs they sell might be, he went away, came back, and told me they used to be, but now they're R1 only. I think he's a liar... It seemed like he was just like the sales assistants in Future Shop - the kind that resort to a product's manual for the answer to your question... Finding these players is not that hard in the UK... Why is it proving so tough over here!?

2007-01-31, 03:09 PM	#2
eljay Premium Supporter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ottawa (Orleans), ON Posts: 8,378	Numerous brand-name players can be made region-free with a simple "hack" that usually involves nothing more complicated than pressing a few buttons on the remote. (I have personally "liberated" my OPPO, a Yamaha, a Toshiba and a LG.) Search this site for "region free hack", or visit VideoHelp.com/DVDhacks. __________________ MY HT SET-UP (PICS & GEAR LIST)

2007-01-31, 03:26 PM	#6
eljay Premium Supporter Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ottawa (Orleans), ON Posts: 8,378	Depending on the player you're eyeing, you may be able to get confirmation of the viability of a posted hack from another owner or from a discussion board. If you're planning to buy a player from a big-box store, you can simply return it if the hack doesn't work. __________________ MY HT SET-UP (PICS & GEAR LIST)

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2007-01-31, 03:11 PM	#3
xtrawidth Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 52	teh only issue with that is praying that the manufacturer hasn't updated their firmware to stop the hack...

2007-01-31, 03:21 PM	#4
Cyclism Moderator Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver - OTA, Pioneer KURO Elite Signature PRO-141FD, 27" iMac, WDTV Live. Posts: 2,780	If you get the "hack" to work, then why would you then download and install the updated firmware if you are afraid it would stop it?

2007-01-31, 03:23 PM	#5
xtrawidth Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 52	No you misunderstand... Say a hack is posted on the web in Nov 2006, and the player is manufacturered in Jan 2007, there's a chance the firmware on the player already won't allow the hack anymore. right?

2007-01-31, 03:27 PM	#7
Cyclism Moderator Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver - OTA, Pioneer KURO Elite Signature PRO-141FD, 27" iMac, WDTV Live. Posts: 2,780	True, but you can always check the firmware update site to see if they've implemented the Region free suppression or not and take the risk that the one you're buying was manufactured before the update.