If the Netflix selection still isn't enough for you...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

I've cut way down on my cable stations--basically, I get only the local stations and PBS--I've started filling the entertainment void with Netflix, which has an amazing range of selections.

However, there ARE some things missing. For example, many fine films and TV programs from other countries have never been released on DVD in Region 1 and probably never will be. My favorite Japanese programs, for instance, are unlikely ever to see the inside of a U.S. video store or even the Netflix warehouse.

That's where region-free DVD players come in.

All DVDs are sold coded for certain regions. The U.S. and Canada make up Region 1. If you buy a European DVD, it will not play on your standard American DVD player, although it will play on some computers.

I've found out two things:

1. There are outfits that sell modified DVD players that override the region codes and contain an NSTC<>PAL converter to account for the different TV broadcast systems in North America and Europe. These cost about $20 more than a regular DVD player with the same features.

2. Amazon branches in Europe and Asia will happily sell you copies of movies from their countries. I have already taken advantage of this to buy a bunch of British TV programs that played on A&E before 2001: Dalziel and Pascoe, Silent Witness, and Tenko, as well as both series of the original Life on Mars, which will probably never be released in the U.S. because there's a U.S. knock-off in the works and because the music rights are so complicated. I've also bought a set of documentaries by leftist filmmaker John Pilger (if rightwingers think Michael Moore is over "far left"...) and a biography of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Then I decided I'd better stop. :-)

Anyway, if there's something you want to see from overseas that hasn't and probably won't be released in the U.S., all is not lost.

[truedelphi]

1. So if I order some DVD's from a foreign based Amazon, how much do I end up paying

For shipping??

And thanks for all these tips.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. Depends on the country you order it from

Amazon UK charages £2.09 per order plus 99p per disk. (Double the numbers to get the approximate price in dollars.) Delivery takes a week to ten days.

I haven't ordered anything from Japan yet, but they're more expensive: ¥1400 per shipment plus ¥300 per disk. (A yen is aobut one cent these days.)

[n2doc]

3. Also, you can rip a DVD to computer file and lose the region info.

Some programs, such as mac the ripper, even let you set the region on the copy.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. True, and as I said, I could easily watch those DVDs on my computer

but I don't like to watch on my computer, and I have to get the original DVDs from overseas anyway, since iTunes won't let you download from the iTunes store for a foreign country (it goes by the address attached to your credit card).

[n2doc]

8. Ah, but if you make a copy of the whole thing you can make a region free copy on DVD

and watch it on your regular setup. But a region free player sounds easier if you watch a lot of disks.

[and-justice-for-all]

4. I had to go to HH Gregg with the DVD in hand...

..It was a DORO DVD and was in PAL. I said to the salesman "Find me a DVD player that will play this and I will buy it." Sure enough, most of the DVD players they had could play the PAL formate.

The player was $75.00, Have had it for over 3 years now.

[Mojambo]

6. I really need to do Life On Mars.

Been putting it off for a while. No time like the present I guess.

And... downloading.

I love Bit Torrent.

[MaineDem]

7. Isn't "Tenko" the series about the women in a Japanese prison camp?

That was an awesome series. I loved it and have been surprised History Channel hasn't repeated it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. That's the one, and I bought it on sale

from Amazon UK. I first saw it on A&E in about 1986 or so, and it's one of my favorite series of all time.

[Greyskye]

10. OPPO Universal upconverting DVD players

For the money, these are some of the best Universal upconverting DVD players on the market. Comparable players are about 4X the price of these. Nothing to unlock or modify - these will play any DVD from around the world, including PAL format.

http://www.oppodigital.com/

I give 'em :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[chat_noir]

11. DVD player hacks

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Right, you can change the region code (which would, for example, let

you watch Japanese DVDs, which are Region 2 and NTSC, the same video standard that the U.S. --Region 1 and NTSC--uses, but even if you changed the region code, I'm not about NTSC<>PAL conversion, PAL being the video broadcast standard used in most of the world outside of North America and Japan.

The manual for my new region-free player says that it includes automatic NTSC<>PAL conversion but says that it's set for Region 1 (not anymore though :evilgrin: since the retailer hacked it)

I can imagine the hacks for regions only might work if, say, a resident of a South American wanted to watch DVDs from Spain or an Australian or New Zealander wanted to watch DVDs from the UK, since those are all PAL areas.

I'm not so sure that a U.S. DVD player without a PAL<>NTSC converter would be able to show movies from regions other than Japan, even if hacked.

Has anyone actually taken a cheapo U.S. DVD player and made it capable of playing European disks?

[philosophie_en_rose]

13. Philips DVD players are amazing and cheap.

I bought two DVD players, which are easily set to region free and play NTSC and PAL discs. Best of all, they have USB ports, so I can play things from my portable hard drive and computer. Cost - about $40 on sale at Amazon. They're not on sale anymore, but they probably will be (or you can find cheaper versions).

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVP5960-Player-Upscaling-direct/dp/B000G18DR0/ref=pd_cp_e_2?pf_rd_p=250314601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000T5HQN0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1MWQNNY1RZQWHBSJMGD5

[Justitia]

14. I have a Philips DVD player that allowed me to change my region to "0" (zero), now it plays anything

I rec'd it as a gift, but I think it was about $60.

I was able to play DVDs from Germany (PAL 2?)