Region free standalone DVD players

Whitey Ford · 5th May 2003, 5:49 PM

Are region free standalone DVD players available to buy in retail stores in Australia, or are they still 'illegal'?

Mike

archie · 5th May 2003, 5:53 PM

i know of these

panasonic rv32 (if it has green video ezy sticker on side of box)
nearly all philips (instructions on A4 sheet in box)
quite a few LG dvd players too.

Clem · 5th May 2003, 7:44 PM

I have an Omni and it does the lot.
The phillips region free, Done by the importer here in Australia I think.
Clem

FuzzY · 5th May 2003, 9:41 PM

Virtually all current DVD players are multizoned, or can be with a set of codes. There are probably still a couple which are fixed to Region 4, but not many.

Sony
Pana
LG (codes)
Philips (codes)
Samsung (codes)
Pioneer
JVC
Kenwood (single disc only)
Teac (codes)
Akai
Pretty much all yum-cha brands too.

Good Luck,

Joe.

THeX · 6th May 2003, 10:50 PM

yes you'll find everything is multizoned these days.

Funny cos lots of fools think multizoning is for playing those pov pirate dvds from Bali (yes you know who you are!!!)

d_hall · 7th May 2003, 11:47 AM

I bought a Toshiba (2600, IIRC) from Megamart in Dec and it claims to be region-free (although I haven't tested it yet). Myer seemed to be using the feature to boost the sales of the higher-end models: they only had three or four to choose from, each the top model they had in that brand.

Ch00k · 7th May 2003, 11:56 AM

I was always told that all DVD players sold from JB Hi Fi were region free, and that is certainly the case with the Pioneer that I once purchased from there.

trippyfoo · 7th May 2003, 12:21 PM

Yeah , i'd agree there with all of jb players being region free.
I think pretty much any dvd player these days are region free.

Though i wonder how the manufacturers go about it , as aren't they all bound by licensing agreements .. etc etc
In terms of keeping the regional codings in place.

Anyone here know?

inspectah · 7th May 2003, 12:24 PM

i got a sony nv305 dvd player about 4 months ago and that is region free.. they have no region stickers on the box, but on the back of the unit it has "4" stamped on it.. apparently they just had to put it there so they were "selling a region locked unit"..

rdamage · 7th May 2003, 1:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by trippyfoo
Yeah , i'd agree there with all of jb players being region free.
I think pretty much any dvd player these days are region free.

Though i wonder how the manufacturers go about it , as aren't they all bound by licensing agreements .. etc etc
In terms of keeping the regional codings in place.

Anyone here know?

I think all the major manufacturers Sony, Panasonic,Toshiba etc would still be bound by the licensing agreements. However, now that 'multizone' is a big selling point you will find that they all 'enhance' their DVD players so as not to lose out on sales.

rd

Whitey Ford · 10th May 2003, 12:50 PM

Okay, this sounds promising.
I've got a few DVDs from other regions (my pc DVD player is unlocked) would it be a good idea to just take them in to a retailer and try and play them on the display dvd?

Mike

rdamage · 10th May 2003, 4:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whitey Ford
Okay, this sounds promising.
I've got a few DVDs from other regions (my pc DVD player is unlocked) would it be a good idea to just take them in to a retailer and try and play them on the display dvd?

Mike

Yeah, it is a good idea to do that. However, be aware that the display model in the store may have been on display for some time and hence may be an old version of DVD that may not have 'multizone' enabled. Newer versions of the same model may have. Most specialist Hifi stores will tell you a unit is multizoned if you ask, but I doubt they would advertise the fact.

An example is the Panasonic RV32 model - if it has been 'multizoned' you will see a small sticker on the top of the box saying something like 'checked by quality assurance'.

rd

seamer · 10th May 2003, 4:48 PM

WE bought a dvd player from Myers (sony brand) this week, it plays any DVD we can throw at it...apparently its both due to Alan Fels and his crusade against region settings (as its a competition thing and not a required-or-else-it-blows-up thing), and all those people chipping their players and returning it for a fix, or screwing the bios to create region free...its what we were told, who knows

FarQ · 10th May 2003, 5:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whitey Ford
Okay, this sounds promising.
I've got a few DVDs from other regions (my pc DVD player is unlocked) would it be a good idea to just take them in to a retailer and try and play them on the display dvd?

Mike

if you want a cheap one, just get a LG model and then it can be multi-zoned via the remote control ( by pressing certain key sequence). I have the DC-593W (i think thats the model number) which is the combo vcf/dvd player. after changing it to multi-zone it even plays RCE protected discs (Final Fantasy R1). It you are after another model try here for hacks http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdhacks.php

cheers

Wacky · 11th May 2003, 10:24 AM

Pioneer DVD players are multizoned as standard...most don't even need you to enter codes.

In regards to legality, I believe it's always been legal for them to ship as multizoned, but I was told by Bing Lee that retailers and manufacturers are not allowed to actively advertise the fact. hence why you have probably never seen Multi-zone info on manufactuer websites, or in retail catalogues. This was how it was apparently when I got mine about 2 years ago...but as someone mentioned re ACCC, it might have opened up even further now.

5th May 2003, 5:49 PM	#1
Whitey Ford Sings the blues Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Manly Posts: 7,103	Region free standalone DVD players Are region free standalone DVD players available to buy in retail stores in Australia, or are they still 'illegal'? Mike __________________ [ Free Image Host for OCAU ] [ Originally posted by Eluial - Mr. Ford, you are soooooo kawaii!!! I luv you!!! ]

5th May 2003, 9:41 PM	#4
FuzzY Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 343	Virtually all current DVD players are multizoned, or can be with a set of codes. There are probably still a couple which are fixed to Region 4, but not many. Sony Pana LG (codes) Philips (codes) Samsung (codes) Pioneer JVC Kenwood (single disc only) Teac (codes) Akai Pretty much all yum-cha brands too. Good Luck, Joe. __________________ Anatidaephobia - The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.

6th May 2003, 10:50 PM	#5
THeX Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 918	yes you'll find everything is multizoned these days. Funny cos lots of fools think multizoning is for playing those pov pirate dvds from Bali (yes you know who you are!!!) __________________ Main Rig: Windows 7 Professional X64 \| Intel i5 3570k \| AsRock Z77 Extreme6 \| G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 8GB \| Sapphire Radeon HD7850 2GB OC \| SanDisk Extreme Solid State Drive 120GB \| Western Digital Green 1Tb \| Corsair HX650W \| Fractal Design Arc Mid Tower USB3.0 \| Dell 2209WA \| Logitech G9x, G10 Keyboard & G25 Wheel \| Audioengine A5 31 Successful Trades Totalling $3118

7th May 2003, 11:47 AM	#6
d_hall Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Hawthorn.Melb.Vic.Au Posts: 1,163	I bought a Toshiba (2600, IIRC) from Megamart in Dec and it claims to be region-free (although I haven't tested it yet). Myer seemed to be using the feature to boost the sales of the higher-end models: they only had three or four to choose from, each the top model they had in that brand. __________________ My Vendor Verdict was here

7th May 2003, 11:56 AM	#7
Ch00k Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,404	I was always told that all DVD players sold from JB Hi Fi were region free, and that is certainly the case with the Pioneer that I once purchased from there. __________________ -- Chicken

5th May 2003, 5:53 PM	#2
archie Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: northmead, sydney Posts: 2,854	i know of these panasonic rv32 (if it has green video ezy sticker on side of box) nearly all philips (instructions on A4 sheet in box) quite a few LG dvd players too.

5th May 2003, 7:44 PM	#3
Clem Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Whyalla, 5608 Posts: 2,988	I have an Omni and it does the lot. The phillips region free, Done by the importer here in Australia I think. Clem

7th May 2003, 12:21 PM	#8
trippyfoo Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 357	Yeah , i'd agree there with all of jb players being region free. I think pretty much any dvd player these days are region free. Though i wonder how the manufacturers go about it , as aren't they all bound by licensing agreements .. etc etc In terms of keeping the regional codings in place. Anyone here know?

7th May 2003, 12:24 PM	#9
inspectah Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: sydney Posts: 164	i got a sony nv305 dvd player about 4 months ago and that is region free.. they have no region stickers on the box, but on the back of the unit it has "4" stamped on it.. apparently they just had to put it there so they were "selling a region locked unit"..

10th May 2003, 12:50 PM	#11
Whitey Ford Sings the blues Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Manly Posts: 7,103	Okay, this sounds promising. I've got a few DVDs from other regions (my pc DVD player is unlocked) would it be a good idea to just take them in to a retailer and try and play them on the display dvd? Mike __________________ [ Free Image Host for OCAU ] [ Originally posted by Eluial - Mr. Ford, you are soooooo kawaii!!! I luv you!!! ]

10th May 2003, 4:48 PM	#13
seamer Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: san jose, california Posts: 1,828	WE bought a dvd player from Myers (sony brand) this week, it plays any DVD we can throw at it...apparently its both due to Alan Fels and his crusade against region settings (as its a competition thing and not a required-or-else-it-blows-up thing), and all those people chipping their players and returning it for a fix, or screwing the bios to create region free...its what we were told, who knows

11th May 2003, 10:24 AM	#15
Wacky Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Sydney, North Side Posts: 1,158	Pioneer DVD players are multizoned as standard...most don't even need you to enter codes. In regards to legality, I believe it's always been legal for them to ship as multizoned, but I was told by Bing Lee that retailers and manufacturers are not allowed to actively advertise the fact. hence why you have probably never seen Multi-zone info on manufactuer websites, or in retail catalogues. This was how it was apparently when I got mine about 2 years ago...but as someone mentioned re ACCC, it might have opened up even further now.