Are there "affordable" multi region BluRay & DVD player out there?

[Raymond Lin]

I have a Sony BD350 that can play any DVD but only BD from this country. I always liked the multi region part of my DVD player and want the same for BD. just wondering what is out there that is under £200?

 

[lucid]

DVD de-regionalisation is often done with a software mod. That's pretty cheap/free in most cases. Often it's just a remote control code sequence or f/w update.

BD de-zoning of the big name brand players is far tougher. It often involves a hardware modification. That puts the cost up. I think there's a Panasonic (DMP-BD75) that's available Zone ABC for under £200. The premium for all-zone BD playback seems to be around £100.

Have you checked out the BD films lists online? There's a lot of films from the US that don't need a multi-zone hack. Sods Law says the ones you want will be locked, but it's worth a look anyway Go to http://regionfreemovies.com/

 

[Alexrose1uk]

The most affordable all region BD hackable unit is the Toshiba BDX1200 (NOT 1250) which Richer Sounds were doign for £40. It's not perfect though and could do with a firmware update to correct some glitches etc.

 

[memyselfandi]

As has been said it is possible to get a few multiregion BD players, (although be careful as some say in the small print that they are only multiregion for DVD not BD), for <£200 they still can be quite expensive. The Toshiba Alex mentions is a reasonable option although I do know some people who have been unhappy with it as a player (in general not due to the multiregion aspect).

Personally I have two Panasonic BD players which are multiregion chipped for DVD and BD but they both cost me more than the £200 amount when I purchased them. The place I got mine from does have the Panasonic BD75, chipped, for less than that amount though, and if it uses the same mod as my older models then it will still allow normal firmware updates. I can't say where from as they would be classed as a competitor.

A hardware mod for a normal player can add £80-150 to the price above an un-modded player.

 

[probedb]

Depending on what you can get, the cheapest solution if you don't mind an extra box is buying a US player. I lucked out on an amazon.com Black Friday deal a couple of years ago and got an LG BD player including shipping for less than £80. Amusingly I then sold it on ebay for over £150 a year later.

 

[Simian]

As has been said it is possible to get a few multiregion BD players, (although be careful as some say in the small print that they are only multiregion for DVD not BD), for <£200 they still can be quite expensive. The Toshiba Alex mentions is a reasonable option although I do know some people who have been unhappy with it as a player (in general not due to the multiregion aspect).

Personally I have two Panasonic BD players which are multiregion chipped for DVD and BD but they both cost me more than the £200 amount when I purchased them. The place I got mine from does have the Panasonic BD75, chipped, for less than that amount though, and if it uses the same mod as my older models then it will still allow normal firmware updates. I can't say where from as they would be classed as a competitor.

A hardware mod for a normal player can add £80-150 to the price above an un-modded player.

Is that the place over in Peterborough!?!..

Raymond: They also do a 'Modification Service' on your current player £180, but it only mentions the Sony 480/580/780, they might be able to do the 350!.. give em a Bell.. (if you need to know who they are - email in trust!!)

 

[memyselfandi]

Is that the place over in Peterborough!?!..

Raymond: They also do a 'Modification Service' on your current player £180, but it only mentions the Sony 480/580/780, they might be able to do the 350!.. give em a Bell.. (if you need to know who they are - email in trust!!)

Yep that's probably the place I got mine from. Had various players from them over the years stretching back to a Pioneer 717 multi-region DVD player which cost an arm and a leg at the time ...

 

[Simian]

My original (and still going strong) Panasonic DVD-RV60 I got from Techtronics (anyone remember them??)... Multi-Mod £350 about 10 years ago!!..

I was going to get my Blu-Ray from the shop in Peterborough but the BDP-S480mr is £150 where cirtain highstreet stores do this for £110 (Think if you had a million pounds in the bank tomorrow you'd be a lot more rich than you are today)

In the end I just went for the BDP-S380mr for £90 from another highstreet store (Think a number of Trees less than 8 that grow from Acorns)