Region Free Players at 220-electronics.com. - Blu-ray Forum

BluPix · 12-02-2011, 04:42 AM

I've been wanting to buy a region free blu-ray player that can also play DVDs and convert PAL to NTSC.

When online, I keep seeing links to the store at http://www.220-electronics.com My questions are...

1. Has anyone here bought any region free players (or anything else) from this vendor?

2. What was the store's service like?

3. How's the blu-ray player you bought been working for you? How long have you owned it? Has it worked reliably well for a long time?

I want a player that will not only play my growing batch of Region B blu-rays and convert any PAL content on them to NTSC, but also have very good picture & sound playback capabilities, comparable to that found in the PS3 I currently use.

So far, I'm considering one of 220s Pioneer or Panasonic models.

HyperRealist · 12-02-2011, 06:14 AM

Panasonic does not convert PAL to NTSC.

roxyv · 12-02-2011, 06:32 AM

I had experienced buying from them, this was a dvd player converted to multi region, I messed it up by upgrading a firmware which switch it back to plain Region 1, called them and told me to send it back, they paid shipping both ways!

BluPix · 12-02-2011, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

Panasonic does not convert PAL to NTSC.

Thanks again for that clarification. Looks as if I'll also be purchasing a good receiver down the line. By the way, are there any receivers you would recommend? One that not only converts PAL to NTSC but also has a fairly substantial number of HDMI and other ports along with support all the latest audio and video formats, etc., reliable and at a very cost-effective price point.

BluPix · 12-02-2011, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roxyv

I had experienced buying from them, this was a dvd player converted to multi region, I messed it up by upgrading a firmware which switch it back to plain Region 1, called them and told me to send it back, they paid shipping both ways!

Good to know. It seems a link to their site usually turns up whenever searching for region free players.

Is there any particular region free blu-ray player (from that site or elsewhere) that you would recommend in terms of reliability and technical quality?

HyperRealist · 12-02-2011, 08:10 PM

I didn't know any receivers convert PAL to NTSC. Maybe they do, IDK...

BluPix · 12-03-2011, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

I didn't know any receivers convert PAL to NTSC. Maybe they do, IDK...

I'll have to look into it.

roxyv · 12-03-2011, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluPix

Good to know. It seems a link to their site usually turns up whenever searching for region free players.

Is there any particular region free blu-ray player (from that site or elsewhere) that you would recommend in terms of reliability and technical quality?

Nobody in the forum who owns one had chimed in...if I would buy one region free and reliable I would go for the Oppo, the reason without me researching all of them is that every now and then there's always firmware upgrades and when you upgrade the players that are originally region locked it'll locked itself again, just saying from my experience...

jawsfan1975 · 12-03-2011, 11:52 AM

I bought a region free JVC dvd player about 7 years ago (for all my British shows like Rising Damp, Auf Weidersen Pet and Only Fools and Horses). It's still working great, I was thinking about buying a region free blu ray from them.

hootowls · 03-22-2012, 11:56 PM

I just placed an order for the all region version of the Toshiba BDX-1200. Of course, I'm hoping for the best...

Adrock · 03-27-2012, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluPix

Thanks again for that clarification. Looks as if I'll also be purchasing a good receiver down the line. By the way, are there any receivers you would recommend? One that not only converts PAL to NTSC but also has a fairly substantial number of HDMI and other ports along with support all the latest audio and video formats, etc., reliable and at a very cost-effective price point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

I didn't know any receivers convert PAL to NTSC. Maybe they do, IDK...

I don't believe any receiver will convert PAL -> NTSC content and vice versa. This is generally done by a converter in the player.

Adrock · 03-27-2012, 08:57 PM

I might also add, I would highly advise not going with this model. Since it does not have a built in PAL->NTSC converter, being Region Free will not help you much if your player cannot access PAL content. A majority of Region B locked films have PAL content.

I personally own the Oppo BDP83 and cannot say enough good things about it. It is the best Region Free player on the market, aside from maybe the new Oppo's (BDP93, BDP95).

hootowls · 03-29-2012, 01:07 AM

Received my Toshiba player today and verified a few things. PAL to NTSC worked fine with a DVD and, after entering the code sequence, region B was successful too. DVD region playback is automatic while BD regions must be manually changed via the code sequence. Also tried the region free UK release of Cleopatra, which tripped up my OPPO prior to the last firmware update, and it played fine. Otherwise this thing is a very basic, entry level player. As long as it's reliable I'll be happy to have it as a dedicated region B player in my system.

monque · 04-08-2012, 02:58 AM

I finally broke down and placed an order for a region free Blu-ray player. I chose the LG BD630. I have ordered from 220-electronics before and have not had any problems with their service or products. I hope to have this player by next week. Now to buy some region encoded Blu-rays.

ScarredLungs · 04-08-2012, 03:20 AM

I have never seen this site before. Are they saying that these players will play Region A,B, and C out of the box?

Also, are they a reliable company?

Blu-ray Fanatic · 04-08-2012, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvm

I have never seen this site before. Are they saying that these players will play Region A,B, and C out of the box?

Also, are they a reliable company?

They seem like it according to the previous posters. I say go for it. I would go for it if I had the money.

monque · 04-08-2012, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvm

I have never seen this site before. Are they saying that these players will play Region A,B, and C out of the box?

Also, are they a reliable company?

To answer your questions...yes, and yes. I still have my region free JVC DVD player that I purchased from them several years ago and it is still working fine.

movielib · 04-08-2012, 06:34 AM

I got the Oppo BDP-93 from 220. With their price match guarantee minus $20 I got it for $20 less than Bombay had it for. My price was $564.25 shipped. 220's price is $590 shipped. I emailed them with the price comparison (Bombay has it for $615 but with 5% off and free shipping which comes to $584.25 and beats their $590. Minus $20 makes it $564.25. They said yes, they would honor their guarantee. I just had to order it by phone instead of online. They were 100% professional and helpful.

And great service! I live close (they're in the Chicago area and I'm in Madison, WI) but I couldn't believe it came the day after I ordered it.

The first thing I tried was the Torchwood Miracle Day I had gotten from Amazon UK, the only BD I had that is perhaps not playable in Region A. The Amazon UK site says it is region free but it wouldn't play on my Sony or Samsung Region A players. I emailed them and they refunded my money and told me I didn't have to send it back. I had it for sale on half.com. It didn't sell in a couple of weeks and when I got seriously thinking about finally getting a region free player I delisted it. That turned out to be fortunate as it plays flawlessly on the Oppo.

Today I received Brotherhood of the Wolf from Amazon France. I just finished watching it.

It's great to not have to worry about regions coding any more.

And 220 seems to be a first class operation.

Olexus · 04-09-2012, 02:21 AM

I bought a Sharp region free PAL/NTSC converter blu-ray player about 18 months ago. However, the conversion of PAL DVDs to NTSC was grainy and way worse than my region free PAL/NTSC converting Yamaha DVD player I already have. I wasn't able to test the conversion of PAL blurays but obviously I sent the player back and got refunded, so 220 operates fine.

However, I am since then reluctant to buy a region free bluray players in fear that the conversion might be sub par.

How are these converter blu ray players now? How is the picture quality of PAL DVDs and Blurays on NTSC equipment? Any quality loss? Or do the new models they offer today have that problem solved?

Thanks for any comments.

ScarredLungs · 04-11-2012, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olexus

I bought a Sharp region free PAL/NTSC converter blu-ray player about 18 months ago. However, the conversion of PAL DVDs to NTSC was grainy and way worse than my region free PAL/NTSC converting Yamaha DVD player I already have. I wasn't able to test the conversion of PAL blurays but obviously I sent the player back and got refunded, so 220 operates fine.

However, I am since then reluctant to buy a region free bluray players in fear that the conversion might be sub par.

How are these converter blu ray players now? How is the picture quality of PAL DVDs and Blurays on NTSC equipment? Any quality loss? Or do the new models they offer today have that problem solved?

Thanks for any comments.

MAybe I am not following you, but what conversion are you talking about?

12-02-2011, 04:42 AM	#1
BluPix Expert Member Member since:Feb 2008 4K collection:61 Blu-ray collection:1687 DVD collection:20	Region Free Players at 220-electronics.com. I've been wanting to buy a region free blu-ray player that can also play DVDs and convert PAL to NTSC. When online, I keep seeing links to the store at http://www.220-electronics.com My questions are... 1. Has anyone here bought any region free players (or anything else) from this vendor? 2. What was the store's service like? 3. How's the blu-ray player you bought been working for you? How long have you owned it? Has it worked reliably well for a long time? I want a player that will not only play my growing batch of Region B blu-rays and convert any PAL content on them to NTSC, but also have very good picture & sound playback capabilities, comparable to that found in the PS3 I currently use. So far, I'm considering one of 220s Pioneer or Panasonic models.

12-02-2011, 06:14 AM	#2
HyperRealist Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Nov 2009 Location:PA Blu-ray collection:110 DVD collection:96 Trading Score:48	Panasonic does not convert PAL to NTSC. Last edited by HyperRealist; 12-02-2011 at 04:13 PM.

12-02-2011, 06:32 AM	#3
roxyv Senior Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:United States 4K collection:364 Blu-ray collection:1670 DVD collection:114 Blu-ray reviews:1	I had experienced buying from them, this was a dvd player converted to multi region, I messed it up by upgrading a firmware which switch it back to plain Region 1, called them and told me to send it back, they paid shipping both ways!

12-02-2011, 08:10 PM	#6
HyperRealist Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Nov 2009 Location:PA Blu-ray collection:110 DVD collection:96 Trading Score:48	I didn't know any receivers convert PAL to NTSC. Maybe they do, IDK...

12-03-2011, 11:52 AM	#9
jawsfan1975 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jun 2010 Location:Florida Home Theater Gallery:13 4K collection:327 Blu-ray collection:1045 Blu-ray reviews: 52 Trading Score:141	I bought a region free JVC dvd player about 7 years ago (for all my British shows like Rising Damp, Auf Weidersen Pet and Only Fools and Horses). It's still working great, I was thinking about buying a region free blu ray from them.

03-22-2012, 11:56 PM	#10
hootowls Active Member Top contributor Member since:Sep 2011 Location:California, USA Home Theater Gallery:53 4K collection:17 Blu-ray collection:930 DVD collection:363 Trading Score:14	I just placed an order for the all region version of the Toshiba BDX-1200. Of course, I'm hoping for the best...

03-27-2012, 08:57 PM	#12
Adrock Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jan 2010 Location:The Outer Limits Blu-ray collection:412 DVD collection:38 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:205	I might also add, I would highly advise not going with this model. Since it does not have a built in PAL->NTSC converter, being Region Free will not help you much if your player cannot access PAL content. A majority of Region B locked films have PAL content. I personally own the Oppo BDP83 and cannot say enough good things about it. It is the best Region Free player on the market, aside from maybe the new Oppo's (BDP93, BDP95).

03-29-2012, 01:07 AM	#13
hootowls Active Member Top contributor Member since:Sep 2011 Location:California, USA Home Theater Gallery:53 4K collection:17 Blu-ray collection:930 DVD collection:363 Trading Score:14	Received my Toshiba player today and verified a few things. PAL to NTSC worked fine with a DVD and, after entering the code sequence, region B was successful too. DVD region playback is automatic while BD regions must be manually changed via the code sequence. Also tried the region free UK release of Cleopatra, which tripped up my OPPO prior to the last firmware update, and it played fine. Otherwise this thing is a very basic, entry level player. As long as it's reliable I'll be happy to have it as a dedicated region B player in my system.

04-08-2012, 02:58 AM	#14
monque Senior Member Member since:Sep 2009 4K collection:140 Blu-ray collection:1691 DVD collection:151	I finally broke down and placed an order for a region free Blu-ray player. I chose the LG BD630. I have ordered from 220-electronics before and have not had any problems with their service or products. I hope to have this player by next week. Now to buy some region encoded Blu-rays.

04-08-2012, 03:20 AM	#15
ScarredLungs Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Utah 4K collection:65 Blu-ray collection:1433 Prime collection:1 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:4	I have never seen this site before. Are they saying that these players will play Region A,B, and C out of the box? Also, are they a reliable company?

04-08-2012, 06:34 AM	#18
movielib Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:Madison, WI	I got the Oppo BDP-93 from 220. With their price match guarantee minus $20 I got it for $20 less than Bombay had it for. My price was $564.25 shipped. 220's price is $590 shipped. I emailed them with the price comparison (Bombay has it for $615 but with 5% off and free shipping which comes to $584.25 and beats their $590. Minus $20 makes it $564.25. They said yes, they would honor their guarantee. I just had to order it by phone instead of online. They were 100% professional and helpful. And great service! I live close (they're in the Chicago area and I'm in Madison, WI) but I couldn't believe it came the day after I ordered it. The first thing I tried was the Torchwood Miracle Day I had gotten from Amazon UK, the only BD I had that is perhaps not playable in Region A. The Amazon UK site says it is region free but it wouldn't play on my Sony or Samsung Region A players. I emailed them and they refunded my money and told me I didn't have to send it back. I had it for sale on half.com. It didn't sell in a couple of weeks and when I got seriously thinking about finally getting a region free player I delisted it. That turned out to be fortunate as it plays flawlessly on the Oppo. Today I received Brotherhood of the Wolf from Amazon France. I just finished watching it. It's great to not have to worry about regions coding any more. And 220 seems to be a first class operation.

04-09-2012, 02:21 AM	#19
Olexus New Member Member since:Apr 2012	I bought a Sharp region free PAL/NTSC converter blu-ray player about 18 months ago. However, the conversion of PAL DVDs to NTSC was grainy and way worse than my region free PAL/NTSC converting Yamaha DVD player I already have. I wasn't able to test the conversion of PAL blurays but obviously I sent the player back and got refunded, so 220 operates fine. However, I am since then reluctant to buy a region free bluray players in fear that the conversion might be sub par. How are these converter blu ray players now? How is the picture quality of PAL DVDs and Blurays on NTSC equipment? Any quality loss? Or do the new models they offer today have that problem solved? Thanks for any comments.

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