Region Free Blu-ray Player

[kdawq]

Anyone have any good deals (prices) to share on where to find a good region free player?

[zeze]

Sucks that they were forced to discontinue the Seiki. It was a cheap and mostly reliable player.

[kdawq]

Originally Posted by zeze

Sucks that they were forced to discontinue the Seiki. It was a cheap and mostly reliable player.

Yeah kicking myself that I didn't get one when they were on sale.

[Steel Panther]

http://www.220-electronics.com/regio...y-players.html

make sure you pick the "region free" option on the players page.. its about a $40 charge to make them RF... but there's a blu ray horror group on FB and they all get theirs from there.

Sure the terrible canadian dollar makes it almost not worth it, but ...

[mrr1]

Originally Posted by Steel Panther

http://www.220-electronics.com/regio...y-players.html

make sure you pick the "region free" option on the players page.. its about a $40 charge to make them RF... but there's a blu ray horror group on FB and they all get theirs from there.

Sure the terrible canadian dollar makes it almost not worth it, but ...

I second this.

Bought a player from them last month, and it plays all the discs I got from weird places without any issues, even after the firmware updates.

[Hayabusa85]

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/b/AOFN7Y8UZVZ7C

Got mine from them a few years ago and it has worked perfectly. Liked that most of their players are fulfilled by Amazon.ca so knew if something didn't work I wasn't in for a hassle. They don't have the specific LG I decided on anymore but plenty of choices and newer models than I have. Also like that they included a backup disc to re-install the firmware if anything stopped functioning.

Also seems to be much cheaper than that other site posted above. For example I just compared the Sony S6500 out of curiosity. On that site with the cheapest shipping it is $276 USD which with the terrible dollar is over $350 CDN. Compared to $279 CDN with free shipping on Amazon.ca...


https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B010R1...ID=515w5Wn3UJL

Almost $100 less and you would get it faster, not have to worry about potential duties and be covered by Amazon.ca returns or exchanges being hassle free if something wasn't functioning. But 4.9 stars out of 5 on top of my own experience makes me think the odds of one not working are slim. And like I said just picked the Sony to compare out of curiosty since it was one of the first listings on both. There are cheaper options.

[erlinmeyer]

Originally Posted by kdawq

Anyone have any good deals (prices) to share on where to find a good region free player?

Yes...and they are discussed in the Blu-ray Players and Recorders section of this web site.

[kdawq]

Originally Posted by erlinmeyer

Yes...and they are discussed in the Blu-ray Players and Recorders section of this web site.

And this is a Canadian Deals section, most of these forums cater to Americans so I decided to come here being Canadian

[erlinmeyer]

Originally Posted by kdawq

And this is a Canadian Deals section, most of these forums cater to Americans so I decided to come here being Canadian

It is Hot Deals > Movie and TV Deals > Canadian Deals, so it shows up in my Hot Deals as it does for most people. Thinking there was a Hot Deal on a region free player, I clicked on it and found your question. That is why I provided you the proper area for your thread and also to find several threads that talk about several sites to get various models and the cheapest site in some cases.

[bfett9]

If you are interested, both the PS4 (i've tested this one) and Xbox One (this is listed as a region free) are region free players.

You can find one for about $300-350 if you wait for a sale, plus video games if your a gamer.

[themoviefanatic]

Originally Posted by bfett9

If you are interested, both the PS4 (i've tested this one) and Xbox One (this is listed as a region free) are region free players.

You can find one for about $300-350 if you wait for a sale, plus video games if your a gamer.

ps4 = region free ? is this ca only ?

[cfraser]

Anybody got some recommendation for what's a decent all-region BD player these days? Would prefer to get from amazon.ca, so I have some small modicum of "protection" at least. Thanks.

I see some shops sell (modded) Sony ones, haven't kept up on the regular models lately, so don't know the real diffs between models. I don't need wifi or streaming apps, could easily live without 3D if that's easier since I'll probably only use it for regular "B" BDs. Would prefer Sony over Samsung/LG/no-name I guess, though it can't be "worse" than my recently-expired Seiki BD660 (can it??) so not that fussy... The last Seiki BDP is an option for ~$100, but was hoping for something more solid, maybe up to ~$200.

[Or: anybody know if there's such a thing as a hard reset for a BD660? It quit just sitting there, no disc loaded, I was fiddling with the Seiki remote and suddenly it just stopped displaying and responding, though powers on via remote, and the Blu-ray laser diode itself sure isn't dead... It's acting as though there's no firmware loaded. Can you brick a BD660 from the Seiki splash screen with a remote??]

[fstevens]

[QUOTE=cfraser;12792550]Anybody got some recommendation for what's a decent all-region BD player these days? Would prefer to get from amazon.ca, so I have some small modicum of "protection" at least. Thanks.

I see some shops sell (modded) Sony ones, haven't kept up on the regular models lately, so don't know the real diffs between models. I don't need wifi or streaming apps, could easily live without 3D if that's easier since I'll probably only use it for regular "B" BDs. Would prefer Sony over Samsung/LG/no-name I guess, though it can't be "worse" than my recently-expired Seiki BD660 (can it??) so not that fussy... The last Seiki BDP is an option for ~$100, but was hoping for something more solid, maybe up to ~$200.


I am also interested in a all-region BD player. Recommendations?

[cfraser]

^ You know, there's nothing really wrong with the Seiki for basic use. The thing is there's little support from Seiki, for any of their products really, it's all pretty sketchy. When there is some support (e.g. firmware updates etc.), it seems to disappear quickly too, as if the product never existed. This is typical of the ilk, support is a completely foreign concept (literally). When you buy something at a low price, no matter the brand, they also provide little support, you're expected to toss it and buy the new actually-working version, it's not even like these products are repairable, really, certainly no service manuals if you can't DIY.

I don't want to spend a lot on this because I'd rather spend the $$ on the region-free mod for the next Oppo (UHD) I get. Repairable and supported devices cost $$. The other option is cheap and disposable (i.e. Seiki), a valid route too but not usually my preferred one.

Edit: if you're into simple DIY, another option is to buy a BDP that has a universal power supply (you'll have to change the plug) from the region you want to play BDs from. e.g. in my case, since it's only "B" BDs I want to play, I could get a BDP from amazon.co.uk. Then it's guaranteed to work for region B; some of the "hacked" players are apparently not too reliable in maintaining the hack over time and FW updates. [Very often the hacked players sold as region-free here are European models, as they can be "hacked" for essentially free and a good profit.] Or for many current e.g. Sony models, you would just replace the UK wall-wart with a similar DC output one from "here"; overall cost would be ~half what buying the region-free model sold here is. It should be noted that current Sony BDPs are built like crap, just mentioning them since it's a pretty familiar brand.

If you go this way, you need to make sure the player can output NTSC if you want to play DVDs too, or check that your display can handle PAL. Luckily, European players are much more versatile in this regard than typical players sold here are.

[uther]

Originally Posted by cfraser

Edit: if you're into simple DIY, another option is to buy a BDP that has a universal power supply (you'll have to change the plug) from the region you want to play BDs from. e.g. in my case, since it's only "B" BDs I want to play, I could get a BDP from amazon.co.uk.

Amazon Uk will ship Region B BD players to Canada?

[GreatGreg]

I'm using a RF Pioneer 3D Blu-ray player pretty much every day since November 2013. I bought it from Amazon.ca.

nice and quiet.

[murphywmm]

Yes, it appears Amazon UK does ship some Region B blu Ray players to Canada. I added the LG BP250 to my basket and it allowed me to go all the way through the checkout. I should also mention that the new LG players use an AC adapter instead of a fixed power cable so it's easy to make it compatible with a Canadian outlet.

As for the region modified players, as long as it's a hardware mod, there should be no problems with firmware updates. If it's a software modified player, that's where you will run into problems with firmware updates. It's always best to ask which one you're getting before you buy.

[cfraser]

Yeah, UK amazon will ship "most" of the BDPs they sell here, unlike amazon.com (directly). Most of the basic ones are very small now, and UK amazon aren't the greatest packers (understatement!), so I admit I'm a bit concerned re that. Returns aren't practical, and they'll surely ask for it if there's a problem.

You can get a cheap current-model UK Sony BDP that'll play basic region B BDs (no 3D/wifi/4K upscaling) for about $110 all-in, $35 of that is shipping/tax/duty/etc. May be worthwhile to get a somewhat "better" model since the shipping etc. will only be a relatively tiny bit more. And you'll have to get a 12VDC@1A adapter here, $10 and up if you don't already have one. Pretty much the same as a Seiki (all-in in Ontario) will cost you from CT. At least with the Sony there's some reasonable info online and potentially FW updates...

I realize this doesn't address the "region free" qualification, but I'm guessing for many of us region A (or 1 for DVD) isn't an issue one way or the other, and neither is region C BD, so it's mostly only region B we want.

The sellers of "region free" players on amazon are very sketchy about what they offer. Pick any with a lot of verified reviews on .com, and you'll often see *don't do firmware updates* was on the added instruction sheet. On some it wasn't, and an update blew region free away. The Oppo BDP RF mods are more expensive because they are hardware and survive updates. Many European models (only, for some reason) of common BDPs can be hacked for "free" (it's a bit complicated though) but the hack may or may not survive a FW update, IDK any details because I've never owned a European BDP or even read much about them.

I know I've often said this, but the Seiki BD660 (original model) looks like a Rolls Royce inside compared to even the "expensive" current Sony ones...hard to believe considering how "we" used to make fun of the Seikis. Anyway, I wouldn't mind knowing how people go re this. The older models of region free players sure do look attractive now!

[murphywmm]

I got a modified LG player from MultiSystem Electronics (via Amazon). They use an ICOS hardware mod so the region changing capability is unaffected by firmware updates. In fact, when I first connected the player to my wifi, I did a firmware update and it went through without issue. Changing regions is super easy, just press 1, 2, or 3 at the home screen (for regions A, B, and C). It also stays on whatever region you select until you change it so since I only use this for region B locked discs, I just put in the disc and play the movie as I would on any other player.

[cfraser]

^ Which model did you get? How long ago? Thanks.

Does it have an AC line cord or use an adapter? The (older) players that also had the built-in PS tended to have hardware region free mods. It's all the cheap current ones (with the AC adapters) that seem to be the problem. Reportedly on .com, with *some* of the products from that company, the mod may only last through one FW update then fail the next time; maybe the manufacturer is intentionally doing this (I think it was Sony players this was for...).

That company is one of the ones I was looking at of course. Though they sell in Canada, only some of their .com products are offered here. For instance, they won't sell their "original Sony" BDP AC adapters in Canada, for those who want the original North American one for an imported UK player, nor ship them here = odd.

I am not a Sony fanboy, though it may seem like it! I only mention them because it's a familiar brand, not too sketchy as they go...with some support if they feel like it, though they are really embracing the disposable philosophy more these days.