I own a Seiki SR4KP1, and it's great. I picked it up at ABC Warehouse a little over a year ago for like $40 and it was worth every penny. While I haven't bought many of the films I intend to get Region B versions of yet, the feature is fantastic. (And it works great on the Region B titles I own)
Mainly I bought it so I could get titles from Eureka, Arrow, Anime Limited, Second Sight, BFI and some other labels. That way I can have a more diverse library. (Right now it's mostly anime, but with how cheap quite a lot of the Region B titles I'm after are, that'll change once I have more money to splurge.)
I got mine last year, it hasn't even been a full year yet, and it's already paid for itself. Arrow's The Thing, Heathers, Elviria, the studiocanal digibook of The Pianist, the German BD of Das Boot(which has the full 5 hour version) etc etc.
Very happy, and am kicking myself that I didn't do it much sooner.
I got mine last year(Sony BDP-S6500 with 4k upscaling), it hasn't even been a full year yet, and it's already paid for itself. Arrow's The Thing, Heathers, Elviria, the studiocanal digibook of The Pianist, the German BD of Das Boot(which has the full 5 hour version) etc etc.
Very happy, and am kicking myself that I didn't do it much sooner.
I got about 80 Region B locked titles in my collection out of 193 Region B releases total.
Even before I bought my Seiki, I had lowkey started importing Region B discs due to the lack of certain titles in HD over here in the States. Specifically the films of Shinya Tsukamoto.
Big fan of his and its maddening none of his films are on blu-ray in the US, so going Region Free is mandatory for his US fans.
Disney titles are all region-free. I have an A-locked Sony, and own many of the UK Disney releases, all of which play with no problems.
Huh. I could’ve sworn I’ve gotten at least one that’s region B. At any rate, getting them from the UK is a good way to save money and sidestep “the vault”.
I've enjoyed the region-free lifestyle since 2010 or so. I lived in England when I picked up the Blu-Ray habit, and it was the time when the UK and Europe had oodles of titles that the US took forever to pick up, and it became clear pretty fast that I couldn't get everything I'd want region-free.
I still have my region-free Panasonic DMP-BD60. Can't say I use it as religiously as my PS3 or my new UHD player, but I've gotten occasional use out of it rockin' some quality imports. Big highlights for me include:
The Passion of Joan of Arc (UK import, Eureka). Wound up getting the Criterion edition for this anyway, but I got a viewing of this version in beforehand and was floored. Still own it for the awesome packaging.
Man With a Movie Camera (UK import, Eureka). Got the Flicker Alley Blu-Ray for this eventually, but watched the UK edition first and it was great. Still own it for the nice slipbox.
The Thing (UK, Arrow). I mean, yeah, SF put this same transfer out on their Steelbook, but before nabbing that I got a good, dedicated viewing experience with the Arrow disc and it was phenomenal. Nice extras, and I love the slipcover.
The Human Condition (UK, Arrow Academy). Was inexpensive during the sales. Only made time for the first movie so far, but holy crap it's a real work of art and the BDs aren't too shabby. Absolutely couldn't wait around for Criterion to hem and haw over this--until that happens (if it happens?), this is the sort of title that makes a region-free player worth fighting for.
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (UK). It might make my eyes bleed, not only because that's what the film does, but because the quality is that sharp.
Crying Freeman (French). Seems doomed to never have a US release for some reason or another--movie's pretty fun to begin with, but this edition brings it out with fantastic quality.
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (UK, Eureka). First, because Steelbook. Second, I got a kick out of this movie, maybe more than Der Spieler. Still not released in the US (not even Kino Lorber? Dafuq?).
[REC] 1 and 2 (UK)--had these for years before SF put out their box set (and I keep forgetting there was a Canadian version, but I stuck with the UK ones until recently). I've gotten at least a few viewings out of these.
Eden Lake (UK). How the actual f**k is this not released in the US anyway? How? Ditto for 2008's Martyrs. These are, like, must-have horror titles.
Quest for Fire (UK). Oof, tough choice between this and the German version that looks to be region-free, but I stuck with the UK one to make sure it'd be English-friendly. Movie held up nicely.
Onibaba (UK, Eureka). Will this get a Criterion release? Who the heck knows? Until then, I've enjoyed watching this fine-quality movie on a fine-quality British disc.
They Came to a City (UK, BFI). Totally underrated gem given a good transfer, likely to never have a release elsewhere.
Strange Days (German). This one was right up my alley, and the Blu-Ray quality is superb. Loads of extras. Why no US Blu-Ray? What strange times indeed.
Pi (UK). Like everything else, no US release still. Jeez. All these absent releases makes me want to drill my head.
Thirst (UK). Was a blind-buy. Was not disappointed. Sure, it's on Vudu in HDX, but it's not quite the same as having a disc in your hands.
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (German). Lack of English subtitles made the non-English parts of the film fail, but the rest was a great experience. Quality's nice, hope it gets ported over to the US someday.
Brute Force (UK, Arrow). A good oldie, strangely absent most everywhere else.
Electric Dreams (UK). Actually not sure I like this as much, but it's one of those movies that seems really underrepresented.
Attack of the Adult Babies (UK). It's a real experience, trust me.
Ninja Cheerleaders (German). Same as above. Surprisingly decent quality too.
Other titles I own, haven't had a chance to revisit, but still can't be found in the US:
Agora (French)
Atilla (German--doesn't look particularly good though)
Berserk (1997) (UK--my favorite anime, and this edition is so sharp and clear it's darn near perfect)
Brick (UK--not the best quality, but at least it's something)
The Crow: Salvation (UK)
Cube (UK)
Dancer in the Dark (German)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (UK, Arrow)
Inland Empire (UK)
Shivers (UK)
Super Mario Bros (UK--this movie got more love on this release than it actually deserved, lol)
Slaughterhouse-Five (UK)
Steamboy (UK)
I also keep these movies around for specific reasons:
Arrietty (UK)--British voice cast, arguably better than the US
eXistenZ (UK)--was hoping for better quality, but at least the movie comes with extras and a nice slipbox
The Handmaiden (UK)--includes the extended edition
Lady Snowblood (UK, Arrow Steelbook)--different color timing
The Neon Demon (German)--a 4-disc monster with extras galore, the soundtrack, and sweet audio quality
Ran (UK)--remastered
Trainspotting (UK)--different accents on the soundtrack, IIRC
The Wicker Man (1973) (UK)--alternate cuts
Various Arrow editions of movies I like because extras
Various Eureka editions of Fritz Lang movies--always read that the KL editions have compression or framing issues here and there or something, so I've just stuck with these and they haven't failed me
My region-free player has also been an essential backup for playing oddball titles that couldn't work in other players (Muay Thai Warrior did this to me).
I looked that model specs up and ever where says it’s not region free.
There is no such thing as a region free player that was manufactured that way. The player has to be modified. I highly recommend a reputable retailer like 220 Electronics. You can order directly from them, but their players are actually cheaper through eBay.
I have 2 region free Sony players (my screening room and my office), and it was the German release of Strange Days which caused me to go region free initially. I still don't know why this film wasn't released on Blu-ray in Region A...
Disney titles are all region-free. I have an A-locked Sony, and own many of the UK Disney releases, all of which play with no problems.
Not true, there are several Pre-2011 Theatrical releases that are locked
Quote:
Originally Posted by handcraftedbits
Huh. I could’ve sworn I’ve gotten at least one that’s region B. At any rate, getting them from the UK is a good way to save money and sidestep “the vault”.
There are several Region B or B/C Only
-Bolt 2D
-Dumbo
-Enchanted
-Jungle Book (1967)
-Jungle Book 2
-Meet the Robinsons
-The Nightmare Before Christmas 2D
-Pinocchio
-The Princess and the Frog
-Ratatouille 2D and 3D
-Sleeping Beauty
-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
-Sorcerers Apprentice
-Tinker Bell
-Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
-Up 2D
-Wall-e
-The Wild
Quote:
Originally Posted by oilers73
There is no such thing as a region free player that was manufactured that way. The player has to be modified. I highly recommend a reputable retailer like 220 Electronics. You can order directly from them, but their players are actually cheaper through eBay.
I have 2 region free Sony players (my screening room and my office), and it was the German release of Strange Days which caused me to go region free initially. I still don't know why this film wasn't released on Blu-ray in Region A...
Depends on what you mean -- there actually were several that could be bought at retail that required only a Button press to make Region Free Out of the box. No hardware or software mods needed. The Seiki mentioned above and it's prdecessor were 2. Those two are essentially out of production so not currently easily available. ABC warehouse still lists some clearanced in store only so if you have a friend in Michigan they might be able to get you one cheap.
There aren't any players that I'm aware of that are permanently All Region for Bluray -- they all have to be switched from region to region when changing discs though some players like OPPO have a memory so that if you play a B locked Disc and then swithc to Region A later, the B disc will still play without switching back (as long as you don't erase the persistent memory intentionally of by accident).
If you can hookup a computer/laptop to your TV you can also playback Blu-ray from other regions with some software players. Leawo does this and is free. There are also non-free software players that do this.
Blu-ray playback on a computer isn't ideal, actually it's pretty bad. But if you just want to pickup a couple of titles, this is another option.
Something on my mind a lot lately is how region-free players (and discs) get around license issues that are impossible on streaming. I can import StudioCanal's John Carpenter 4k HDR remasters, but there's no way to get them digitally in the US. Something to consider for the long run.
Something on my mind a lot lately is how region-free players (and discs) get around license issues that are impossible on streaming. I can import StudioCanal's John Carpenter 4k HDR remasters, but there's no way to get them digitally in the US. Something to consider for the long run.
That’s the grey market: products only authorized for sale in one country or territory but imported into another.
E-tailers and customs officials are supposed to stop grey market trade. But it rarely happens unless a large quantity of the same item are discovered. Disney was actually able to stop the grey market for Asian films they had the rights to. With the sale of Miramax to another party, that “big corporation” protection ended.
Cubans traveling to the US then back to Cuba were able to bring back with them products the Cuban government prohibited or limited like televisions and tablets. Recent changes have slowed down or stopped this.
DDD House actually marks my orders as gifts to make it easier for these packages to clear customs. When I travel from Thailand and bring back DVDs and CDs, I declare them on the customs form to avoid issues.
The only time I think about the region is the first time I play a disc. After that, the player remembers the region and it's just like any other disc. It isn't perfect. There are still releases that aren't English friendly.
I have hundreds and hundreds of non-US blu-rays, but with me, the interest is in foreign movies, especially the Network British Cinema series and UK TV shows. There's a wealth of great movies and TV shows I've never ever heard of, and that makes me happy. I also have far flung releases from Czechoslovakia, Russia, Japan, Australia and South Korea. I remember when satellite TV was announced, I was excited because I thought it was feed from foreign TV stations. I want to see what the rest of the world is seeing. I was bummed when I found out it was just cable TV delivered in a different way.
Another thing that's great about having an all region player is I can pick the best transfer of a certain film when there is a better one available besides what's released in the states, such as the Eureka! releases of Faust and Nosferatu.
And also, sometimes region B titles are cheaper than the American releases. For instance, I purchase Artificial Eye's release of The Duke of Burgundy which was about $5 cheaper than Shout's.
I recently bought Family Guy 1-16 DVD(about 260 episodes) and American Dad 1-12 DVD (about 216) episodes from amazon.co.uk for around 40 dollars each. Didn't Amazon.co.uk usually have a 10 Euro off sale every year around mid-January? I must have missed it this year.
Another thing that's great about having an all region player is I can pick the best transfer of a certain film when there is a better one available besides what's released in the states, such as the Eureka! releases of Faust and Nosferatu.
And also, sometimes region B titles are cheaper than the American releases. For instance, I purchase Artificial Eye's release of The Duke of Burgundy which was about $5 cheaper than Shout's.
The lower price is a big deal to me. Arrow's Tenebrae and Phantasm collection were much less than their U.S. counterparts. I don't blindly love Arrow like many do (sometimes they really screw up), but I sure do like saving money.
The lower price is a big deal to me. Arrow's Tenebrae and Phantasm collection were much less than their U.S. counterparts. I don't blindly love Arrow like many do (sometimes they really screw up), but I sure do like saving money.
Your statement about region free players in your signature is truth.
That’s the grey market: products only authorized for sale in one country or territory but imported into another.
E-tailers and customs officials are supposed to stop grey market trade. But it rarely happens unless a large quantity of the same item are discovered. Disney was actually able to stop the grey market for Asian films they had the rights to. With the sale of Miramax to another party, that “big corporation” protection ended.
Cubans traveling to the US then back to Cuba were able to bring back with them products the Cuban government prohibited or limited like televisions and tablets. Recent changes have slowed down or stopped this.
DDD House actually marks my orders as gifts to make it easier for these packages to clear customs. When I travel from Thailand and bring back DVDs and CDs, I declare them on the customs form to avoid issues.
Grey market or not, going all-region is the best investment I have made.
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