Any Brits willing to do this Yank a favor?

[BarkingGhost]

I cannot buy directly a Region B player. Oh, I can buy Region B Blu-ray titles just fine from Amazon UK, but they will not sell me the hardware.

I was looking for a rather inexpensive (read that as entry-level) Region B Blu-ray player and see some well under 100 pounds on Amazon UK. I could add an additional shipping address to my Amex and Amazon accounts, ship the Amazon UK order to someone in the UK, and pay someone to ship it to the Americas.

I've done something similar to this years ago with a DVD player (not due to region coding, but because it had a VGA video output) through Canada, but now I am looking for a viable solution through the UK.

Any takers?

[No1Mugster]

I'd do it.

[junyab]

Why not just buy an Insignia player from Best Buy - it's possible to make it all region with just a simple remote hack.

[Blu Lemmy]

^ This

[tuxqi]

not many BD players will have simple remote hacks (except for dvd-mode) but you should be able to buy region hacked or free players in the USA... they might not always be the best makes but... possible to get.. then you can play Region C too...

[chip75]

I've been thinking of getting a multi-region player myself so I can get a Criterion Collection going. I'm not in a rush to get one but could anybody recommend one? The only conditions are it's cheap and it has a digital coaxial sound output (which will do until I upgrade my sound system to HD).

Tuxqi I guess the advantage of buying a region B player is the ability to play 1080i and 50hz material which not all US players do, the downside is I guess they use a different power output.

[ps3bd_owner]

You're better off buying a Free Region Blu-ray Player than only a Region B.

[Stirling1978]

I to wouldn't mind a region free player to get a few of the Criterion releases.

The ones in Tesco looked a good bet before they discontinued them.

Will probably have to be next year now though, due to impending nipper on the way.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Do European BD/DVD players even work here in North America? Different connectors and voltage, no? You could get a transformer I suppose...

[pro-bassoonist]

2-3 years ago it was best to get a native Region-B player, but not anymore. Now it is wiser to get a cheaper multi-region player in the U.S. because you would want to be able to playback 1080/50i content, which if a native Region-B player outputs directly to your U.S. TV set, you won't be able to see. A multi-region player will automatically convert the 1080/50i content to 1080/60i and you would be set.

John: If you get a Region-B PS3, all you need to do is replace the power cord. The PS3 will then do the conversion automatically. There are also a couple of native Region-B players that perform an on-board conversion as well, but the majority do not, so you need to buy a power converter if you are going to use it in the U.S.

All in all, the wise thing to do at this point is get a multi-region player in the U.S.

Pro-B

[nametag]

I know that my oppo was 110-240v compatible (110 being the US standard, 240 being the uk standard), I just put a converter plug on the end of the cable and it works fine. Obviously this was just one player, but I wouldn't be surprised if most players supported both voltages due to it probably being easier and cheaper than making different players for different countries...

If you're in North America, the Oppos are great and easily-modified. I think they're available in Europe now as well, but if cheapness is the most important factor there may be better options for you.

Good luck anyway, you'll feel so relieved to not have to worry about a disc not playing anymore. Multi-region capability is the most important thing for me when looking for a BD player.

[DaveSimonH]

Originally Posted by Stirling1978

I to wouldn't mind a region free player to get a few of the Criterion releases.

The ones in Tesco looked a good bet before they discontinued them.

Will probably have to be next year now though, due to impending nipper on the way.

Online maybe, but I saw a Technika instore the other week for £45 (model number - BRSS10). Not sure if that is the region free one though.

[Stirling1978]

Originally Posted by DaveSimonH

Online maybe, but I saw a Technika instore the other week for £45 (model number - BRSS10). Not sure if that is the region free one though.

Yeah, thats the one. There was an ex display one in my local tesco, but since gone.

[BarkingGhost]

Originally Posted by junyab

Why not just buy an Insignia player from Best Buy - it's possible to make it all region with just a simple remote hack.

Ignorance? What model are you referring to? Is it a current USA model?

[BarkingGhost]

Originally Posted by tuxqi

not many BD players will have simple remote hacks (except for dvd-mode) but you should be able to buy region hacked or free players in the USA... they might not always be the best makes but... possible to get.. then you can play Region C too...

True, but the cost is also a strong consideration. Sure, I could go buy an Oppo 93 ($500) or used 83 (>$300) and then the simple hardware mode ($70), but compared to a 60-70 pound sterling native player ...

[BarkingGhost]

Originally Posted by ps3bd_owner

You're better off buying a Free Region Blu-ray Player than only a Region B.

Why?

[BarkingGhost]

Originally Posted by John72953

Do European BD/DVD players even work here in North America? Different connectors and voltage, no? You could get a transformer I suppose...

Every piece of HT electronics running on line voltage is available for 110-240V. I would imagine a physical adapter due to the plug would be needed. Are you thinking about the video transport? The two digital projectors both accept 50Hz signaling just fine.

[BarkingGhost]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

2-3 years ago it was best to get a native Region-B player, but not anymore. Now it is wiser to get a cheaper multi-region player in the U.S. because you would want to be able to playback 1080/50i content, which if a native Region-B player outputs directly to your U.S. TV set, you won't be able to see. A multi-region player will automatically convert the 1080/50i content to 1080/60i and you would be set.

John: If you get a Region-B PS3, all you need to do is replace the power cord. The PS3 will then do the conversion automatically. There are also a couple of native Region-B players that perform an on-board conversion as well, but the majority do not, so you need to buy a power converter if you are going to use it in the U.S.

All in all, the wise thing to do at this point is get a multi-region player in the U.S.

Pro-B

Help me find one of these cheap players and I'll strongly consider it. most of the hacked Region A players are about $260 or more as the starting price. But this could be my lack of awareness--so if you know something I do not please share it.

The Sony and JVC projectors I have accept the 50Hz signal just fine according to their manuals.

[ps3bd_owner]

Originally Posted by BarkingGhost

Why?

You can play all Blu-rays without worrying if it's Region A, B or C.

If you're planning on buying another BDP, then, a region free is the better choice.

[manicsounds]

The Insignia (USA) player I got, I bought off ebay, with shipping to Japan cost me $80. You can walk into a US Best Buy and get one for about that price as well. But if you really want a region B player, there is also ebay UK....