Region Free Blu-ray player recommendations

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Drinkinstein

I just took the region free plunge myself, I'll have the Orei BDP-M2 arriving on Tuesday so I could post some thoughts after I give it a try.

Was just watching the 2009 Formula One Review (Region 2 locked PAL DVD) today on my Orei, had it for over a year already and no bugs. Only thing to keep in mind, and this might not be the same with yours, is I always have to wait a few seconds between button presses on the remote regarding powering up and powering down and I always use the remote, never had it freeze when I do this. Sometimes using the regular buttons on the player for Power it might lock up and require a hard power reboot (unplugging).

Never had a disc this won't play. I use my Pioneer for all non-locked 1080i50 Blu-rays and PAL DVDs but for locked material the Orei is magic. It's also got a wicked small footprint so it's easy to take with you on a trip, like to Montreal for the F1 race so you can watch imported PAL DVDs of previous seasons with 20% better resolution than the US releases.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Was just watching the 2009 Formula One Review (Region 2 locked PAL DVD) today on my Orei, had it for over a year already and no bugs. Only thing to keep in mind, and this might not be the same with yours, is I always have to wait a few seconds between button presses on the remote regarding powering up and powering down and I always use the remote, never had it freeze when I do this. Sometimes using the regular buttons on the player for Power it might lock up and require a hard power reboot (unplugging).

Never had a disc this won't play. I use my Pioneer for all non-locked 1080i50 Blu-rays and PAL DVDs but for locked material the Orei is magic. It's also got a wicked small footprint so it's easy to take with you on a trip, like to Montreal for the F1 race so you can watch imported PAL DVDs of previous seasons with 20% better resolution than the US releases.

To be clear, the M2 only reads DVD regions automatically, correct? You have to select the region manually to play a blu-ray? Also, forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference between these two models?

http://www.amazon.com/Orei-BDP-M2-Multi-Format-Player/dp/B0097U0OPA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396938626&sr=8-2&keywords=orei+bdp-m2

http://www.amazon.com/OREI-BDP-M2-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B0089KJPM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396938626&sr=8-1&keywords=orei+bdp-m2

[cricepng]

Just ordered a Sony bdp-s5100 from 220-electronics. Debated adding region-free blu-ray but I don't buy other region BDs. But I do have some from 2 and 4 DVDs and am tired of hooking up the computer to the system. I did get it works voltage so I went have to go through a transformer here.

[KFelon]

Originally Posted by Mateo Sanboval

To be clear, the M2 only reads DVD regions automatically, correct? You have to select the region manually to play a blu-ray? Also, forgive my ignorance, but what's the difference between these two models?

I couldn't tell you the difference between the two.

I did buy this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089KJPM2

I can confirm it plays any region DVD automatically out of the box. You do have to manually switch the region for blu-rays, but I had no issues. I comes with printed instructions inside the box on what to push to change regions.

I sat down and watch Hell Comes to Frogtown (B locked) and a couple region A titles over the past 2 weeks. The Orei is surprisingly fast and I'm extremely happy with it so far.

I have not hooked it to the internet to download any new firmware, but it played The Wolverine. I could not get that one to play previously with my Insignia Blu-Ray players, which would throw a firmware needs to be updated error.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Originally Posted by KFelon

I couldn't tell you the difference between the two.

I did buy this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089KJPM2

I can confirm it plays any region DVD automatically out of the box. You do have to manually switch the region for blu-rays, but I had no issues. I comes with printed instructions inside the box on what to push to change regions.

I sat down and watch Hell Comes to Frogtown (B locked) and a couple region A titles over the past 2 weeks. The Orei is surprisingly fast and I'm extremely happy with it so far.

I have not hooked it to the internet to download any new firmware, but it played The Wolverine. I could not get that one to play previously with my Insignia Blu-Ray players, which would throw a firmware needs to be updated error.

I appreciate the knowledge. Thanks for your time.

[dobyblue]

Mine also played DVD right out of the box, but if it doesn't then following the same procedure for changing the BD region you just set DVD region to "0" and then it skips checking for region coding.

I leave mine in Blu-ray B mode all the time as I watch all other discs on my Pioneer Elite.

I don't think there's any difference, only one M2 as far as I know.

[Stormyyy]

I have had the Orei a week, have watched 2 movies and now on the 3rd one it gave me an error code on the front and wouldn't respond to anything.. Unplugged it to hard reset it.. Same thing. Tried different movie from the US region A and gave the same code. I returned it for a refund and I'm now ordering the S5100 by Sony region free version..

[Mateo Sanboval]

Originally Posted by Stormyyy

I have had the Orei a week, have watched 2 movies and now on the 3rd one it gave me an error code on the front and wouldn't respond to anything.. Unplugged it to hard reset it.. Same thing. Tried different movie from the US region A and gave the same code. I returned it for a refund and I'm now ordering the S5100 by Sony region free version..

Were the movies blu-rays or DVDs?

[Dumbhuman]

Just received my Orei BDP-M2 from Amazon today (ordered nearly a month ago but they were out of stock). I plugged it in and threw in my Japanese DVD version of Maboroshi no Hikari only to be greeted with a message saying it was the wrong region code.

In the box with the player there was a CD-R with a very homemade looking label on it which read "UPGRADE CD". Putting that in the player next, it simply took me to the home setup menu and from there I was able to input the code to get to the factory menu and set the DVD region to 0. Now the Japanese DVD is playing very nicely (can't test any region B Blu-rays yet since they're still en route).

When I first tried to input the code to get to the factory menu without that CD-R in the drive, nothing happened. So this is just a heads up in case anyone else runs into this problem with a model purchased recently from Amazon. Remember to keep that CD-R (or its files at least) in a safe place, because otherwise you won't be able to change the Blu-ray region on your player anymore. I plan to keep mine set to B regardless, but I'm sure there will be people who will want to have the ability to switch it up.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Thanks for the update. I'd love to hear from you again when your new blus arrive. Cheers!

[Dumbhuman]

My first batch of region B Blu-rays showed up today so I switched my Orei to region B and threw in Fellini's Roma from the Masters of Cinema collection. Unfortunately I didn't have time to watch the whole film, but I watched my favorite sequence and all the deleted scenes without any problems. It felt like Christmas.

I did run into one problem disc so far though, but it wasn't related to region coding. I received a Blu-ray from Netflix that caused a LOT of skipping with the Orei, but not nearly as much on my PS3. The PS3 still had some issues, but overall was able to play through much more content during the troubled section while the Orei seemed to give up much faster and take giant leaps to undamaged sectors much further along. I don't anticipate my personal Blu-rays getting to such bad shape, but I thought it worth mentioning.

[Mateo Sanboval]

I appreciate that. I'm having a hard time selecting a region free so I'm grateful for eveyone's experiences. Cheers!

[SuperBeatBoy]

Can anyone recommend me a multi-region 3d blu-ray player i can source from the uk. Don't want to spend a lot, looking cheap as possible.

[Clare2904]

Any love for the LG BP300 REGION FREE BLU-RAY AND DVD PLAYER ?

I need a Region 2 Blu-Ray to play discs in Canada. I am not very tech savvy so I want something that is simple to use when I play my Region 2 Blu-rays.

I am looking for around $100-$150 price range. Any suggestions / tips welcome

[Clare2904]

Also any recommendations as to who to actually purchase from?

I have done a little reading and 220 Electronics keeps popping up.

[ski49]

I bought a Sony BDP S1100 from 220 Electronics $180 Delivered. Fast ship and it works great.

[davidjjanderson1981]

TOSHIBA BDX1100 are cheap on ebay and easily switched to BD MULTIREGION. I got mine from ebay for £35. no way would i be spending over £100 on a Multi region player. Alot of the early Toshiba BDX models are BD region free once upgraded using a firmware update. I bought my firmware disc from ebay also and i works a treat.

[Gould]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to the forum and looking for advice as to the best standalone player to purchase. I'm posting here as I would love a multi-region player as I have a lot of Criterion discs that I have to play via PC.


I really don't want to import anything so would be looking for a retailer or seller based in the UK. My budget would be roughly £1000 (for a good player). Thanks for your time.

Regards,

G

[Tobandax]

Laser BD1000. Cost me $99 AUD from Big W. It has HDMI connectivity and does All DVD regions and Does all 3 bluray regions. It has options to let you choose what region disc you want to play. It is not a third party hack. It comes from the manufacturer like this. Very good value. Hope that helps

[takeasneededforpain]

Hi Guys,

Bluray collecting newbie here and I'm looking into FINALLY taking the plunge very soon and buying a multi-region Bluray/DVD player (even though I'm more concerned about playing Blurays from other regions).

I came across this one on Amazon.ca and wondered what you guys think of it??

http://www.amazon.ca/SONY-BDP-S1100-Multi-Region-Player/dp/B00BSYR4QU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405169185&sr=8-1&keywords=multi+region+blue+ray+player

If that player isn't all that great, what would you guys suggest instead??? Ideally I was something totally region free that'll play Bluray and DVD's and that's as easy as pie to both setup and use as I'm not very tech smart.

Budget wise I'll spend up to about $250-300 Canadian.