Thinking about buying a Blu-Ray Player..

[MetalPen]

For a long time now I’ve been using my Xbox 360 to watch DVDs on my HDTV. Most of them have looked good, but recently I’ve noticed some are looking really jaggy and stretched. They all originals as well, so they weren’t compressed or anything.

I’ve started thinking about getting a Blu-Ray player in the near future. I’ve never owned one before, so I have a few concerns.

Would it make my DVDs look any better than being played on a 360? (Considering 360s are almost 10 years old.)

Also, are there any that are region free for both Blu-Rays and DVDs that go for under/around $90 or can they be very pricey?

Thanks.

[usually_quiet]

For a long time now I’ve been using my Xbox 360 to watch DVDs on my HDTV. Most of them have looked good, but recently I’ve noticed some are looking really jaggy and stretched. They all originals as well, so they weren’t compressed or anything.

I’ve started thinking about getting a Blu-Ray player in the near future. I’ve never owned one before, so I have a few concerns.

Would it make my DVDs look any better than being played on a 360? (Considering 360s are almost 10 years old.)

Also, are there any that are region free for both Blu-Rays and DVDs that go for under/around $90 or can they be very pricey?

Thanks.

While there are Blu-Ray players available for $90 or less, it won't be possible to make very many of them region free by pressing a series of buttons on the remote, especially if you live in N. America. Blu-Ray players can often be made region free only by performing hardware modifications, which some specialty retailers do, but that raises the price considerably. Those that can be made region free with a hack tend to be from lesser-known brands, but you can't count on there being a hack available for every cheap player from an obscure maker.

If you live in the US, this one is supposed to be hackable for DVD and Blu-Ray http://www.sears.com/seiki-u-vision-blu-ray-disk-player/p-05737800000P. For details see https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/356492-What-s-the-latest-on-inexpensive-bluray-regi...=1#post2360025

[MetalPen]

Thanks, will check it out.

Unfortunately I'm not in the US, but I don't mind importing one if it gets the job done, and as long as shipping doesn't cost me an arm and a leg..

[MetalPen]

After having a bit of a look at prices and shipping costs, it would cost an arm and a leg.. I guess I'll give it some more thought..

In the meantime, does anybody know how a dedicated upscaling DVD player compares to a Blu-ray player in terms of up-conversion?

[usually_quiet]

I made a guess that you lived in the USA because you specified your budget in dollars.

The brands and models of DVD players available are not the same everywhere. If you want useful information, you are going to have to tell which country you live in so that you can get a recommendation from somebody who is familiar with what is available locally.

[MetalPen]

Sorry for any confusion, I just specified my budget in dollars to avoid people having to convert currency, but no worries.

To be honest though, there isn’t a huge catalogue to choose from where I am, it’s pretty much just your main brands such as LG, Samsung, Sony and Phillips. Maybe here and there you might find one other than those, but that's really about it.

[usually_quiet]

Sorry for any confusion, I just specified my budget in dollars to avoid people having to convert currency, but no worries.

To be honest though, there isn’t a huge catalogue to choose from where I am, it’s pretty much just your main brands such as LG, Samsung, Sony and Phillips. Maybe here and there you might find one other than those, but that's really about it.

I guess you value your privacy more than you want help. Good luck to you then.

[MetalPen]

I guess you value your privacy more than you want help. Good luck to you then.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I live in South Africa.

I was just trying to say that there aren't many alternative brands here by me.

[usually_quiet]

I guess you value your privacy more than you want help. Good luck to you then.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I live in South Africa.

I was just trying to say that there aren't many alternative brands here by me.

Even so, there are reasons why your location is important even if only major consumer electronics manufacturers sell Blu-Ray and DVD players in your country.

1. Some models from Samsung, LG, Sony, and other major manufacturers are not distributed world-wide, only in specific countries.
2. A model that is distributed worldwide can have slightly different hardware and different firmware depending on where it is sold. A region-free hack that works for a version of a player sold in the UK may not work for someone with the same model in S. Africa or the USA.
3. Very few of the players produced by Samsung, LG, Sony, and other major manufacturers have region free hacks. Philips may still make some DVD players that are hackable, but there are fewer now than in the past.
4. Most region-free hacks for Blu-Ray players only allow region free playback for DVD. Blu-Ray is still region locked.
5. A hack that goes awry can brick the player, rendering it inoperable.
6. You may need to have physical modifications made to make a player to make it region free. Someone from your own country is more likely to know where to go to have that done, and which models can be successfully modified.

[MetalPen]

Understood, will keep this info in mind. Hopefully I'll be able to find someone locally who can help me out, or maybe even just guide me in the right direction.

Thanks for all your help though, it's really appreciated.