Sony BDP S560 Hack

[Davi]

I have a Sony BDP S560 Blu ray player and its B104P remote, both bought in Australia (Sydney). Is there any way to hack it with this Sony remote to read other region DVDs ? I have searched the threads but can't find anything like this.

[jman98]

The general rule for Sony and Samsung is that if you want region free, you need to buy a different brand. That's why your searches have failed.

You have the right to contact Sony Australia and ask them to unlock the player for you. An Aussie member explained to us that Australian permits unlocking but does NOT require it, so Sony can legally refuse to help you. But it's legal for them to unlock it. Some companies will do this for Aussie and Kiwi buyers, some won't. I don't honestly remember which are which.

Most BluRay players can't be unlocked at all, not even just for DVD playback. The BluRay licensing agreement that manufacturers agree to specifically forbids it, so the number of BluRay players that can be unlocked after purchase is very low. The usual way that BluRay players get unlocked is that a 3rd party buys them and modifies the hardware by adding a device that allows the owner to change regions by entering codes from the remote. This drives up the cost above what "normal" models cost in stores. If you need a BluRay player that can be unlocked, you need to buy it from a seller who sells modified players.

[Davi]

Thanks very much jman98. Good info. Looks like I will just go and try to buy an unlocked model. Try Chinatown area in Sydney?

[jman98]

I'm not Aussie, so I can't offer personal experience. In the USA we've got a few known online retailers like
http://www.world-import.com
http://www.220-electronics.com
who sell them. If you buy in Chinatown you may well be able to find them, but will the store do returns if the player doesn't work as advertised? If you think that might be a problem then I'd search online for an Aussie seller I felt I could trust.