My Standalone DVD Player is.....

[tgpo]

Factory Standard

[donpedro]

Region Free Hacked - that is what we need to do to be able watch movies from home (Europe) in here (US) since they came up with that "Region" nonsense. Like PAL vs NTSC problem is not enough

[puertorican138]

My APEX AD-1500 is region free and macrovision hacked.

[musher70]

mY Sampo's are just killers, but got a Sony also...
Sampo's can do wonders....like ntsc>pal convs
Even can play dvd's as data like mpgs w/o conv
to vcd, even play jpegs now, dont forget region
hacks....no divx though...

[mats.hogberg]

My Centrum Libra (El Cheapo NetOnNet brand) is solid as a rock - plays anything, specially after hacking the firmware. Can be made region free with remote. (The MacroVision removal took a firmware hack.)
Later models, like Centrum Gemini 100, 200 and most of all 300 have got lots of bad reviews tho...

/Mats

[pbhalerao]

My Pioneer DV-K301 is factory standard - auto region switching and PAL/NTSC compatible. It supports macrovision and cannot play SCVD.

[Gazorgan]

It plays everthing, but unfortunately it's not (currently) Macrovision hackable. This is REALLY annoying when I use it in the bedroom on the older TV (No A/V inputs) with the VCR. I suppose I need to break down and get a better 2nd TV or a better modulator.

[dphirschler]

MY Apex is Macrovision and region hacked. My Philips is region hacked. However, I have not tested it since I don't own any other region DVDs.


Darryl

[energy80s]

My Cyberhome 528 is region free but not macrovision hacked (don't see the point of it anyway) as it's based on a PC DVD-ROM drive, it plays just about any disc you put in it. However the picture quality isn't the best, but then what do you expect for £120 ($190).

[drak23]

My Apex 5131 does not have any hacks installed (yet). But what I would REALLY like is a firmware upgrade to allow playing mini-DVDs.

Drak

[marvel2020]

energy80s wrote....

My Cyberhome 528 is region free but not macrovision hacked (don't see the point of it anyway) as it's based on a PC DVD-ROM drive, it plays just about any disc you put in it. However the picture quality isn't the best, but then what do you expect for £120 ($190).

Same here m8, Cyberhome AD-L528

[tgpo]

However the picture quality isn't the best, but then what do you expect for £120 ($190).

For $190 I would expect a lot. My DVD player cost $80 and it has a great picture. For $190 I could get a 3 disk changer with a DTS decoder.

[Ciuko]

Hitachi DVP250.
Region Free'd using two hacked boot cds.
Lot of fun 8)

[Quigonsean]

My DVD player is..... A P.O.S. Oritron, but at least I can turn off regions via a code w/remote.

Sean

[Cyrl]

For 190 I'd expect a region free Progressive scan with 5.1 audio out coax and optical....

For 50 bucks my Cyberhome 402 is region free ( remote control changeable ) and plays all my UK collection of DVD's and my JVC XV-S500 is factory standard for watching my US DVD's in progressive scan... if I could only find the Cyberhome 502 for 50 bucks again I'd pick one up... hell I'd even pay 80 or so for it, anyone have a link =)?

Oh the Thoshiba 1600 downstairs is Factory standard, the drives in my PC's are both firmware updated to be RPC free and I suppose if you want to get picky the PS2 and XBOX are FS also.... I really have too much crap in my room.

[energy80s]

The cheapest DVD players in existance in the UK are £80 (about $125). The USA is a completely foreign country with its own pricing structure. For example the cheapest I've seen the Pioneer AO5 DVD writer is £201 (that's $316). It's like comparing apples and oranges. And there's no such thing a "rebates" here either so what you see is what you pay.

[energy80s]

Same here m8, Cyberhome AD-L528

Richer Sounds ????

[marvel2020]

energy80s wrote...


Richer Sounds ????


Yep

[netxtc]

My Norcent DP 300 is macrovision and region free, hacked thru the remote accessing the factory settings page.

Considering buying a DVD player?...Give this one a look...this player rocks.

See www.nerd-out.com to see how the hack is done

Netxtc

[macleod]

I have the apex 1100W 1mb version with macrovision and region free hack.

macrovision - I did this because I had to go through hell in order to use the vcr and TV independantly (20 remotes to get me there). The TV is an older 27 inch GE. Its alot easier to hit the remote for input select than to change the channel to 93, set this, move that, make sure venus is aligned with mars, etc.....

Region free - figured what the hell and did it.

[Sefy]

Here's a reason for you guys to visit Israel, all DVD's here, no matter which
company, are all Region Free! and some are even Macrovision Free, and they
all do NTSC <> PAL conversion.

[Cyrl]

Sefy, I can think of a few dozen reasons better than region free DVD (players I assume you mean) to visit Israel. =)

It's one of the few foreign countries I have any interest in visiting.

And Energy80s, apparently anything fun in the UK costs twice as much as it does in the US. How the hell do the English afford to relax. Is beer just that much cheaper? I know the Buffy seasons on DVD cost a little over double what they do in the US, then again they are available a few years earlier too... Thank god for Blackstar and super cheap international shipping.

[Conquest10]

how is israel for a non-jewish person? not trying to sound racist, just wondering.

[Sefy]

@Cyrl, yup, alot to do here, especialy if you are thrill seaker

@Conquest10, considering Israel is a multi-culture environment, everyone is equal, unlike what some people think, we don't travel by camels and we don't live in tents, that's just our cousins

[ChrisX]

My Pioneer DVD player is multi-region from the shop. DVD Regions mean nothing and the same goes for PAL and NTSC.

[Sefy]

Same here, my good ol' Pioneer works like a charm 8)

[EddyH]

Region hacked, though I have yet to get hold of an out-of-region DVD..

Probably macro-hackable, and I'd like to, though there'd be little point - if i was to copy anything to VHS i'd just feed it through the (ancient and totally macro incapable) TV out card or make a VCD and copy from that..

And best of all, fully S/X/VCD, high-rez stillframe, Dolby Digital (DVD) / Prologic (VCD) 5.1*, MP3, and Svid/ Y-Cb-Cr capable right out of the box All for 80 credits

Question is, why can't Sony make something so good and flexible, but without the slightly flaky firmware and 3.5-out-of-5 picture quality of mine? (and with RGB outs..) Even if it was to be 3x the price..


* yeah I know prologic is really only 3.0 or 4.0 depending on version, but it fakes up the extra 1 or 2 satellite channels to fit and splits off a signal to the sub, which is very nice.

[EddyH]

Cryl, yeah, from what I hear the price of beer in the States would probably kill me financially in just two or three nights out

But then I'd just make up the difference (and the air fare) by smuggling four or five gallons of gas home!

[wags_70]

i have a factory standard samsung s124 which plays nearly anything

[Hardcoreruss]

Got a sony and a panasonic A-160 (old school - 1998 player cost me £449 with know dd decoder !!!).

Cheapest player in the UK is

www.ddoffer.com

or

www.ddoffer2.com

£50 and £60 respectively. Promoted by the odd handed Mr Beadle. :P