Multi region V Fixed region?

[Tubol]

Now, I was gonna get me dvd recorder yesterday (Yamada DVR8000, only really getting a cheap one for "evaluating" the scene) but did not as they where out of stock at my local Richer Sounds.

Well yes the region free one was in stock but not the region 2 that I wanted. The sales person seemed rather baffled that I turned down the region free one & opting for wating for the region 2 model to be re-stocked instead.

So I explained that I know I could make the region 2 model region free by a remote hack (this I got the inpression they think the public aught not to know or that I mentioned it in a shop full of customers) & I then said I felt it a little crazy to pay £20 extra for something I could do myself in 20 secs at home with the remote.

The sales person then mentioned that the remote hack, if I could find it, may not work or stick. This then gave me the impression that he was trying to say that region free models are region free by hardware setting rather than firmware\software region fixing?.

So I'm wandering what the difference between multi region & fixed region recorders are?. Are multi region models pre-set via the remote before packing as I think or is it something more advanced than that?.

Tubol

[petar]

Manufactures are oblidged by the contract, if they want to display the DVD logo, to respect the region restrictions. So, any DVD player/recorder/drive coming from a respected company will be fixed for the region where it's sold with the option to change this region number few times (normally 5). After that it's fixed permanently. Now, for most players you can find hacks to reset this or even to be able to change the regions indefinitely. But there's often also a hardware solution to make that player multi-region and this is what the sales person was probably refering to. This hardware solution is implemented by the reseller or a third company, nothing to do with the manufacturer of the actual player.

Both achieve the same thing but the hardware solution is supposed to be hassle-free (for you, the user). Is it worth the £20? Don't know, that's up to you.

There's some good basic info here:
http://www.techtronics.com/uk/shop/50-00-dvd-introduction.html

[Tubol]

Nice link for basic informative info on the issue thanks petar.

Is it woth the £20 extra then?, thats an interesting point. My initial refusal to take the multi region model was under the beleif that it was already done via the remote. Something I'd guess everybody would feel is deff not worth £20.

However if indeed as suggested nulti region machines have been altered via a hardware mod then it may well be worth an extra £20 for not having to repeatingly enter the remote hack each time. The £20 extra seems to be what most places charge for a multi region version so I'm now feeling it's not too bad a price for a hardware mod that saves going through the remote each time.

As a point of intrest, does anyone know or can anyone confirn if Richer Sounds multi region machines are hardware multi regioned?. Will prob phone them in the morning to ask them abvout the issue anyway.

Also would having a recorder multi regioned by a hardware mod make any difference to changing the firmware?. Could any firmware upgrade wipe out the use of it or what. And is a hardware mod just for multi region or does it also remove the macro protection etc?.

Tubol

[Marvingj]

Sounds like the Salesperson was giving you a hard sales pitch.

[Tubol]

Sounds like the Salesperson was giving you a hard sales pitch.

Not really m8, but I did get the impression that the customers who walk through there doors dont know anything or research what they are looking at buying. But they did seem informed on what they were selling from what I could telll

As said gonna phone them in the morning to ask on the multi region thing just to see how well informed they really are. But as I dont even have any other films than region 2 cant see why I'd even need the region free one anyway. Then again some good dvd's on ebay recently.

Tubol

[Tubol]

Just got off the phone from my local Richer Sounds & something rather interesting they just told me.

As said I went to my local store for the Yamada DVR8000 region 2 recorder on saturday. They told me then that they were tempory out of stock of the region 2 recorders but did have the multi region model in which I turned down to there annouance.

They told me the region 2 would be back in stock this wednesday. But I've just called them to double check current availability as I was not fully sure that they were being truthfull of the region 2 availability. The sales person told me "just hang on a sec I'll go and check". When they came back just several secs later they told me they were out of stock of the region 2 model & that they only had the multi region model in. But when asked about when they were going to get more of the region 2 models in he said "there is a 9 week wait for them" this they answered right away when they never seemed to know of the current availability 30 secs earlyer. So I politley thanked them for there assistance & said goodbye.

But I'm getting the impression that they are holding back on stock for some reason choosing to sell them with a £20 premium as multi region when they are likely only so by altering the firmware themselfs in store?.

Either way I get the strong impression they are lying about the stock for whatever reason.

Does anyone else know of or if there local Richer Sounds store has reported a stock problem with region 2 models Yamada DVR8000 ?.

1 very annoyed Tubol

[Tubol]

Sorry to reply again so soon, but not to be put off I just got off the phone from another Richer Sounds store, Liverpool, to see what they said on the issue.

They have also reported a stock problem with the region 2 models saying that they will not be in stock for some time & they were deff not going to be in wednesdays delivery and they might not even be re-stocked at all. But this chap was a little more informative after I asked him about the machine & the multi region option.

First off I asked him the difference between the region 2 & multi region models saying aint they just multi regioned by changing the firmware?.

To which he replied "yes I beleive they are". But a second later he changed his mind saying " in fact no they arnt they are in fact chipped by a company called tenex or somethink like that". Well it sounded like he was saying "tenex" anyway, dont suppose he could have ment Techtronics could he?. Anyway he went on to say that he doubted they would be getting any more region 2 models in as Multi region was all that anyone ever asked for.

So who & what am I supposed to beleive?. That they are upgraded by firmware or chipping?. Would have thought it would cost more than £20 for a profesional chiipping service?.

Tubol

[Tubol]

Sorry Richer Sounds, but looks like there really is a genuine stock problem as I just got off the phone from there costomer service centre which confirmed what I was originally told that there is a supply problem with the region 2 models as they could not locate a store that had any in.

But interestingly enough they also said that multi region machines are made so by them "being chipped by a third pary company".

It seems that if I go back to the store & stand my ground mentioning that I only wanted the region 2 due to me having no other region discs (as mentioned by the centre staff) then they can let me have it for the same price? 8) . So just gotta be more direct with them then eh.

Tubol

[seb]

I bought a multi-region DVD player from Richer Sounds quite some time ago - a Pioneer 340 which had been chipped by a company called Tridek - who I think Richer Sounds still use (I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong).

As an unexpected bonus, I found that the hardware mod also removed Macrovision. Might be interesting to contact Tridek and see whether a) they do the mod on the Yamada unit, and b) what exactly the mod achieves.

[Tubol]

Thanks for the input m8. It I can get hold of them & it really does remove the macro too then not a bad price at all things considered.

Tubol

[Tubol]

Well found the company easy enough www.tridek.co.uk , but there are no options for any Yamada machine, player or recorder.

So either Richer Sounds are lying or there is a chip for it but not on public release. E-mailed then to ask , just waiting to see if they reply.

Tubol