Region Free Blu-Ray Player in Australia?

[magnu]

Can someone recommend to me a good Region Free Blu-Ray Player in Australia? Needs to be able to play mp4 & mkv as well. If it's a Recorder that's ok too?

And don't mention Laser!!!

[hech54]

Can someone recommend to me a good Region Free Blu-Ray Player in Australia?

Blu Ray discs have zones.
DVD discs have regions.

[magnu]

I'm talking about a Blu-Ray player that will play DVDs from any region.

[KBeee]

Being in Oz, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a BD player that can do Region Free for DVD.
Just check local reviews of locally available BluRay players. The rest of the World doesn't seem to be quite so lucky in that regard.

[Brad]

Blu Ray discs have zones.
DVD discs have regions.

The BDA calls them regions just the same as DVD: http://www.blu-raydisc.com/en/technical/faqs/blu-raydiscforvideo.aspx

[netmask56]

I'm talking about a Blu-Ray player that will play DVDs from any region.

Heaps available but check out JBHiFi for the Pioneer BD160 region free out of the box for DVD's and does 3D. Kogans have/had units that can switch between Bluray zones as well as DVD region free out of the box. I have a BD150 Pioneer and performs flawlessly altho' I must admit I play most movies off my network. I also have a Soniq, doesn't do 3D but you can switch Bluray zones effortlessly.

The other option is if you are in Sydney explore Chinatown in the Haymarket for all sorts of electronic goodies.... Don't bother with the major chain's like DJ's or Myer's etc as they tend to only sell locked down models

Expect to pay around a$130 for the Pioneer but sometimes they will be on special. If you really want to import a unit from wherever currently there is no duty or GST on imports under a$1,000 but that is likely to change in the Federal May budget. The Abbott government is money hungry so the budget is going to have a few nasty surprises.

[magnu]

Is the Pioneer this one http://www.pioneer.com.au/au/products/BDP-160-K/print.html? If it is this one it looks wonderful, as it also plays SACD! I'm in Perth so going to Chinatown is out of the question.

[netmask56]

Yes that's it - JbHiFi will have them and just make sure you specify region free out of the box. A technophobe friend just bought one and had no problems setting it up. I think this model has wifi built in but not sure.

http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/home%20theatre/blu-ray%20player/pioneer-bdp-160-network...-player/691255

Gone up to a$148 plus a$10 shipping It looks like your local WA stores don't have it so you would have to order on line from Sydney. It's worth trying a local store as you can try beating them down a tad.

[hech54]

Blu Ray discs have zones.
DVD discs have regions.

The BDA calls them regions just the same as DVD: http://www.blu-raydisc.com/en/technical/faqs/blu-raydiscforvideo.aspx

AH yes. I keep forgetting I no longer live in a native English speaking country.

[johns0]

Just buy a blu-ray player that plays mkv and mp4,most if not all will play these files in 25fps and 23.976 or any frame rate in respect.

[magnu]

But I have a lot of UK DVD's that won't play on Region 4 machines! Haven't you read the first post, johns0?

[johns0]

I read your first post,you want to play mkv and mp4 so just convert your dvds to that format and they will play with no issues.

[magnu]

I asked about a Region Free player that will also play these format.

[magnu]

I went to one JBHiFi in Joondalup & the chap there confirmed the Pioneer is region free for DVDs. They didnd't have any in stock but he told me Whitfords branch (10 mins drive) had 24. I went there & was approached by a salesman whom I had just heard tell someone else that Kogan was a crook who had run dodgy businesses before? He told me that the Pioneer was not region free & that if I bought it he would not offer a refund under that case. His manner towards me was very rude I thought, & he went on to tell me that there was no such thing as a Blu-Ray player that will play any DVDs. When I pointed out that sites on the web told me this machine is region free, & that the web tells us there are plenty out there, he told me not to believe everything I read on the net!

Anyway, I bought it & it IS region free! The moral of the story is don't believe anything a salesperson tells you!

[magnu]

That's only for watching videos via a PC.

[netmask56]

I'm surprised JBHiFi didn't offer to ship one from Sydney or Melbourne but they are all individual franchises. As you would probably know the law in Oz is split, the ACCC says region coding is illegal due to anti competitive nature of the practice whilst Commonwealth law allows its. Anyway you got one. Kogan's has had a few ups and downs, he imports stuff directly in container load from China hence the low prices. Some lemons but quite a few gems.

[Julie1212]

I also have the Pioneer BD160 and it plays region free... except for some of my 'A' region Blu Rays I got when I lived overseas. Does anyone know how to override this at all? I tried the 8520 code, but it is locked to region 'B'. I want it to play my Aussie, UK and North American Blu Rays. Any advice is certainly welcome. Many thanks!

[netmask56]

You won't find any Blu ray zone free out of the box but there are several that are switchable or via menu and code (early Sonos) . Check Kogan's website. The Pioneer model can be modified with a chip but I don't think anyone does it in Australia and is probably illegal now after SONY won and injunction against modding games machine. If you are in Sydney or Melbourne check out Chinatown districts for small shops. Forget about the big stores or national well known brands. You could import a Pioneer that is totally region and zone free but they are mostly NTSC machines altho' that shouldn't cause too much bother with local modern flat screen TV's. A friend of mine has 3 machines one with a USA flag on it, a Chinese on another and the Union Jack for Australia and Europe!! A cute solution now they are so cheap. I might add his DVD/BD collections just about covers the history of the known universe!!

[paulw]

You won't find any Blu ray zone free out of the box but there are several that are switchable or via menu and code (early Sonos) .

Not quite true.
http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/blu-ray-players/oppo-blu-ray-players/oppo-bdp-103au-3d-blu-...-modified.html

[netmask56]

Last time I checked NZ hasn't joined the Federation! Sure but Oppo are fairly pricey compared to others albeit they are pretty good.

[Bjs]

Panasonic DMP-BD89 & LG BD530 are "all region"

[jman98]

You won't find any Blu ray zone free out of the box but there are several that are switchable or via menu and code (early Sonos) .

Not quite true.
http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/blu-ray-players/oppo-blu-ray-players/oppo-bdp-103au-3d-blu-...-modified.html

You're both correct, but you, paulw, are arguing semantics without realizing it.

netmask56 is correct because Oppo themselves does NOT ship their players in region free mode. The seller you linked to is selling a player that they or someone else (not an Oppo employee) modified to be region free. netmask56 means that the player, as shipped by Oppo, is not region free.

Since the player will no doubt be in a box when purchased from the company in the link, you are technically correct, but there's a finer point here that you are missing and in my opinion, for whatever little that is worth, netmask56's statement is more useful.

[SixFiftyThree]

The OP says -

And don't mention Laser!!!

But why the hell not? The Laser BD1000 I picked up for $70 is fantastic. No fuss region-free BD playback (code entry), and advertised as such. Good operation, good quality, and lenient towards file types if playing from USB. It's cheaply built and the remote does require some precision, but it works without issues (have owned it since last year) and you just can't complain for the price. You can get this model from Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W, probably most places.

[xtremehuzzah]

No fuss region-free BD playback (code entry)

Was the code entry an easy procedure? And after you've entered the code, the Laser BD1000 was able to play Blu-rays from any zone?

[SixFiftyThree]

Was the code entry an easy procedure? And after you've entered the code, the Laser BD1000 was able to play Blu-rays from any zone?

You do need to manually change regions, but it's dead simple. Press setup, enter 4-digit code, select region. Done.

[igg]

Yes that's it - JbHiFi will have them and just make sure you specify region free out of the box. A technophobe friend just bought one and had no problems setting it up. I think this model has wifi built in but not sure.

http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/home%20theatre/blu-ray%20player/pioneer-bdp-160-network...-player/691255

Gone up to a$148 plus a$10 shipping It looks like your local WA stores don't have it so you would have to order on line from Sydney. It's worth trying a local store as you can try beating them down a tad.

Thats interesting as I've just visited two different jb hi fi stores looking for a zone free player and was told at both stores that the only zone free player they sell is the Laser.
Also I have two pioneer models the BDP LX70A and the BDP 120 and neither of these will play blue rays from other regions, however when I first got the LX70 it would play zone free but has since stopped and I have been told that Is the way they are set up, which Is to initially play zone free then revert to prevent zone free, dont know if this is correct but IT certainly happened to me

[october262]

zone free players - http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xzone...layer&_sacat=0

[netmask56]

IGG wrote

I first got the LX70 it would play zone free but has since stopped and I have been told that Is the way they are set up, which Is to initially play zone free then revert to prevent zone free, dont know if this is correct but IT certainly happened to me

If that is correct ie it once did and now doesn't sounds like you/it did a firmware update and the update killed the patch that made it Zone free. You need to be very diligent about allowing any media playing device from "updating" automatically or doing a manuak update before researching what it does. If the setup menu has the option of automatic updates turn it off!

[igg]

Yeah your spot on, I now recall that it lost it's region free capabilities following Pioneer sending me an upgrade, this upgrade was sent on a disc and needed to be activated manually.
I'll get in touch with Pioneer however I dont like my chances of them reversing the application.

[netmask56]

Not much chance of downgrading. Quite often they update in such a way you can't go back. If you know the firmware version before updating you might be able to find it on a web site. I would check the crowd in Melbourne that do re-chipping then it's permanent.

I hardly ever use my BD player these days preferring to copy any new discs I get to my network so I only have the main movie without all the rubbish that precedes it.