Blu Ray Region Codes: Any region free players in U.S. ?

71.96.130.40

Posted on October 18, 2008 at 16:30:31

townsend
Audiophile

Posts: 447
Location: Texas
Joined: June 29, 2002

I understand there are three regions for blu ray.

UK is region 2; US is region 1 (that's the simplified version for this question).

Mongol is out on blu ray; the region 1 has a DD soundtrack and no extras; region 2 has extra "making of" and a DTS-HD MA soundtrack.

Anyone living in the U.S. have one or is contemplating a region free blu ray players? Not really worth it for one title, but there may be more like this in the future.

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=69025

Here you go (link)

4season

08:47:16 10/19/08

5

No need. You do realize most imports are not region locked?

Harmonia

20:03:00 10/20/08

4

Great link, thank you [nt]

4season

22:38:33 10/21/08

Thanks for this link. I have seen it in the past but didn't

townsend

18:45:07 10/21/08

There's a reasonable number that are not

Jack G

05:06:04 10/21/08

Many of those are also released here...

Harmonia

13:47:10 10/21/08

It's called an HTPC. ;-)

Gmood1

21:40:13 10/18/08

I've asked this before

Jack G

19:02:08 10/18/08

I've asked this before, posted on October 18, 2008 at 19:02:08
Jack G Audiophile Posts: 6623 Joined: September 24, 1999	I don't knowof any that are region free,but there are a few companies in Europe that take some of the older players and mad them and charge a couiple hundred bucks extra. BTW, the regions are A, B, and C. There's a bunch of European releases of some older movies I'd like to have. This region coding of BD really sucks. Jack

It's called an HTPC. ;-), posted on October 18, 2008 at 21:40:13
Gmood1 Audiophile Posts: 938 Location: So. Alabama Joined: February 14, 2003	A home theater PC equipped with a Blu ray drive and playback software is region free. You can play any region you choose with a selection in the Blu ray software playback menu.

Here you go (link), posted on October 19, 2008 at 08:47:16

4season
Audiophile

Posts: 1872
Location: Colorado, USA
Joined: April 2, 2002

But personally, I wonder if it'd be easier and cheaper just to buy a stock Region B Playstation 3?

I have no current plans to buy one myself: The sheer cost of importing movies from overseas really reduces the appeal of this idea IMO.

http://www.hkflix.com/hardware/xq/asp/pid.163/qx/details.htm

No need. You do realize most imports are not region locked?, posted on October 20, 2008 at 20:03:00

Harmonia
Audiophile

Posts: 1642
Location: Midwestern USA
Joined: November 3, 2000

Here's a good site below for checking whether a disc is region free (ABC) or region locked. Region A includes both US and Japan so that's nice for a change from SD DVDs.

Somewhere close to 70% of the releases appear to be unlocked. Some of the locked BDs are also released in US. I only found one film out of 16 I wanted (This Is England) that wasn't ABC.

I dunno that it's necessary to buy a RB player yet. The films I'm interested in buying aren't available on this side of the pond in BD and may never be. Exploited Cinema is a great site to get Euro imports from. I've also used Amazon UK very happily.

Blu-Ray disc region codes index

There's a reasonable number that are not, posted on October 21, 2008 at 05:06:04
Jack G Audiophile Posts: 6623 Joined: September 24, 1999	Mostly catalog titles being released in the UK. Jack

Many of those are also released here..., posted on October 21, 2008 at 13:47:10

Harmonia
Audiophile

Posts: 1642
Location: Midwestern USA
Joined: November 3, 2000

...eventually. Sometimes they're released a bit later, but - so far at least - they do come out in Region A.

With my main interests being foreign, classic and arthouse, I've come across very very few Region B discs that are locked which I would be consider pruchasing...and believe me, I've looked. That includes GB, FR and DE and others. I haven't looked at the Russians C discs much - yet. I found 20+ "B" BDs I could be interested in last week, 16 I really wanted and only one of those was locked. I can't say that's worth spending extra money for a region fere player.

I have very little to no interest in blockbusters and most popular releases. And they come out in US anyway. I'm sure there will be a couple mroe locked discs on my wish list, but so far so good. And the C region discs have all been unlocked so far (very few released).

Thanks for this link. I have seen it in the past but didn't, posted on October 21, 2008 at 18:45:07
townsend Audiophile Posts: 447 Location: Texas Joined: June 29, 2002	how to find it again. Unfortunately, Mongol region B (UK) is not "region free." We shouldn't really have to screw with this region code stuff . . . it's so stupid. If regions were so important, there would be six of 'em, like w/ DVD, not just three.

Great link, thank you [nt], posted on October 21, 2008 at 22:38:33
4season Audiophile Posts: 1872 Location: Colorado, USA Joined: April 2, 2002	.

Video Asylum

Blu Ray Region Codes: Any region free players in U.S. ?

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