Will Blu-Ray play PAL DVD's? I think the answer to this question is probably "no", but I'd like to ask anyway. Will Blu-Ray players (the Sony BDP-S300 in particular) play PAL DVD's? Will Blu-Ray play PAL DVD's? I think the answer to this question is probably "no", but I'd like to ask anyway. Will Blu-Ray players (the Sony BDP-S300 in particular) play PAL... » Read More Will Blu-Ray play PAL DVD's? I think the answer to this question is probably "no", but I'd like to ask anyway. Will Blu-Ray players (the Sony BDP-S300 in particular) play PAL DVD's? « Show Less
1330452
A US BR player can play region free PAL blu rays from uk/europe, but it cannot play PAL dvd's(non-HD) because standard definition is in NTSC for the US.
1330453
Burketop, I'd like to know where you found that Samsung players play PAL? Because I have a BDr-D25052 which play all types of DVD & BluRay but NOT PAL and a chat with Samsung support advised ALL their players SOLD IN THE USA are REGION A and will NOT play PAL. So far not much luck trying to unlock it and make it region free. Thanks for any guidance!
1330454
One thing is the DVD region. Another thing is it's format.The region doesn't determine the format.For example, DVD's made in Australia and Latin America are region 4, but they differ in the format (PAL in Australia, NTSC in Latin America). In Argentina, both formats (PAL and NTSC) are used for region 4 DVD's.So, a DVD/BRD player may be "region free", but american ones may not be able to play 50 Hz content (576i@50Hz or 1080i@50Hz)
1330455
My LG BD390 can play PAL discs. I don't know what the region encoding is, since it just says "PAL regions" (whatever that means). However, I did get it from the UK. So it must be a Region 1 PAL disc, which is weird. Looking around AVForums confirmed that the BD390 passed their compatibility test (though the picture is not as good as NTSC).Digital Fred- just do a search on 'region free DVD (or Blu-ray) players'.
1330456
I have an LG BD670 and a Toshiba BDX2250KU and both play region 0 PAL format dvds
1330457
Sebastian, thanks for the valuable info! Could you also tell where did you get this information from? I hope that source was not static and it gets ongoing updates about newer models ..
1330458
No, I did my research after reading your question, and it looks like Blu-Ray uses a "region coding" system similar to DVD players.But if you're desperate to play PAL DVDs, Amazon's independent sellers have a lot of players that are region free, and you can get them for cheap. I got one for $50, and it's played any DVD I've thrown at it, regardless of region.
1330459
Peter, can you share names / websites of these independent sellers of blu-ray disc players? I'd like a blu-ray disc player that plays PAL and NTSC blu-ray and DVD discs from all regions (if such players are available). Thank you.
2190690
I have a OPPO BDP 80 player which has been modified to be region-free for DVD's and Blu-Ray discs. The modification works for DVD's allowing one to play Region 2 DVD's with no problem. However, there is a problem playing Blu-Ray discs other than Region A. For example, the modified player cannot play Region B Blu-Ray discs, even after carefully following the instructions for changing from Region A to Region B. Am posting this comment to know if other owners of region-free modified OPPO BDP 80 players (modified either with a kit or by a third-party source) have had issues playing Blu-Ray discs other than Region A. I have a OPPO BDP 80 player which has been modified to be region-free for DVD's and Blu-Ray discs. The modification works for DVD's allowing one to play Region 2 DVD's with no problem. However, there is a problem playing Blu-Ray discs other than Region A. For example, the modified player cannot play Region B Blu-Ray discs, even after carefully following the instructions for changing from Region A to Region B. Am posting this comment to know if other owners of region-free modified OPPO BDP 80 players (modified either with a kit or by a third-party source) have had issues playing Blu-Ray... » Read More I have a OPPO BDP 80 player which has been modified to be region-free for DVD's and Blu-Ray discs. The modification works for DVD's allowing one to play Region 2 DVD's with no problem. However, there is a problem playing Blu-Ray discs other than Region A. For example, the modified player cannot play Region B Blu-Ray discs, even after carefully following the instructions for changing from Region A to Region B. Am posting this comment to know if other owners of region-free modified OPPO BDP 80 players (modified either with a kit or by a third-party source) have had issues playing Blu-Ray discs other than Region A. « Show Less
1905988
My Sony BDP-s550 just stopped playing blu-ray discs as well. I tried to upgrade the firmware but that failed. Sony support couldn't help me to get it working either. I ended up throwing it in the trash. This was very frustrating. I will definitely not buy another Sony blu-ray player.
153700
The N. American version will NOT play PAL or 50hz DVDs. I'd expect if Sony sold this model in a 50hz country it would play PAL but ones for the US will not play PAL.
107287
No. Many Blu-rays are NOT region encoded; you can check yours to see if they have an A/B/C designation. If not, you are good to go on Blu-ray. If region is an issue for your collection, you can check out hacks like this to make your player region free: http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/panasonic-dmp-bd65/10861 (similar model) If you have DVDs you want to play back, you will run into PAL (Europe) vs NTSC (US) issues even if you apply a region code hack like this. You would have to search for a firmware hack to play PAL DVDs.
1694967
No. Many Blu-rays are NOT region encoded; you can check yours to see if they have an A/B/C designation. If not, you are good to go on Blu-ray.If region is an issue for your collection, you can check out hacks like this to make your player region free: http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/panasonic-dmp-bd65/10861 (similar model)If you have DVDs you want to play back, you will run into PAL (Europe) vs NTSC (US) issues even if you apply a region code hack like this. You would have to search for a firmware hack to play PAL DVDs.
939710
Thanks. I've done all that with no results. My last resort is to test the player with a few other Blu-Ray discs. If they play with no problem, I'll return this set to Amazon and ask for another one.
1762224
If it plays PAL, does that mean that the region coding can be overridden? That I can finally buy DVDs from overseas without a hitch? Let me know. Thanks.
1663365
Gustav, oppodigital.com certainly provides updates for your BDP-95. If your player is connected to the internet you can set it to update automatically or at your instruction. Be warned though, depending on your firmware version, you might not want to update. The older firmware can play ISO but that functionality was removed. BDP-95s that have the firmware that plays ISO were commanding a premium at one time. I wouldn't update the firmware unless you're having a problem. I have never updated mine and it has played every disc without problems. Good luck!
1543567
Yes, it does. In fact, all blu-ray players are backward compatible so it can play your regular DVDs and even upscale them which improves the quality over standard dvd players. Blu-ray players also play many kind of formats such as music CDs, mp3 CDs, jpg. CDs and several more. Streaming ability of services like Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, etc. is actually why most people buy such systems. In other words, you get much more than just blu-ray capability...
2231980
Typically, in the electronics world, players are backwards compatible. Since this is Blue Ray DVD technology, it should play the older DVD formats the came before. I'm not an expert on this, but I don't recall ever having a DVD (Blue Ray, HD, SD) or CD that would not play in this player.
1375549
to try and offer some advice: i just upgraded from the BDP83 to the BDP93, i have only watched 1 Blu on the new one (BDP93) but was amazed at the pic quality i had the BDP83 for almost a year before upgrading and the only issue i had was watching LOTR extended versions on DVD and would see a 'hiccup" every so often - i believe this was where they added the extended footage in - otherwise i NEVER had a single issue with my player with an Oppo or PS3 OR whatever bluray player you have or decide to buy i always make sure the firmware is updated to resolve any 'issues" you may have best of luck to you
929718
As far I Know, both player models do play PAL discs since they convert it into NTSC --- you just need a NTSC TV set, a ubiquitous feature in any US television.
1984818
You should wait like me because blue ray players with profile 1.0 and 1.1 wont be able to play future discs. Since blue ray is coming out with 2.0 players later this year, newer disc will need the technical specs of the newer players. I was in the market on buying a blue ray player as well but then i read this http://www.cooltidbits.net/2008/01/before-you-buy-blu-ray-player-read-this.html
2157816
I contacted Sony support and this is what they said:"I'm sorry that the resume playback feature of the Blu-ray Disc player does not work. Sometimes, the player may not resume playback depending on the disc or stop point."Not very helpful. Not sure yet if this happens on all BD disc but it happens on Casino Royal, which is Sony produced... Very lame IMO.
399415
As far as I know it is not possible to unlock the HD-A3 player. You are correct it will not play PAL disks. My stupid P.O.S. Toshiba that I bought 3 years ago for $40 will play PAL but it doesn't have an HDMI connection so it's pretty useless. The regions and the PAL/NTSC can be broken in about 30 seconds by real pirates. It is just us lowly consumers who suffer due to the industry's misplaced faith in technology that doesn't work!
1762225
Thanks for the reply.I assume it's a non-issue, but does it also do a good job of playing Pal DVDs on a PAL TV?