JiM T

Good region free player for around $130?

I'm looking for a good region free player for under $130, if such a thing exists. Sorry if this is covered elsewhere, but I tried "search", and did some reading, but I found nothing this specific.

I know some people seem keen on the Cyberhome 500 model, but that's a brand I've never heard of, and it's so ridiculously cheap that I'm afraid it may fall apart in a couple of years. Are these super-cheap players (and others like them) holding together and remaining reliable for people?

This is a birthday for my father-in-law, who wants region free, and a good reliable player. But between everyone in the family, we only have about $130 for this, and he can't throw in more $$ himself. So we're stuck with the cheapies to choose from - I just want to make sure we pick the best one overall.

Thanks.

JiM T

JiM T

bump ?

ArnaudP

Cyberhome 500 aroud $70.

David Lawson

Jim, you might want to check the forums at Nerd-Out for options.

I've owned the CyberHome DVD-500 for about six months. I was initially using it as my primary player, but after encountering a number of problems and annoyances, I've relegated it to non-R1 playback only, the one task it's performed flawlessly. (To be fair, I only have six or seven non-R1 titles at this point, compared to 200+ R1/R0 titles.)

R1 discs were the only ones to give me trouble, including freezes at chapter stops on Glengarry Glen Ross and Grave Of The Fireflies: CE, subtitles constantly popping up on S1M0NE, and audio dropouts on Serendipity. I have experienced none of these problems on the new player I purchased for R1 discs.

I'm not sure that you'll find a flawless all-region player in your price range. However, both of my players combined cost under $130, and I'm pleased with the overall outcome.

He obviously misinterpreted what it means to "be bullish."

JiM T

Thanks David - I usually don't look to buy such cheap equipment, but in this case, it's the amount I've got to work with. Your method of two separate inexpensive players is a good idea, though. I've been reading about the Toshiba SD 3900 which does region free playback and is right around $100. If I find out that has trouble with R1, then it looks like it will be Cyberhome and another player for my father-in-law. Thanks!

JiM T