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Is your region A blu-ray player really all region? (1 Viewer)

Winston T. Boogie

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Worth said:
The resume function is disc specific. For some it works, for some it doesn't - it depends on how the disc was authored.
Really, that's interesting. I seem to recall it working with everything I've played but maybe I'm wrong. So if the player remembers where you stopped watching a film is actually a function of the disc and not the player?
 

CraigF

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Robert Crawford said:
Mike has indicated he has a Pioneer player not a Panny one.
My mistake, sorry. I must have read talk of Panny players after his stuff and that's what I "remembered"...


It is funny that somebody thinks current Panny BD players have some certain "high quality", similar for current Sony ones. Have they ever looked inside? I suggest you don't if it matters to you. Times have changed my friends, brand name means little for lower-end commodity items beyond certainly a higher price. Seiki is no worse built, as far as I can tell the price diff is largely you get a warranty with Panny and Sony, and for Seiki, good luck with that, need to buy at a store that has easy returns.


I've been using my Seiki BDP for several years now and it plays all commercial video discs with all audio formats including the latest ones properly, something I can't say for any of my Oppos (I don't have the latest model though). It's never needed an FW update over the years either, which is good because there aren't any! I save the Seiki for non-A BDs because I don't trust its build "quality" that much... :) The right tool for the job, yes I have four BDPs in my main system and they all have strong and weak points, none are perfect for all discs (inluding DVD-A/SACD). Overkill yes, but many people, most people, would say that buying discs period is overkill when streaming is so much more convenient. It is a bit about being fussy, going to some trouble to please myself re PQ/SQ. It's not expensive having these players either, really, just space-consuming.
 

Richard Gallagher

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The Stop-Top Menu approach clearly is not a substitute for a region-free player, and I don't think that anyone is suggesting that it is.


I have a Toshiba region-free player, but I prefer to use my Panasonic DMP-BD50, which has multi-channel audio outputs and allows me to use the multi-channel inputs on my Yamaha receiver. The Toshiba only has a digital coax output and left-right analog outputs.


Consequently, I appreciate the ability to play at least some of my Region B Blu-rays with my Panasonic player. If, as is the case with Exodus, I can't play it using the Stop-Top Menu workaround, I play it in the Toshiba.


That said, I can appreciate that some people do not want to add a second Blu-ray player to their system, or do not want to go to the expense of replacing a perfectly good Blu-ray player with a multi-region one.
 

CraigF

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^^ [I'm curious - what are your 4 BDPs and what is each good at ?] Sorry for verbosity, I can't help it...


Seiki, Oppo, 2 x Sony. That's in the main system, there are other systems here e.g. the bedroom system has 2 x Oppo in it (980 and 93), basement has a Panny.


The Seiki I use for non-A BDs, that is the only real "strong point" it needs because that's all I really use it for, its purpose for existing for me (cost much less than the FW mod for either of the Oppos). The Seiki looked like a cheap POS when it was new, but now it looks almost like a "premium" (I use the term lightly for this market segment) product compared to current Sony/Panasonic/Samsung/LG players at double+ its price.


The Oppo (83) I use for DVDs mostly, least I try to and that's what I say, but in reality I can be a bit lazy and it's my "go to" player for everything DVD/BD/DVD-A/SACD, but not CDs (yes, a diff player for those too, though mostly I stream my ripped CDs these days, doesn't sound that much lesser to me). This is the best player for DVDs that I know of, including the current Oppos (why I didn't get one after testing it here), equalling the Oppo 983, which I am ashamed to say I sold and bought a new (at the time) Oppo 93 with some of the $$ I got for the 983 (there's still quite a demand for premium DVDPs around here). I didn't know any better, assumed the 93 would do DVDs better than the 83 because it was newer. The 93 has the same playing issues with some of the newest BDs as the 83 has (= move to bedroom system). The 83 is all-region for DVDs too. I have thousands of DVDs, and still buy them (mostly TV), and playing them as well as possible is very important to me. It is unlikely that many of these titles will ever see a better rez than DVD offers, the available sources don't really support anything more (that you can't "magnify" just as well yourself).


The Sonys: one is a PS3, so it's usually got some game in it, but it's a great backup for BDs and is very fast and handles the latest "fragmented file" BDs just fine (usually they also are Atmos titles, but not always, the 83/93 choke on these). The other Sony is older and typically has a TV series BD in it, and I watch that when I only have a relatively short time to view. Actually, as is typical for any Sony BDP of any type, the laser assembly is its weak point and I panicked when the laser went the first time, but since easily/cheaply DIY fixed. So I lied a bit, this last Sony player really has no special purpose, it was thought deceased and replaced, but laziness has some value in a system too, so in there it remains.


Reality? I would settle for an Oppo 103 (I would only use it with HDMI) with an all-region mod. Except for the (not inexpensive!) games of course, so the PS3 still has a purpose. Problem is, the 103 didn't exist at the time the others were purchased, and it wouldn't do anything better than all the others do in combination, wouldn't even be much cheaper either, and importantly all the eggs aren't in one basket (my professional paranoia). So no point in me changing anything now. The next player upgrade (UHD) would require a new display as well, and I'm being very nice to the Pio Elite display and am in no hurry whatsoever to change it.


So, in my system:

Seiki: good for non-A BD and newer BDs the Oppo won't play

Oppo: good for DVD, vast majority of "A" BD, hi-rez music discs

PS3: good for games, all BDs that are 1080p/24 (sucks at anything else IMO), and the rare "A" BDs the Oppo won't play

Sony: good for maintaining laziness
 

youworkmen

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smithbrad said:
Why would I want to spend $90 on a player not guaranteed to play all disks from other regions?

I was responding to someone who said you could get a multi region Panasonic for $90.

That's multi region as in playing discs from more than one region.
 

youworkmen

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Reggie W said:
Really, that's interesting. I seem to recall it working with everything I've played but maybe I'm wrong. So if the player remembers where you stopped watching a film is actually a function of the disc and not the player?

I find the majority of discs don't have a RESUME feature. Most Warner do , Fox don't usually and neither do Disney.

Most Universal and Paramount discs don't but these allow you to add bookmarks but to access the bookmarks you need to wait for the disc to reload and set itself up again.

Lionsgate discs go through all the reloading but then return to the spot you left at and display a RESUME YES/NO ? screen even if you were on the menu.


I'm referring to Blurays here, dvd should be ok
 

Mike Frezon

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So here's where I am...


I was just sorting out some discs in my media room and realized I still have the two titles I purchased as a result of this thread and haven't been able to play them. I just found them, again, on the shelf.


I've already had offers for them...but before I let them go, I'm just wondering if anyone has any other thoughts about how I might get them to work on my player? They are Paper Moon and The Gospel of St. Matthew.


Otherwise, I think I'll be moving on from my ill-fated Region B experiment. :biggrin:


It's too bad..
 

David Norman

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I haven't read of any new tricks you didn't try earlier. i'm still a bit baffled why such similar Pioneer players act so differently.


Short of buying a fully region free player or using a Computer BD player I'm not sure of anything else to do.


If you're really bored sitting at home I could give you a moderator detective job looking for my missing forum ID from last century.

I think I've noticed this before but you signed up 3 days before I did with this email/ID
 

Worth

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You can pick up a decent player that can handle everything from everywhere, convert PAL-NTSC and play back 1080/50i, for less than $150 - that's aboyut 4 Twilight Time discs.
 

Mike Frezon

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Worth; Thanks, but no. I was thrilled to get myself down to just one playback device a few years back that handles all my needs: Blu/DVD/CD/SACD/DVD-A. I don't really "need" all-region.


David: Check your PM.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Heh... I apparently missed all the fun. Would've like to give this a try w/ my old Panny before giving it to my mother (after recently getting the Oppo 103).


I may go pick up the Paper Moon UK BD... although I still haven't gotten around to get the mod for my Oppo yet...


_Man_
 

David Norman

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The few individual titles I've read about all worked. That doesn't necessarily mean they all will, but in general this seems to be pretty label dependent/stable across teh catalog
 

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