My brother lives outside Tokyo and needs a DVD player for US releases. Are these readily available in Japanese stores or does he need to order one off the web?
Sorry that this doesn't answer your question, but if your brother is ever in Singapore, just about ALL DVD players sold in the shops are region-free. Not sure about Malaysia and Hong Kong, but I'd suspect that they are the same.
There is a store in Akihabara across the street from the train station and up on the second floor (use an escalator) to the right. You will see a store called Sato Musen and you take the escalator up to the second floor. I think the store is called IT'S, but can't be sure. They sell all region NTSC Pioneers and other brands as well.
