Region 3 DVD player??? (1 Viewer)

[Gordon Groff]

I just received my Panasonic DVD-RP82 that I ordered on-line (for too much $$, but that's a different story).
Aack!~
It's a "Region 3" player, which is good for Asia or DVD's marked "All" according to the manual.

From the info on the manual, I assume some DVD's are protected so they won't play outside their region. Will this affect me? I don't own any DVD's or have a way to check it out yet.

So, someone tell me if I just did my first major bad on my HT project.

I don't know if I could get my money back or not.

Thanks!
Gordon

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Have you tried region 1 DVDs to see if they play fine? Maybe the player is already modded for all-region playback.

If it isn't modded, these guys can do it for you.

 

[Gordon Groff]

Have you tried region 1 DVDs to see if they play fine? Maybe the player is already modded for all-region playback.

Thanks, Brajesh!
The seller already repsonded to me and said it IS a region-free player. You hit it right on!

Thanks again,
Gordon

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Now you can feel a little better about having spent "too much $$." Also, I bet the mod that was done to your RP82 made it DVD recorder & VCR friendly.

 

[Gordon Groff]

I found a Monster's Inc. DVD and hooked it up to my old Zenith 27". Works great!!!
It was amazing how good the sound was just through the TV's console stereo speakers. 20 yr old set!
Can't wait to see it with a 106" screen and a REAL sound system!!!

Feeling pretty good about my purchase now, but I still spent too much

Gordon

 

[Yee-Ming]

curious, it seems that just about all so-called Region 3 players are multi-region straight out of the box.

I've commented on this before, in my experience just about all DVD players sold here (Singapore, which is R3) are multi-region. Gordon, where's the vendor based? if it's Singapore/Malaysia/Hong Kong or somewhere else in South East Asia, it seems therefore that R3 is a bit of a fiction, since all our players are multi-region and R1 parallel imports dominate the shops too (subject to passing the censorship board ).

 

[Gordon Groff]

Gordon, where's the vendor based?

Sorry, I really don't know if he's a "Vendor". I got it on ebay and the guy sells a bunch of them. Looks like an Asian model - had Euro-style power cord with an American spade plug adapter loose in the factory-sealed box (outside of the accessory box - strange). I tested one DVD on it (Monsters, Inc)and it worked fine, but I did not see any region markings on the DVD case. The guy I bought it from assures me - guarantees it actually - that it is a region-free unit. He was very responsive and helpful to my emails and a phone call. I think it's okay.

Gordon

 

[Yee-Ming]

Gordon: interesting. I suppose if I were an electronics retailer and got stuff from Pioneer or Panasonic etc at wholesale prices, I could set up an interesting sideline on eBay selling these multi-region, multi-system players to US residents

it's not surprising that a so-called R3 player is region-free. just double-check with an RCE disc as well, sometimes these multi-region players don't manage to work around RCE. IIRC generally Sony players can't defeat RCE, Pioneer players do, not sure about Panasonic.

maybe I could set up a sideline in anticipation of my forthcoming holiday to New Zealand: any Kiwis want me to bring along a multi-region player?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

curious, it seems that just about all so-called Region 3 players are multi-region straight out of the box.

Because the stores buy from a warehouse that does nothing but mod decks all day. It's a violation to manufacture region-free decks of the DVD-Video licnsing agreement.

 

[Gordon Groff]

it's not surprising that a so-called R3 player is region-free. just double-check with an RCE disc as well, sometimes these multi-region players don't manage to work around RCE.

Since I have no idea what RCE is, I don't know if I should be worried or not Heck, I never even knew what a "region" meant in DVD terms till I got the unit and read that Region 3 was supposed to be for Asia stuff.

As far as the good, bad or ugly of buying one off ebay, well, since they were not available from any dealers around here, I don't have any problem with that. I've been lucky with with ebay - even bought my daughter's car that way! Not burned yet, but I know and accept the risk.

Gordon