--- Forwarded Message from "Read Gilgen" <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2002 08:03:47 -0600
>From: "Read Gilgen" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #6507 Code Free DVD Players

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We're being asked for DVD capability all the time, and hence we have purchased some "regular" (Region 1) DVD players.  However, there is the occasional DVD that comes home with professors from abroad, and we've had to use a computer to play them... rather inconvenient usually.  So we just purchased a code-free DVD player, which surprisingly didn't cost a lot more than a regular one (in fact less than the first DVD players we bought).  We'll let you know how well it works, but we got the Pioneer DV-533 (plays MP3, CD-RW, VCD, etc.) for only $250.  (B&H Photo, NY, ordered and received in five days.)

I resisted for a long time, but finally decided it was pointless to insist on region 1 DVDs...  the others simply show up, they're legally purchased copies that deserve to be used by the people who bought them.

As for the PAL issue...  we hook ours up to the video projector which handles PAL.  We don't have a setup with aTV monitor (needing a converter).  But that's a real issue if you don't have a multi-standard projector you can use.

Hope this helps...

>>> [log in to unmask] 02/07/02 05:18PM >>>
--- Forwarded Message from Daniel Tom <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 11:17:27 -1000 (HST)
>From: Daniel Tom <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Code Free DVD Players
>To: [log in to unmask] 

I know the problem of DVD region codes has been discussed previously on
LLTI, specifically with regard to buying code free players and being
locked into a region on Mac DVD players after several switches.  My
question is slightly different.

We are looking into purchasing a DVD player as we are increasingly
receiving requests from instructors.  The various language departments
also offer several film courses and the instructors would like to switch
to using DVDs rather than videos.  However, I suspect that the DVDs for
the foreign films they use are available in the US and are region 1
encoded.

Nevertheless, it was suggested that we get a code free DVD player in case
faculty members go to Europe or Asia during the summer or for a conference
and come back with DVDs that they purchased in those countries and want to
use them in their classes.  In your experience how often have you had this
kind of request from your faculty?  Has the demand been enough to warrant
the purchase of a code free DVD player which of course is more expensive
and in our case in Hawaii not available from a local vendor?  In addition
to the region code problem there is also the problem of PAL DVDs so you
would also have to purchase a code free DVD player that is also capable of
playing PAL DVDs on an NTSC monitor or an expensive video converter.

I have consulted with our campus-wide instructional support unit and also
with the audio-visual section of our undergraduate library.  Each has a
different viewpoint with regard to this question.  Because US DVDs are or
will be released with RCE (Regional Code Enhancing) as standard to prevent
them from being played on code free players, the campus-wide instructional
support unit has decided to purchase only region 1 DVD players.  The
library audio-visual department, however, has already purchased a few code
free DVD players as well as several region 1 players.  In other words the
library is hedging it's bets so to speak by purchasing both and if indeed
the US DVDs encoded with RCE will not play on the code free players then
they still can be played on the region 1 players.

As with everything else we are faced with budget constraints and may not
have the luxury of buying one region 1 player and one code free player
though it may come down to that.  Two models I looked at on the web,
Daewoo DVD-5700 and Sampo DVE-611, at the following site,
http://www.220giftcenter.com, claim that they are "guaranteed to play all
old, current and future DVD movies including DVDs that are RCE coded."
How reliable this guarantee is is not known.  These models are also
supposed to play PAL movies on an NTSC TV.

I would appreciate any comments and recommendations from those of you who
have already dealt with these issues.

Daniel Tom
Language Telecommunications, Resource & Learning Center
University of Hawaii
E-mail:  [log in to unmask] 
FAX:     808-956-5134
Voice:   808-956-5118