--- Forwarded Message from Betty Woerner <[log in to unmask]> --- >Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 15:49:24 -0800 (PST) >From: Betty Woerner <[log in to unmask]> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: #6507 Code Free DVD Players >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> ------------------ At Reed, we actually use these quite a bit. Betty Woerner On Thu, 7 Feb 2002, LLTI-Editor wrote: > --- 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 >