Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294

is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

On Thu, 10 May 2012 12:56:14 -0400, S Viemeister wrote:

Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs. I looked at Amazon where
this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/
ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?
pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294

is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

There often is (but not always). When I buy things like that, I Google
them first with the keyword 'hack' or similar to find out if it's
possible to enable multi-region.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Thu, 10 May 2012 18:14:53 +0000, Bob Eager wrote:
Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

There often is (but not always). When I buy things like that, I Google
them first with the keyword 'hack' or similar to find out if it's
possible to enable multi-region.

Related question; UK PAL is what, 625 lines @ 50fps, and US NTSC is 525
lines @ 60fps - so as well as being unlocked, does the DVD player also
have to be capable of scaling and compensating for different frame sizes
and rates on the fly?

Or is the number of lines and frame rate constant on the DVD regardless
of region (i.e. there's a global standard), and so all the player ever
has to worry about is converting between "DVD lines/fps" standard to
whatever its native format is (e.g. PAL, NTSC) for the region where it
was sold, regardless of what region the DVD being played is for?

(I bought a DVD player in the UK circa 1998 - that one required soldering
a surface-mount IC along with a few bridge wires in order to defeat the
region encoding; soon after that, entering a code via the remote became
more common)

cheers

Jules

In message , S Viemeister
writes
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...gw_d2_g23_ir04
?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf
_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128473&pf_rd_i=468294

is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?
Bear in mind the people who key in this information are totally
clueless.
--
hugh

On 10/05/12 21:19, Jules Richardson wrote:
On Thu, 10 May 2012 18:14:53 +0000, Bob Eager wrote:
Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

There often is (but not always). When I buy things like that, I Google
them first with the keyword 'hack' or similar to find out if it's
possible to enable multi-region.

Related question; UK PAL is what, 625 lines @ 50fps, and US NTSC is 525
lines @ 60fps - so as well as being unlocked, does the DVD player also
have to be capable of scaling and compensating for different frame sizes
and rates on the fly?

Or is the number of lines and frame rate constant on the DVD regardless
of region (i.e. there's a global standard), and so all the player ever
has to worry about is converting between "DVD lines/fps" standard to
whatever its native format is (e.g. PAL, NTSC) for the region where it
was sold, regardless of what region the DVD being played is for?

(I bought a DVD player in the UK circa 1998 - that one required soldering
a surface-mount IC along with a few bridge wires in order to defeat the
region encoding; soon after that, entering a code via the remote became
more common)

cheers

Jules
Frames/lines are not constant. Some DVD players do frame conversion, but
IME it's crap. You need a TV which will do PAL 60 and a player that will
output NTSC as PAL60, or a NTSC compatible TV. Most TVs now will handle
PAL60 ok. Back in 1998, I had a TV that wouldn't, and the first R1 DVD I
bought looked terrible- The frame rate conversion just dropped some frames.

S Viemeister wrote:
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294


is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

If you can be arsed, a linux machine will (when equipped with the
correct library) strip the region out of any DVD and give you an image
to burn that is region free :-)



--
To people who know nothing, anything is possible.
To people who know too much, it is a sad fact
that they know how little is really possible -
and how hard it is to achieve it.

On 10/05/12 21:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
S Viemeister wrote:
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294


is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that
it only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

If you can be arsed, a linux machine will (when equipped with the
correct library) strip the region out of any DVD and give you an image
to burn that is region free :-)



Or DVDShrink on Windoze.

On 10/05/2012 17:56, S Viemeister wrote:
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294


is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other units.

The note is a generic one amazon plasters on all of them I expect. The
reviews make it clear its a proper multiregion drive out of the box
without needing hacks/codes etc.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

On some players you need a code or weird button combination in a service
menu to get into region 0. Note that region zero is not quite
multiregion in the sense that while in that mode the player will play
discs from any region, the menu on the disc may make an explicit check
for its particular reason (sometimes called region coded enhanced (RCE)
discs)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 10/05/2012 21:19, Jules Richardson wrote:
On Thu, 10 May 2012 18:14:53 +0000, Bob Eager wrote:
Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

There often is (but not always). When I buy things like that, I Google
them first with the keyword 'hack' or similar to find out if it's
possible to enable multi-region.

Related question; UK PAL is what, 625 lines @ 50fps, and US NTSC is 525
lines @ 60fps - so as well as being unlocked, does the DVD player also
have to be capable of scaling and compensating for different frame sizes
and rates on the fly?

Not usually - most modern TVs will happily display either scan rate and
format.

There are some that can also do slightly odd modes like PAL 60 - so pal
colour encoding but typical NTSC frame rate.

Or is the number of lines and frame rate constant on the DVD regardless
of region (i.e. there's a global standard), and so all the player ever

No a region 1 disk will have a slightly lower vertical resolution.

has to worry about is converting between "DVD lines/fps" standard to
whatever its native format is (e.g. PAL, NTSC) for the region where it
was sold, regardless of what region the DVD being played is for?

(I bought a DVD player in the UK circa 1998 - that one required soldering
a surface-mount IC along with a few bridge wires in order to defeat the
region encoding; soon after that, entering a code via the remote became
more common)

Indeed same here... (although I bought mine pre-modded)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 10/05/2012 21:59, Chris Bartram wrote:
On 10/05/12 21:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
S Viemeister wrote:
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294



is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that
it only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

If you can be arsed, a linux machine will (when equipped with the
correct library) strip the region out of any DVD and give you an image
to burn that is region free :-)



Or DVDShrink on Windoze.

The ultimate tool on windows is AnyDVD... makes all the pain go away on
normal and HD content. Makes any disc look like its region free, has
away all the other dodgy stuff as well like enforced watching of
trailers, copy protected audio CDs, and other "PC Only" autorun stuff.
Also stops HD stuff being dowscaled to SD resolution when the HDCP copy
protection chain is for whatever reason not in place.

I resisted it for some time on the grounds they wanted paying for it,
but I confess to being a convert now ;-)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article , John
Rumm writes

The ultimate tool on windows is AnyDVD... makes all the pain go away on
normal and HD content. Makes any disc look like its region free, has
away all the other dodgy stuff as well like enforced watching of
trailers, copy protected audio CDs, and other "PC Only" autorun stuff.
Also stops HD stuff being dowscaled to SD resolution when the HDCP copy
protection chain is for whatever reason not in place.

I resisted it for some time on the grounds they wanted paying for it,
but I confess to being a convert now ;-)

Registered in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda for a very good reason ;-)
--
fred
it's a ba-na-na . . . .

On 10/05/2012 23:20, fred wrote:
In article , John
Rumm writes

The ultimate tool on windows is AnyDVD... makes all the pain go away on
normal and HD content. Makes any disc look like its region free, has
away all the other dodgy stuff as well like enforced watching of
trailers, copy protected audio CDs, and other "PC Only" autorun stuff.
Also stops HD stuff being dowscaled to SD resolution when the HDCP copy
protection chain is for whatever reason not in place.

I resisted it for some time on the grounds they wanted paying for it,
but I confess to being a convert now ;-)

Registered in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda for a very good reason ;-)

Indeed. The roll out rate of patches to make sure that anti
circumvention techniques don't work for long is quite impressive as well!


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"Chris Bartram" wrote in message
...

Frames/lines are not constant. Some DVD players do frame conversion, but
IME it's crap. You need a TV which will do PAL 60 and a player that will
output NTSC as PAL60, or a NTSC compatible TV. Most TVs now will handle
PAL60 ok. Back in 1998, I had a TV that wouldn't, and the first R1 DVD I
bought looked terrible- The frame rate conversion just dropped some
frames.

What you want is a player that does 50 hz progressive scan (50p) and 60p and
a TV that does the same over hdmi.
50Hz interlaced (50i) and 60i will do if you cant manage progressive.
You don't want or need anything to do with PAL or NTSC in the digital world.

On 10/05/2012 22:49, John Rumm wrote:
On 10/05/2012 17:56, S Viemeister wrote:
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294



is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

The note is a generic one amazon plasters on all of them I expect. The
reviews make it clear its a proper multiregion drive out of the box
without needing hacks/codes etc.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

On some players you need a code or weird button combination in a service
menu to get into region 0. Note that region zero is not quite
multiregion in the sense that while in that mode the player will play
discs from any region, the menu on the disc may make an explicit check
for its particular reason (sometimes called region coded enhanced (RCE)
discs)

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)

David

On 5/10/2012 6:50 PM, Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)

That appeals to my penny-pinching preferences.

On 10/05/2012 23:50, Lobster wrote:
On 10/05/2012 22:49, John Rumm wrote:
On 10/05/2012 17:56, S Viemeister wrote:
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041CE7AW/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir04?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p f_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p =467128473&pf_rd_i=468294




is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

The note is a generic one amazon plasters on all of them I expect. The
reviews make it clear its a proper multiregion drive out of the box
without needing hacks/codes etc.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

On some players you need a code or weird button combination in a service
menu to get into region 0. Note that region zero is not quite
multiregion in the sense that while in that mode the player will play
discs from any region, the menu on the disc may make an explicit check
for its particular reason (sometimes called region coded enhanced (RCE)
discs)

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)

Indeed, and if its not even got the official DVD logo on it, its almost
guaranteed ;-)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In message , S Viemeister
writes
Now that digital tv has arrived, and our ancient vcr has been retired,
we've been looking into buying a dvd player - multi-region, because we
want to be able to play both US and UK discs.
I looked at Amazon where this item

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...gw_d2_g23_ir04
?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0TRQSSP0QY0GQY5HH8GT&pf
_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128473&pf_rd_i=468294

is described as multi-region, but there is a note to the effect that it
only plays region 2. I've seen the same thing for a number of other
units.

I'm confused.

Can someone explain this to me? Is there a code to enter to allow the
machine to play other regions?

For region hack, see he
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

I would say that the description 'plays all regions' is simply wrong. I
guess it means it plays all TV standards - but only Region 2 discs.
--
Ian

On 11/05/2012 00:20, S Viemeister wrote:
On 5/10/2012 6:50 PM, Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)

That appeals to my penny-pinching preferences.

You lot seem to have got in a bit of a tizzy.

The OP asked if the link was a region free player. it says it is and the
reviewers say it is.

Amazon are only guaranteeing that it will play region 2.

As for the bigger question of can all region free players play all
region DVDs, the answer is not so clear cut.

Region 2 is PAL and NTSC. ALL region 2 players MUST play NTSC. Japan is
region 2 and NTSC, but as has been discussed, some players do real
NTSC, some do pseudo PAL, some do converted to real PAL.


Region 1 is exclusively NTSC. There are some region 1 machines that can
be made region free but cannot handle PAL, they cannot read it or if
they can they cannot output it, as there is no PAL circuitry. And some
will output PAL only as PAL and that is a way that a lot of American
TVs can't display it. A lot of even expensive American TVs can only
display real NTSC.

The latest region 2 machines do give a quite good conversion to PAL, BUT
if total picture quality is required than you are better off getting a
Blu-ray player. The output on HDMI is compatible with HDTV and the
conversions are really top notch. You still need to get the DVD section
and the Blu-ray section made region free ( they are independent ) but
the pictures are fantastic.

Remember the Blu-ray regions don't correspond to the DVD regions. for
example ; Blu-ray Australian disks play on a UK region machine but
Australian region 4 DVDs won't.

Gary

On Thu, 10 May 2012 23:25:41 +0100, dennis@home wrote:

You don't want or need anything to do with PAL or NTSC in the digital
world.

Quite, they are only relevant to composite video as well. I'd expect
a DVD to be connected via RGB ina SCART or component. I'd suspect
some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to mean certain
line and frame rates.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 11/05/2012 11:06, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 10 May 2012 23:25:41 +0100, dennis@home wrote:

You don't want or need anything to do with PAL or NTSC in the digital
world.

Quite, they are only relevant to composite video as well. I'd expect
a DVD to be connected via RGB ina SCART or component. I'd suspect
some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to mean certain
line and frame rates.

Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!

On 2012-05-11, John Rumm wrote:

On 10/05/2012 23:50, Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)

Indeed, and if its not even got the official DVD logo on it, its almost
guaranteed ;-)

That's a useful tip.

(Just out of curiosity, I checked the multi-region player I got from
SCAN about 10 or 12 years ago, & it does have the logo. It still
works quite well, although the vibrations through the feet resonated
in the cabinet it's in now --- until I put a square cut from an old
inner tube under each one.)

On Fri, 11 May 2012 11:15:18 +0100, Fredxx wrote:

On 11/05/2012 11:06, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 10 May 2012 23:25:41 +0100, dennis@home wrote:

You don't want or need anything to do with PAL or NTSC in the digital
world.

Quite, they are only relevant to composite video as well. I'd expect
a DVD to be connected via RGB ina SCART or component. I'd suspect
some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to mean certain
line and frame rates.

Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!


Presumably the former is PAL-M as used in Brazil, but where is (was?)
NTSC 625 / 50Hz ?


--

On 11/05/2012 12:21, The Other Mike wrote:
On Fri, 11 May 2012 11:15:18 +0100, wrote:
Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!

Presumably the former is PAL-M as used in Brazil,

Or the similar mode sometimes called 'NTSC 4.43' - i.e. a hybrid of
525/60 scan rate and PAL subcarrier frequency - used on VCRs (and
possibly DVD players?) to allow viewing of North American recordings in
Europe, when using composite video or modulated RF output.

but where is (was?) NTSC 625 / 50Hz ?

The converse of the above, presumably?

A lot of confusion arises because people use 'NTSC' and 'PAL' to refer
to the most commonly associated scan rates, rather than the colo(u)r
standard. You do have to unpack what is being said sometimes, to be
clear about what is meant.

--
Andy

On May 11, 9:36*am, Gary wrote:
On 11/05/2012 00:20, S Viemeister wrote: On 5/10/2012 6:50 PM, Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)

That appeals to my penny-pinching preferences.

You lot seem to have got in a bit of a tizzy.

The OP asked if the link was a region free player. it says it is and the
reviewers say it is.

Amazon are only guaranteeing that it will play region 2.

As for the bigger question of can all region free players play all
region DVDs, the answer is not so clear cut.

Region 2 is PAL and NTSC. ALL region 2 players MUST play NTSC. Japan is
region 2 and NTSC, but as has been discussed, some players *do real
NTSC, some do pseudo PAL, *some do converted to real PAL.

Region 1 is exclusively NTSC. There are some region 1 machines that can
be made region free but cannot handle PAL, they cannot read it or if

Where do you think they "read" "PAL" from?

You need to read up about the difference between colour encoding and
frame size/frame rate.

MBQ

On Fri, 11 May 2012 11:15:18 +0100, Fredxx wrote:

I'd suspect some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to
mean
certain line and frame rates.

Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!

Exactly... PAL or NTSC are means of coding colour information into a
composite video signal they don't say *anything* about line or frame
rates.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 11/05/2012 13:40, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 11 May 2012 11:15:18 +0100, Fredxx wrote:

I'd suspect some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to
mean
certain line and frame rates.
Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!
Exactly... PAL or NTSC are means of coding colour information into a
composite video signal they don't say *anything* about line or frame
rates.

that's not true. it tells you what to expect. there is no such thing as
405 50 NTSC.
As in' all small boys are children but not all small children are boys'.

But it did annoy me on another NG they were referring to BW CCTV as PAL
because of the frame/line. It was an American Group

In article ,
Gary wrote:
On 11/05/2012 13:40, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 11 May 2012 11:15:18 +0100, Fredxx wrote:

I'd suspect some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to
mean
certain line and frame rates.
Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!
Exactly... PAL or NTSC are means of coding colour information into a
composite video signal they don't say *anything* about line or frame
rates.

that's not true. it tells you what to expect. there is no such thing as
405 50 NTSC.


Not now - but there was. Just as I joined the BBC (1962) the tests came to
an end.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

On 11/05/2012 13:40, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 11 May 2012 11:15:18 +0100, Fredxx wrote:

I'd suspect some posters are incorrectly using "PAL" or "NTSC" to
mean
certain line and frame rates.

Yet you can have PAL 525 lines/60Hz as well as NTSC 625lines/50Hz!!

Exactly... PAL or NTSC are means of coding colour information into a
composite video signal they don't say *anything* about line or frame
rates.

Well if you have an NTSC region 1 DVD it does tell you that you are
going to get less vertical resolution out of it than you would from a
PAL one... They have only encoded it in 512 lines (of which fewer are
visible), and the pull down ratio from the original cinema version will
be different from the PAL one.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 11 May,
Gary wrote:

that's not true. it tells you what to expect. there is no such thing as
405 50 NTSC.

The first colour TV I saw was 405 50 NTSC (an experimental setup some years
ago.)

--
B Thumbs
Change lycos to yahoo to reply

On 11/05/2012 18:04, wrote:
On 11 May,
wrote:

that's not true. it tells you what to expect. there is no such thing as
405 50 NTSC.
The first colour TV I saw was 405 50 NTSC (an experimental setup some years
ago.)

It may exist as a special, but you would not expect it.

On Fri, 11 May 2012 13:40:29 +0100, Dave Liquorice
wrote:

Exactly... PAL or NTSC are means of coding colour information into a
composite video signal they don't say *anything* about line or frame
rates.

If you're going to be pedantic you should at least get your facts right.

Indeed PAL is a method of colour encoding, and strictly speaking says
nothing about line or frame rates (although in practice we all know what
it usually means).

However NTSC is *not* just a method of colour encoding, it specifies all
aspects of the analogue TV system as defined by the National Television
Standards Committee. Therefore NTSC *does* imply certain line and frame
rates. The trouble is that there's no term available specifically to
describe the colour encoding method that NTSC uses, so colloquially we use
phrases like '405-line NTSC', which is strictly meaningless, in such
situations.

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/

On 11/05/2012 13:35, Man at B&Q wrote:
On May 11, 9:36 am, wrote:
On 11/05/2012 00:20, S Viemeister wrote: On 5/10/2012 6:50 PM, Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)
That appeals to my penny-pinching preferences.
You lot seem to have got in a bit of a tizzy.

The OP asked if the link was a region free player. it says it is and the
reviewers say it is.

Amazon are only guaranteeing that it will play region 2.

As for the bigger question of can all region free players play all
region DVDs, the answer is not so clear cut.

Region 2 is PAL and NTSC. ALL region 2 players MUST play NTSC. Japan is
region 2 and NTSC, but as has been discussed, some players do real
NTSC, some do pseudo PAL, some do converted to real PAL.

Region 1 is exclusively NTSC. There are some region 1 machines that can
be made region free but cannot handle PAL, they cannot read it or if
Where do you think they "read" "PAL" from?

You need to read up about the difference between colour encoding and
frame size/frame rate.

MBQ
Some NTSC DVD players will not do anything with a PAL file. therefore in
laymans terms they cannot 'read it'

Who would think anything other was meant. ???

In message , Gary
writes
On 11/05/2012 13:35, Man at B&Q wrote:
On May 11, 9:36 am, wrote:
On 11/05/2012 00:20, S Viemeister wrote: On 5/10/2012 6:50 PM,
Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)
That appeals to my penny-pinching preferences.
You lot seem to have got in a bit of a tizzy.

The OP asked if the link was a region free player. it says it is and the
reviewers say it is.

Amazon are only guaranteeing that it will play region 2.

As for the bigger question of can all region free players play all
region DVDs, the answer is not so clear cut.

Region 2 is PAL and NTSC. ALL region 2 players MUST play NTSC. Japan is
region 2 and NTSC, but as has been discussed, some players do real
NTSC, some do pseudo PAL, some do converted to real PAL.

Region 1 is exclusively NTSC. There are some region 1 machines that can
be made region free but cannot handle PAL, they cannot read it or if
Where do you think they "read" "PAL" from?

You need to read up about the difference between colour encoding and
frame size/frame rate.

MBQ
Some NTSC DVD players will not do anything with a PAL file. therefore
in laymans terms they cannot 'read it'

Who would think anything other was meant. ???

This thread seems to have disintegrated into an esoteric discussion
about what is PAL and NTSC.

However, did the OP get my link which answered his original question, ie
"Is there a code to enter to allow the machine to play other regions?"?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

It would appear to work, as several reviewers state that they are
pleased with it.
http://reviews.argos.co.uk/1493-en_g...25/reviews.htm
"good price for an excellent product . Loved the ability to change to
multi region!"
"DVD player does exactly what was required. The codes to set up region
free is very simple and works. I can play DVD from region 1, 2 and 4.
The only negative is the quality of the remote control is a bit poor."
"Purchased this one so I could make it region free so daughter could
play usa dvd's and it fine for that. Not complicated just a basic player
which is all I wanted."

Finally, it seems hard to find anything that specifically states that it
will play both PAL and NTSC discs, but here is one site which does. [I
would have thought that most non-purely-American DVD players will play
both. I have three recorders and one player, and all of them do.]
http://www.saverstore.com/product/20...-SD-3010-DVD-P
layer-720p-1080i-1080p-Upscaling-Hi-resolution-pal-progressive-HDMI-MP3-J
PEG-Viewer-Play

--
Ian

On 5/15/2012 11:21 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:

However, did the OP get my link which answered his original question, ie
"Is there a code to enter to allow the machine to play other regions?"?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

OP here - thank you!

It would appear to work, as several reviewers state that they are
pleased with it.
http://reviews.argos.co.uk/1493-en_g...25/reviews.htm
"good price for an excellent product . Loved the ability to change to
multi region!"
"DVD player does exactly what was required. The codes to set up region
free is very simple and works. I can play DVD from region 1, 2 and 4.
The only negative is the quality of the remote control is a bit poor."
"Purchased this one so I could make it region free so daughter could
play usa dvd's and it fine for that. Not complicated just a basic player
which is all I wanted."

Finally, it seems hard to find anything that specifically states that it
will play both PAL and NTSC discs, but here is one site which does. [I
would have thought that most non-purely-American DVD players will play
both. I have three recorders and one player, and all of them do.]
http://www.saverstore.com/product/20...-SD-3010-DVD-P
layer-720p-1080i-1080p-Upscaling-Hi-resolution-pal-progressive-HDMI-MP3-J
PEG-Viewer-Play

On 15/05/2012 16:21, Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , Gary
writes
On 11/05/2012 13:35, Man at B&Q wrote:
On May 11, 9:36 am, wrote:
On 11/05/2012 00:20, S Viemeister wrote: On 5/10/2012 6:50 PM,
Lobster wrote:

It's been my experience that the less cash you pay for a DVD
player, the
more likely it is to be multi-region or at least hackable (eg my
kids'
£20 Aldi job versus my high-end Sony model)
That appeals to my penny-pinching preferences.
You lot seem to have got in a bit of a tizzy.

The OP asked if the link was a region free player. it says it is
and the
reviewers say it is.

Amazon are only guaranteeing that it will play region 2.

As for the bigger question of can all region free players play all
region DVDs, the answer is not so clear cut.

Region 2 is PAL and NTSC. ALL region 2 players MUST play NTSC.
Japan is
region 2 and NTSC, but as has been discussed, some players do real
NTSC, some do pseudo PAL, some do converted to real PAL.

Region 1 is exclusively NTSC. There are some region 1 machines that
can
be made region free but cannot handle PAL, they cannot read it or if
Where do you think they "read" "PAL" from?

You need to read up about the difference between colour encoding and
frame size/frame rate.

MBQ
Some NTSC DVD players will not do anything with a PAL file. therefore
in laymans terms they cannot 'read it'

Who would think anything other was meant. ???

This thread seems to have disintegrated into an esoteric discussion
about what is PAL and NTSC.

However, did the OP get my link which answered his original question,
ie "Is there a code to enter to allow the machine to play other
regions?"?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

It would appear to work, as several reviewers state that they are
pleased with it.
http://reviews.argos.co.uk/1493-en_g...25/reviews.htm
"good price for an excellent product . Loved the ability to change to
multi region!"
"DVD player does exactly what was required. The codes to set up region
free is very simple and works. I can play DVD from region 1, 2 and 4.
The only negative is the quality of the remote control is a bit poor."
"Purchased this one so I could make it region free so daughter could
play usa dvd's and it fine for that. Not complicated just a basic
player which is all I wanted."

Finally, it seems hard to find anything that specifically states that
it will play both PAL and NTSC discs, but here is one site which does.
[I would have thought that most non-purely-American DVD players will
play both. I have three recorders and one player, and all of them do.]
http://www.saverstore.com/product/20...-SD-3010-DVD-P
layer-720p-1080i-1080p-Upscaling-Hi-resolution-pal-progressive-HDMI-MP3-J
PEG-Viewer-Play

If people are insisting on being awkward about it. The issue is not if
it will play PAL and NTSC but will it play Multi-region. This is why
that is more important .
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code

http://countrycode.org/tv-standards

And below is a list of what the different country s in these regions use.


WORLD TELEVISION SIGNAL GUIDE


The table below lists broadcast standards by country.

There are three main television standards used throughout the world.

*NTSC - National Television Standards Committee*

Developed in the US and first used in 1954, NTSC is the oldest existing
broadcast standard. It consists of 525 horizontal lines of display and
60 vertical lines. Only one type exists, known as NTSC M. It is
sometimes irreverently referred to as "Never Twice the Same Color."

*SECAM - Système Électronique pour Couleur avec Mèmoire.*

Developed in France and first used in 1967. It uses a 625-line vertical,
50-line horizontal display. Different types use different video
bandwidth and audio carrier specifications. Types B and D are usually
used for VHF. Types G, H, and K are used for UHF. Types I, N, M, K1 and
L are used for both VHF and UHF. These different types are generally not
compatible with one another. SECAM is sometimes irreverently referred to
as "Something Essentially Contrary to the American Method" or "SEcond
Color Always Magenta."

*PAL - Phase Alternating Line*

Developed in Germany and first used in 1967. A variant of NTSC, PAL uses
a 625/50-line display. Different types use different video bandwidth and
audio carrier specifications. Common types are B, G, and H. Less common
types include D, I, K, N, and M. These different types are generally not
compatible with one another. Proponents of PAL irreverently call it
"Perfection At Last," while critics of its enormous circuit complexity
call it "Pay A Lot" or "Picture Always Lousy."



Television Standards by Country

Country Signal Type
Afghanistan PAL B, SECAM B
Albania PAL B/G
Algeria PAL B/G
Angola PAL I
Antarctica NTSC M
Antigua & Barbuda NTSC M
Argentina PAL N
Armenia SECAM D/K
Aruba NTSC M
Australia PAL B/G
Austria PAL B/G
Azerbaijan SECAM D/K
Azores PAL B
Bahamas NTSC M
Bahrain PAL B/G
Bangladesh PAL B
Barbados NTSC M
Belarus SECAM D/K
Belgium PAL B/H
Belgium (Armed Forces Network) NTSC M
Belize NTSC M
Benin SECAM K
Bermuda NTSC M
Bolivia NTSC M
Bosnia/Herzegovina PAL B/H
Botswana SECAM K, PAL I
Brazil PAL M
British Indian Ocean Territory NTSC M
Brunei Darussalam PAL B
Bulgaria PAL
Burkina Faso SECAM K
Burundi SECAM K
Cambodia PAL B/G, NTSC M
Cameroon PAL B/G
Canada NTSC M
Canary Islands PAL B/G
Central African Republic SECAM K
Chad SECAM D
Chile NTSC M
China (People'S Republic) PAL D
Colombia NTSC M
Congo (People'S Republic) SECAM K
Congo, Dem. Rep. (Zaire) SECAM K
Cook Islands PAL B
Costa Rica NTSC M
Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) SECAM K/D
Croatia PAL B/H
Cuba NTSC M
Cyprus PAL B/G
Czech Republic PAL B/G (cable), PAL D/K (broadcast)
Denmark PAL B/G
Diego Garcia NTSC M
Djibouti SECAM K
Dominica NTSC M
Dominican Republic NTSC M
East Timor PAL B
Easter Island PAL B
Ecuador NTSC M
Egypt PAL B/G, SECAM B/G
El Salvador NTSC M
Equitorial Guinea SECAM B
Estonia PAL B/G
Ethiopia PAL B
Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas) PAL I
Fiji NTSC M
Finland PAL B/G
France SECAM L
France (French Forces Tv) SECAM G
Gabon SECAM K
Galapagos Islands NTSC M
Gambia PAL B
Georgia SECAM D/K
Germany PAL B/G
Germany (Armed Forces Tv Germany) NTSC M
Ghana PAL B/G
Gibraltar PAL B/G
Greece PAL B/G
Greenland PAL B
Grenada NTSC M
Guam NTSC M
Guadeloupe SECAM K
Guatemala NTSC M
Guiana (French) SECAM K
Guinea PAL K
Guyana NTSC M
Haiti SECAM
Honduras NTSC M
Hong Kong PAL I
Hungary PAL K/K
Iceland PAL B/G
India PAL B
Indonesia PAL B
Iran PAL B/G
Iraq PAL
Ireland, Republic Of PAL I
Isle Of Man PAL
Israel PAL B/G
Italy PAL B/G
Jamaica NTSC M
Japan NTSC M
Johnstone Island NTSC M
Jordan PAL B/G
Kazakhstan SECAM D/K
Kenya PAL B/G
Korea (North) SECAM D, PAL D/K
Korea (South) NTSC M
Kuwait PAL B/G
Kyrgyz Republic SECAM D/K
Laos PAL B
Latvia PAL B/G
Lebanon PAL B/G
Lesotho PAL K
Liberia PAL B/H
Libya PAL B/G
Liechtenstein PAL B/G
Lithuania PAL B/G, SECAM D/K
Luxembourg PAL B/G, SECAM L
Macau PAL I
Macedonia PAL B/H
Madagascar SECAM K
Madeira PAL B
Malaysia PAL B
Maldives PAL B
Mali SECAM K
Malta PAL B
Marshall Islands NTSC M
Martinique SECAM K
Mauritania SECAM B
Mauritius SECAM B
Mayotte SECAM K
Mexico NTSC M
Micronesia NTSC M
Midway Island NTSC M
Moldova (Moldavia) SECAM D/K
Monaco SECAM L, PAL G
Mongolia SECAM D
Montenegro PAL B/G
Montserrat NTSC M
Morocco SECAM B
Mozambique PAL B
Myanmar (Burma) NTSC M
Namibia PAL I
Nepal B
Netherlands PAL B/G
Netherlands (Armed Forces Network) NTSC M
Netherlands Antilles NTSC M
New Caledonia SECAM K
New Zealand PAL B/G
Nicaragua NTSC M
Niger SECAM K
Nigeria PAL B/G
Norfolk Island PAL B
North Mariana Islands NTSC M
Norway PAL B/G
Oman PAL B/G
Pakistan PAL B
Palau NTSC M
Panama NTSC M
Papua New Guinea PAL B/G
Paraguay PAL N
Peru NTSC M
Philippines NTSC M
Poland PAL D/K
Polynesia (French) SECAM K
Portugal PAL B/G
Puerto Rico NTSC M
Qatar PAL B
Reunion SECAM K
Romania PAL D/G
Russia SECAM D/K
St. Kitts & Nevis NTSC M
St. Lucia NTSC M
St. Pierre Et Miquelon SECAM K
St. Vincent NTSC M
Sao Tomé E Principe PAL B/G
Samoa, American NTSC
Saudi Arabia SECAM B/G, PAL B
Samoa NTSC M
Senegal SECAM K
Serbia PAL B/G
Seychelles PAL B/G
Sierra Leone PAL B/G
Singapore PAL B/G
Slovakia PAL B/G
Slovenia PAL B/H
Somalia PAL B/G
South Africa PAL I
Spain PAL B/G
Sri Lanka PAL
Sudan PAL B
Suriname NTSC M
Swaziland PAL B/G
Sweden PAL B/G
Switzerland PAL B/G (GERMAN ZONE, SECAM L (FRENCH ZONE
Syria SECAM B, PAL G
Tahiti SECAM
Taiwan NTSC
Tajikistan SECAM D/K
Tanzania PAL B
Thailand PAL B/M
Togo SECAM K
Trinidad & Tobago NTSC M
Tunisia SECAM B/G
Turkey PAL B
Turkmenistan SECAM D/K
Turks & Caicos Islands NTSC M
Uganda PAL B/G
Ukraine SECAM D/K
Uruguay PAL N
United Arab Emirates PAL B/G
United States NTSC M
United Kingdom PAL I
Uzbekistan SECAM D/K
Venezuela NTSC M
Vietnam NTSC M, SECAM D
Virgin Islands (Us & British) NTSC M
Wallis & Futuna SECAM K
Yemen PAL B/NTSC M
Zambia PAL B/G
Zimbabwe PAL B/G

In message , writes
On 11 May,
Gary wrote:

that's not true. it tells you what to expect. there is no such thing as
405 50 NTSC.

The first colour TV I saw was 405 50 NTSC (an experimental setup some years
ago.)

My mind wanders back to 1964 when I used to come home from school to
watch the colour test transmissions at 4:00 PM every weekday on the BBC.
They were 20 minutes long and comprised, IIRC, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
with John Wayne split into 20 minute segments and a series of very
interesting documentary films which included the moving of the temple at
Aswan and building an oil rig in the jungle.
--
Frank Kelly

On 16/05/2012 11:05, Frank Kelly wrote:
In message , writes
On 11 May,
Gary wrote:

that's not true. it tells you what to expect. there is no such thing as
405 50 NTSC.

The first colour TV I saw was 405 50 NTSC (an experimental setup some
years
ago.)

My mind wanders back to 1964 when I used to come home from school to
watch the colour test transmissions at 4:00 PM every weekday on the
BBC. They were 20 minutes long and comprised, IIRC, She Wore A Yellow
Ribbon with John Wayne split into 20 minute segments and a series of
very interesting documentary films which included the moving of the
temple at Aswan and building an oil rig in the jungle.
I am one of those that used to watch the colour test transmissions.
including the one that was all about setting up the colour set and
why. I remember they used to say that the white referred to was
different now. and gave it a different letter.

It was exciting stuff in those days.

Anyone remember the BBC quadrophonic test they did using BBC radio 2 and
radio 3. I remember as part of it was a play with a crowd scene . I
remember the feeling that they should have left a gap for the listener
to stand in. The transmision was Late at night, after the normal
shutdown time of said radio stations. We had to put 2 sterio radio
HiFi setups in the same room. Easier said than done.

In message , S Viemeister
writes
On 5/15/2012 11:21 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:

However, did the OP get my link which answered his original question, ie
"Is there a code to enter to allow the machine to play other regions?"?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

OP here - thank you!

You're welcome!!
Are you going to get one?
--
Ian

On 5/16/2012 8:22 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , S Viemeister
writes
On 5/15/2012 11:21 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:

However, did the OP get my link which answered his original question, ie
"Is there a code to enter to allow the machine to play other regions?"?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

OP here - thank you!

You're welcome!!
Are you going to get one?

In a month or so. I'm out of the country at the moment, and would like
to buy a few DVDs to take back with me.

On 16/05/2012 14:20, S Viemeister wrote:
On 5/16/2012 8:22 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , S Viemeister
writes
On 5/15/2012 11:21 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:

However, did the OP get my link which answered his original
question, ie
"Is there a code to enter to allow the machine to play other
regions?"?
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/toshiba-sd3010/11132

OP here - thank you!

You're welcome!!
Are you going to get one?

In a month or so. I'm out of the country at the moment, and would like
to buy a few DVDs to take back with me.
What country are you in to buy these dvds.