Region Free DVD Player (With Blu Ray)

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broonie27

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Topic # 179332 4-Sep-2015 11:56

Does anyone know of a Blu-Ray player (preferably Sony) which is DVD region free. I bought a Sony BDP-S3100 from Harvey Norman in July 2014 which was DVD region free but it was faulty so I took it back. Harvey Norman sent it off to Sony who then called me to say they would replace it with a BDP-3500 but they said the replacement unit was not region free. I told them the one I had was region free but they said to me they don't (and never have ) produced region free DVD players - which clearly isn't the case. Very frustrating as 90% of my DVDs are region 2.

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Reply # 1379654 4-Sep-2015 12:14

Noel Leeming told me that if you buy a Panasonic player from them they can get Panasonic to make the unit region-free for free.

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chiefie

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Reply # 1379655 4-Sep-2015 12:15

I can find region hack for unlocking DVD for BDP-S350 but not BDP-3500. Can you check if the model is correct?

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/sony-bdp-s350/9527

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broonie27

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Reply # 1379747 4-Sep-2015 13:03

chiefie: I can find region hack for unlocking DVD for BDP-S350 but not BDP-3500. Can you check if the model is correct?

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/sony-bdp-s350/9527

Yeah, that's definitely the model number. The problem with these hacks is you need the "magic" remote control first. I just want to but something and walk out the shop with warranty intact.

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andrew027

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Reply # 1379750 4-Sep-2015 13:11

I don't know if Sony produce DVD region-free blu-ray players, but I bought mine directly from the Sony store in Wellington a few years ago (can't remember the model number off the top of my head) and the guy in the store said that Sony sets them to region-free for DVDs when they arrive in the country, and mine certainly has been since I got it as I have played Region 1 and 2 DVDs on it without any hacking.

chiefie

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Reply # 1379778 4-Sep-2015 14:19

andrew027: I don't know if Sony produce DVD region-free blu-ray players, but I bought mine directly from the Sony store in Wellington a few years ago (can't remember the model number off the top of my head) and the guy in the store said that Sony sets them to region-free for DVDs when they arrive in the country, and mine certainly has been since I got it as I have played Region 1 and 2 DVDs on it without any hacking.

There's a fair chance that Sony is telling the OP that there is no DVD region-free as standard reply so they're not getting themselves into any trouble or issue.

Has the OP received the new player, and/or tried playing the region 2 DVDs yet?

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JimmyH

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Reply # 1379945 4-Sep-2015 18:51

If they won't replace it with a unit with equivalent functionality, then I would invoke the Consumer Guarantees Act and try asking HN for a refund instead. Or ask HN to replace it with an alternative non-Sony that is region free, and keep the one Sony supply for resale.

For future reference, if you want anything like region free, then avoid Sony like the plague. They are probably the most restrictive and anti-consumer of all the manufacturers in terms of what they will allow.

scuwp

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Reply # 1379953 4-Sep-2015 19:25

I thought by law they were not able to sell region-free devices. Most if not all have a simple process (normally found on-line, or at one shop they gave me a separate instruction sheet) using a combination of buttons on the remote to unlock the region block. Perhaps times have changed, haven't purchased a DVD player in a couple of years.

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B1GGLZ

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Reply # 1379956 4-Sep-2015 19:30

broonie27: Does anyone know of a Blu-Ray player (preferably Sony) which is DVD region free. I bought a Sony BDP-S3100 from Harvey Norman in July 2014 which was DVD region free but it was faulty so I took it back. Harvey Norman sent it off to Sony who then called me to say they would replace it with a BDP-3500 but they said the replacement unit was not region free. I told them the one I had was region free but they said to me they don't (and never have ) produced region free DVD players - which clearly isn't the case. Very frustrating as 90% of my DVDs are region 2.

All the Sony DVD players and recorders I've purchase in NZ were Region Free when purchased. My Panasonic ones weren't but I had them converted to region free by Panasonic Service Agent free of charge on production of purchase receipt. Blu Ray region free is a whole different problem and I haven't needed region free Blu- Ray anyway.

JimmyH

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Reply # 1379984 4-Sep-2015 21:13

scuwp: I thought by law they were not able to sell region-free devices. Most if not all have a simple process (normally found on-line, or at one shop they gave me a separate instruction sheet) using a combination of buttons on the remote to unlock the region block. Perhaps times have changed, haven't purchased a DVD player in a couple of years.

By what law do you think they are not able to sell region free devices?

afe66

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Reply # 1380277 5-Sep-2015 15:09

Both my Sony players came region free when bought. One from Sony shop the other from jbhifi which was region b blue ray with region free DVD (?s5100) .

A.

chiefie

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Reply # 1380349 5-Sep-2015 17:42

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Until we hear from the OP with his actual replacement player, I think Sony is taking the standard stance of "denying" none of their DVD/BD players sold region-free. I do know for my personal experience that DVD/BD players sold in NZ are capable of converting to region free for DVD or is already region free. No one is making a big announcement that it is - to avoid any complication with any party - a.k.a Hollywood?

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broonie27

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Reply # 1380618 6-Sep-2015 15:22

B1GGLZ:
broonie27: Does anyone know of a Blu-Ray player (preferably Sony) which is DVD region free. I bought a Sony BDP-S3100 from Harvey Norman in July 2014 which was DVD region free but it was faulty so I took it back. Harvey Norman sent it off to Sony who then called me to say they would replace it with a BDP-3500 but they said the replacement unit was not region free. I told them the one I had was region free but they said to me they don't (and never have ) produced region free DVD players - which clearly isn't the case. Very frustrating as 90% of my DVDs are region 2.

All the Sony DVD players and recorders I've purchase in NZ were Region Free when purchased. My Panasonic ones weren't but I had them converted to region free by Panasonic Service Agent free of charge on production of purchase receipt. Blu Ray region free is a whole different problem and I haven't needed region free Blu- Ray anyway.

That's interesting. I asked Harvey Norman if they had any other Sony DVD players that were region-free and they said no. I think what I'll do is just take a region 2 disc into the shop before I buy the player.

Incidentally, Sony offered me a 90% refund because they couldn't provide me with a similar device which was quite decent of them as the my player was 1 month out of warranty.

old3eyes

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Reply # 1380676 6-Sep-2015 17:02

broonie27:
B1GGLZ:
broonie27: Does anyone know of a Blu-Ray player (preferably Sony) which is DVD region free. I bought a Sony BDP-S3100 from Harvey Norman in July 2014 which was DVD region free but it was faulty so I took it back. Harvey Norman sent it off to Sony who then called me to say they would replace it with a BDP-3500 but they said the replacement unit was not region free. I told them the one I had was region free but they said to me they don't (and never have ) produced region free DVD players - which clearly isn't the case. Very frustrating as 90% of my DVDs are region 2.

All the Sony DVD players and recorders I've purchase in NZ were Region Free when purchased. My Panasonic ones weren't but I had them converted to region free by Panasonic Service Agent free of charge on production of purchase receipt. Blu Ray region free is a whole different problem and I haven't needed region free Blu- Ray anyway.

That's interesting. I asked Harvey Norman if they had any other Sony DVD players that were region-free and they said no. I think what I'll do is just take a region 2 disc into the shop before I buy the player.

Incidentally, Sony offered me a 90% refund because they couldn't provide me with a similar device which was quite decent of them as the my player was 1 month out of warranty.

A region 1 disk would be better test..

Regards,

Old3eyes

graemeh

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Reply # 1381112 7-Sep-2015 13:30

old3eyes:
broonie27:
B1GGLZ:
broonie27: Does anyone know of a Blu-Ray player (preferably Sony) which is DVD region free. I bought a Sony BDP-S3100 from Harvey Norman in July 2014 which was DVD region free but it was faulty so I took it back. Harvey Norman sent it off to Sony who then called me to say they would replace it with a BDP-3500 but they said the replacement unit was not region free. I told them the one I had was region free but they said to me they don't (and never have ) produced region free DVD players - which clearly isn't the case. Very frustrating as 90% of my DVDs are region 2.

All the Sony DVD players and recorders I've purchase in NZ were Region Free when purchased. My Panasonic ones weren't but I had them converted to region free by Panasonic Service Agent free of charge on production of purchase receipt. Blu Ray region free is a whole different problem and I haven't needed region free Blu- Ray anyway.

That's interesting. I asked Harvey Norman if they had any other Sony DVD players that were region-free and they said no. I think what I'll do is just take a region 2 disc into the shop before I buy the player.

Incidentally, Sony offered me a 90% refund because they couldn't provide me with a similar device which was quite decent of them as the my player was 1 month out of warranty.

A region 1 disk would be better test..

As old3eyes says a region 1 or anything other than region 2 is a better test.

This is because some DVDs are dual region with region 2 and 4. They are not always marked as region 4 so your region 2 disk may play because it is region 4 also.

broonie27

52 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 1384571 9-Sep-2015 19:22

afe66: Both my Sony players came region free when bought. One from Sony shop the other from jbhifi which was region b blue ray with region free DVD (?s5100) .

A.

I went in to Harvey Norman today with armed with a region 2 DVD I knew didn't play on the temporary replacement Konka player they gave me (an awful bit of kit incidentally). I tried it in a Sony BDP-S5500 and sure enough it wouldn't play. I then went over road to Dick Smith to try my luck. First I tested a BDP-S3200, which is basically the new version of the my old faulty BDP-3100 - still no dice. Then I remembered what afe66 said above about the BDP-S5100 so I tried that and voilà the region 2 DVD worked! The sales guy was oblivious to the fact it was region free. It was also the last of that model in New Zealand apparently as it's an older model.

So it looks as though Sony did do region free models but now they don't. Strange behaviour from Sony indeed.

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