Multi-region Hi-Def Player?

[admin_exported]

What are the chances? We are so used to region free dvd players for all our U.S./Far East purchases, now that the studios are starting to introduce A, B and C coding on their Blu-ray and HD dvd releases, could we be seeing multi-region hi-def players?

Or will this never happen for technical reasons?. Give me a multi-region Samsung BD-UP5000 and I will be out of the dvd player market for some years. Maybe that would be the reason for such aproduct never appearing.

Cynical? Moi?

 

[yiannis550]

speaking of regions:

Since i lived many years in the US of A I have about 40 DVDs in region 1 and about 20 region 20 from the UK. Right now I am using my PC as a source with a software called region free which plays all my DVDs with no problems.

I am planning to buy a PS3 for my source so to watch HD blue ray DVDs. Will I have any region issues with my USA DVDs?

These region codings are so annoying especially if the reason I have other region DVDs is because I was living in that country many years. What am I supposed to do then? Buy again all my DVDs in region 2? Or buy two DVD players? just so annoying!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes you will - don't know of a way of making a PS3 multiregion for DVD. The good news is that even budget DVD players can usually be hacked into multiregion operation.

 

[Anonymous]

Following on from what Andrew said, just about all dvd players have the ability to be multi-region. Many are sold as such or available on request. Re-coding via a remote will fix most of the remainder so you only need one player for your dvd collection and they are as cheap as you want them to be.

My question really concerns Hi-def players. Is there a technical (hardware) reason that could prevent a region A encoded disc playind on a region B machine? Or, in other words, is there a fix that will allow for multi-region in much the same way as SD dvd's?

The reason I ask is that some recent Region A hi-def discs are not now able to play on Region B (europe)machines.