[AML]

This may not be the best place to ask, but with new DVD players coming all the time and me frothing at the mouth for one, I really need to know where I can have a new DVD player chipped and who can we trust to do it properly, and reliably?

Im thinking of buying the new Denon 2910 and I live in japan! I realise you guys are all in the UK. But im hoping you know of some shop or place that does chipping, that would take my player from japan and chip it for me. (then send it back of course!)

Any help appreciated!

(by the way, im asking coz japanese shops seem to be terrified of the word "multyregion")

[loonatic]

Most Denon players do not actually require chipping to make them multi-region...they just require a firmware update which is supplied on a CDROM and is very easy to do yourself.

But...finding a dealer with the firmware upgrade may be just as difficult.

I have just bought the 3910 which will come as R2 to begin with. The retailer is then going to send out the MR firmware when it becomes available.

You could also look for one of the players that can be unlock via the remote handset using a strange combination of keypresses...but that would mean no Denon for you.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Lee

[AML]

Thanks. Is there any chance you could tell me where you will get this firmware update from?
Perhaps I could buy my player in the same store as you?

[loonatic]

I bought mine from Peter Tyson (http://www.petertyson.co.uk) and as they do nothave the MR firmware yet said they would send out the upgrade CD in a couple of weeks time for me to upgrade and then return the CD to them.

But according th their web site they do not accept international orders at the moment.

I am sure others here on the forum will be buying the 2910...maybe from Peter Tyson...so they may well get the CD which I assume could be easily copied and emailed to you.

Cheers, Lee

[Messiah]

Lee

Just to confirm the receipt says " MR firmware CD to be forwarded FOC"

[AML]

I would appreciate a copy!


if I cant get it from the UK coz of international issues, then I would have to buy it here in Japan. Would this firmware work with a japanese 2910?

If someone sends it through e-mail all i would have to do is copy it to a CDR then instal in on the player?

[Messiah]

I guess it should work just fine. Only thing is you'll have to find someone with a 2910 as Lee and myself have 3910's.

I thought ALL DVD players sold in the Far East were MR as standard

[AML]

No way! I entered several shops in Tokyo and called many other shops in Japan and they all had the players, but when i mentioned multy region, half of them hung up on me!!???

Ach! Their all just a bunch of xenophobes here! I think it could be that japanese DVDs are so expensive that if everybody bought a multy region player, DVD makers would go bankrupt or something?

Personaly I think thats stupid since most japanese people dont speak english therefore they would bever buy a foreign DVD film.

They must be afraid that somone will shut them down or something??

If you guys could send the firm ware to me then ill get the 3910 instead of the 2910!!

I can eve pay for a copy of the firmware, I just desperately need a single multyregion player since i dont want 2 sepparate players like what i have now!

[Messiah]

Soon as I get it I'll put a copy on my server. Promise. They reckon about a week and a half.

Will be the 3910 version though and also will be the PAL version (if there is a difference). Just keep remoinding me via this thread or PM. No need for any payment.

[AML]

Thank you so much!!!

If I can ever do anything for you or send anything from Japan just let me know!
The japanese 3910 will be NTSC though, do u think that will cause any problem? Maybe you coud ask the shop where u got it?

All Japanese DVD players are NTSC region 2 players. They wont play PAL DVDs even though its the same region 2 as the UK.

The only good thing about these players is the colour!

:http://denon.jp/company/release/dvdx910.html#0001

Thank again! (how big do u think the file will be?)

[Messiah]

Ah, gold. You lucky thing. That's what I wanted but had to go silver. Looks nice though but gold would have been nicer and would have matched my A1SR.

No idea as to compatibility or size at this stage but would have thought it won't be too big. If it is I can always burn a CD and post it to you.

[AML]

Thanx again! If we stay in touch, I could send you your next DVD player (or Blu-ray) in gold, from Japan!

I still dont get why they dont give us a gold option in EU or US??? Do they really think that we ALL want either black or silver??

[LV426]

Another option is to fly over to Hong Kong and buy it there. Pretty well all retailers sell pretty well all DVD players as PAL/NTSC and multiregion by default.

[AML]

HK you say? Hmm actually I was planing on going there this year to buy some cheap DVDs! I could get my player there too!

Ill give this some thought, but I still want that firmware!!!
You see I want a particular DVD player and theres no guaranty theyl have that particular model when i go there. Its a bit of a gamble!

Do you know any shops there I could call or e-mail to ask?

[LV426]

Sorry, I'm not a HK resident. I did some shopping with an itinerant friend in HK back in February, and as far as I could tell, every store we went into sold a range of players of all makes, and there wasn't even the option of a fixed R3 (which is correct for HK) machine; they were all MR out of the box. The one we bought (a Denon) was boxed and labelled as R2 in fact, but wasn't.

All I can offer is that the eventual purchase was made in a shop, one of many, in a fairly obscure (to me!) part of Kowloon - and not in any of the chrome-plated outlets on the Island or in the touristy malls. Mongkok MTR station rings a bell, but I'm not sure. However, once inside the (scruffy from the outside) building and up to the umpteenth floor, there was a shop brimming with equipment, and even with a demonstration room!

If I get opportunity, I'll ask her for directions and/or phone number and post back.

[AML]

Cheers! Ive been meaning to go to HK for a while so I might go this year some time. Maybe after it cools down. Too hot at this time of year.

Did you see a lot of DVD software too? I heard they sell copies but good ones with propper packaging and all, just cheap in price.

Im planing to buy some Manga Box sets like the dragon ball series and such.

I know, you would think that japan would be the perfect place to buy a manga box set.

Well, if you dont mind paying 500 quid for 1 box set, (and there are 4) then it would be.

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the asking price, at first i thought it was a missprint!!

Manga for some reason is just insanely over priced in japan AND there are no subtitles, only japanese language.
If i get the HK version it will have multy language subtitles and the price for all 4 box sets should be no more that a couple of hundred right?

They just love to ripp people off in Japan!

[LV426]

I haven't got an answer to the hardware "where" question yet.

I wasn't software shopping. However, as far as I could tell, there seem to be plenty of "proper" software outlets and the products on display were from several regions. I noted R3 product (as it should be) and R2 Japan. R2 Japan software was probably about as expensive as it is in Japan, though. If I'd looked further I guess I'd have seen R1 US stuff too, and probably European and Australasian titles. I couldn't comment on the availability of ripoff software; I didn't see any myself, and my friend gets hers from mainland China. Personally, I don't use ripoffs.

[LV426]

Information from my Hong Kong based friend for you.

We bought her equipment from:

International Audio & Visual Co.
Mr Yeung Wai Cheong
7/f Yau Shing Commercial Centre
51 Sai Yeung Choi St.
Kowloon
tel : 2191-5803
Mongkok MTR, Bank Centre exit (building just next to Bank Centre)

This building has a different AV retailer on each floor. The list price of each shop in whole building is the same, but you have to negotiate.
It's better to find several items you want in same shop, then the negotiation power is greater.
Usually take cash for bargain price, but cards are accepted.

Guess the staff can speak limited English (so, difficult to talk via phone, without assistance of body language or finger pointing for the items you want).

Better service for tourists are those chain stores such as Broadway, Fortress, Tai Lin, 7/f Times Square.
These chain stores can be found everywhere.
List price reasonable. Cards accepted.

does anyone know of any HK retailers who are online?

I'm looking for the new panasonic S97 in multi-region and so far can only find it in the uk (with their over inflated prices).

I'm in NY and there are absolutely no multi-regions available anywhere.
(if anyone knows differently let me know)

I've got over 350 R4 dvd's here (I'm originally from Australia) and nothing to play them on.

I't driving me nuts.

Cheers,
Dean

[pjclark1]

buy an Xbox and have it chipped, plays any region you like.

[AML]

True, but playablity isnt everything.

In my case quality matters, and the XBox simply isnt good enough in terms of playback quality.

This is why I want a particular DVD player that has HDMI and DVi outputs.

I dont know what Dean is after, but I immagine he feels the same.

If not then the chipped xbox could be a cheap solution. Remember you would also need the remote for it.

Nigel

Thanks for the info, If i do go over there ill check out this shop!