Multiregion - why?

michaelab

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If you have a multiregion DVD player, why did you pay the extra for multiregion?

I, like most people, find the whole region encoding system really pointless - just another demonstration that Hollywood etc haven't really woken up to the internet revolution, BUT I don't really see any need for me to get a multiregion player.

I will probably end up getting most of my DVDs is European shops, in fact, I can't think of a reason why I'd ever need to play a non region 2 disc. Once you've paid for P&P and customs (potentially) then ordering region 1 discs from the US probably isn't that much cheaper - or is it?

I'm sure that a lot of people get a multi region player just so they can feel they have 'beaten the system', even if they'll never actually make use of it!

Michael.
 
I think 99.99% of ppl on this board have, or would advise buying a multiregion player. The reason isn't cost or beating the system. Many european online retailers sell only region 1 versions of certain disc, so the price wouldn't matter.

The main reason is choice, and choice is more often than not driven by the features. Eg. if you're a Lord of the Rings nut, the region 1 special edition version is going to have 5 discs, rather that 4. With the Terminator 2 ultimate edition you can watch the extra scenes within the film, rather than on their own, one by one.

No matter what your taste in movies, there is bound to be one that you would pay that little bit more for due to far better features, or image/sound quality.

BTW I'm going to get a multiregion Tosh, and they're only about £30 more expensive.
 
Originally posted by michaelab
Once you've paid for P&P and customs (potentially) then ordering region 1 discs from the US probably isn't that much cheaper - or is it?
You don't pay customs if it's under £18. Lots of R1 disks can work out cheaper. Even with postage, I've bought disks that cost £7 or £8 on R1, when they cost £14.99 here on R2. R4's are also very cheap.

Ignoring the cost issue, there are many other reasons to buy different region disks.

There are issues of censorship. Some R2 titles are censored, it therefore makes sense to go for the R1 or R4. R1 titles also sometimes get released as "unrated" so you get the full monty of everything without any cuts imposed because of a ratings label.

Some regions also have the incorrect aspect ratio or only have a Dolby Stereo mix rather than a DD5.1 or DTS mix - once again, it makes sense to go for another region.

Some regions might have fewer extras, so if you want the other extras, you gotta go for another region.

Also, there is the "release date" issue - why wait for a R2 when you can buy the R1 or R4 earlier?

If you look at my DVD collection, I have a range of regions (mainly R1, R2 and R4, with one R3 in there as well).

I would ONLY ever buy a multiregion DVD player (as Delorian said, the price difference is trivial). It's nothing to do with the pleasure of "beating the system". It's to do with getting the release you want at the best price.
 
Originally posted by michaelab
If you have a multiregion DVD player, why did you pay the extra for multiregion?


I'm sure that a lot of people get a multi region player just so they can feel they have 'beaten the system', even if they'll never actually make use of it!

Michael.

I live in Dublin, Ireland and I save up to 50% purchasing CDs and DVDs in Canada and the USA and sometimes even from Australia.

Region 1 versions are released earlier than region 2 and in many cases come with more extras and better packaging.

Take Toy Story as an example:
Price in Dublin (High Street) Euro 34
Amazon UK £18.99 = Euro 30
DV-DEPOT Canada Euro 22.36
Ezydvd Australia Au$ 26.24 = Euro 14.43
As you can see there is a spread of Euro 20

Customs etc. has never been a problem and I started importing albums as far back as 1976. Today the Internet makes life much easier.
 
The excellent website www.dvdcompare.org.uk will tell you when to buy an import for reasons of features or technical difference, where a title is available both in the UK and elsewhere. And it isn't always the case that the US release (say) is better.

Other reasons include availability (the US catalogue is far more extensive than the European one, and new releases are often available in the US months ahead of ours), cost (especially Australia), and UK censorship.

By importing from Australia, for example, the cost of a multiregion upgrade can be covered with only a few discs. To be fair, many (but NOT all) AUS discs are R2 coded anyway so an upgrade isn't always needed - but you can't be sure when buying - etailers' websites aren't always accurate - so a multiregion upgrade means that you can buy anything from anywhere and not worry about it.

But, as with all things, if it doesn't matter to you, then who are we to tell you you are wrong?

In my own case 'never making use of it' simply isn't the case; two thirds of my collection are R1 - mostly for reasons stated above - availability, censorship and cost.
 
There's also NTSC progressive scan for R1. Plus some people don't like the 4% PAL speedup on R2 and R4.

Ah the list of advantages for multi-region players is endless....
 
Get a multi-region player because:

- DVDs in other regions sometimes get released earlier
- Some films don't get released in region 2
- DVDs in other regions sometimes have different extras or better quality soundtrack
- You can buy the discs cheaper sometimes
- You can borrow your mates' other region discs

It's better to have it and not use it than to need it and not have it.
 
Originally posted by Neil Porter
It's better to have it and not use it than to need it and not have it.
Too true, but does anyone really have it and not use it? :eek:

It's gotta be an essential these days ain't it :)
 
choice-something that we seem to have less of each day and something worth more than money.
 
OK - so you've convinced me that it is worthwhile. Trouble is I live in Portugal and it's very hard to get a large choice of multi region players here.

I'm about to buy a Panasonic DMR E-30 (recorder), which isn't even available in Portugal. I'll have to source it in Germany to get a decent price and get the PAL BG version (UK version only supports PAL I). Places like Techtronics are pretty much non-existent in the rest of Europe so it looks like I won't be getting multiregion :(

If Techtronics do a DIY kit for the E-30 I might think about getting it later, but then I'll have all the warranty issues :(

If only the powers that be recognized region encoding for the farce that it is and just abandoned it - fat chance of that though!

Michael.
 
Well...I fall into the camp of they wont ditch Regional Coding or if they do, they will replace it with something worse.

However, I am more than happy to be wrong on this subject, so, once the DVD Forum has got together to discuss the issue of regional coding and PAL Prog Scan, we may or may not have something to smile about.

The Forum was supposed to be getting together in September, however, people are reporting that it may actually be at the end of October now.......................boooo!
 
Yes, it's essential. The UK release of Reservoire Dogs for example had DD2.0 soundtrack whereas R1 has DD5.1. The reverse is true of Conan the Barbarian where the R2 has 5.1 and the R1, 2.0.

I have many R2 disks that I could have got better versions of had I had a multiregion player at the time (I do now).

Steve
 
Originally posted by michaelab
OK - so you've convinced me that it is worthwhile. Trouble is I live in Portugal and it's very hard to get a large choice of multi region players here.

I'm about to buy a Panasonic DMR E-30 (recorder), which isn't even available in Portugal. I'll have to source it in Germany to get a decent price and get the PAL BG version (UK version only supports PAL I). Places like Techtronics are pretty much non-existent in the rest of Europe so it looks like I won't be getting multiregion :(

Do what I plan on doing: go to dvdplayers.co.uk. For the Tosh 220e they charge £28 shipping to Ireland and Portugal, so the whole thing comes to £177. That's about €280. Not bad for this player, which I've seen for €380, region 2 on the high street.

Alternatively you could look for a player that comes region free as standard such as the... is it Yelo and Kiro? I think so, check amazon.co.uk.

Lastly you could get one with a remote control hack. Put in the disc, twiddle a few buttons and away you go.
 
Originally posted by michaelab
I'm sure that a lot of people get a multi region player just so they can feel they have 'beaten the system'

When the 'system' is deliberately and cynically unfair, biased and in place solely for the benefit of the software vendor I think beating that system is actually a great reason for buying a multi-region player.
 
Originally posted by Delorian
Do what I plan on doing: go to dvdplayers.co.uk. For the Tosh 220e they charge £28 shipping to Ireland and Portugal, so the whole thing comes to £177. That's about €280. Not bad for this player, which I've seen for €380, region 2 on the high street.
Well, I've waited this long before getting a DVD player so that I could get a recorder and ditch my VCR. So I really do want the Panny E-30. I could of course get a separate multi-region player (no tuner issues so I could get it in the UK) but that just seems like a clunky thing to do, especially as I put off getting a player for so long just to avoid having to have 2 devices!

For now I think I'm just going to get the E-30 and then see if I find myself wanting to play region 1 discs and then look for a solution.

Michael.
 
Originally posted by michaelab
For now I think I'm just going to get the E-30 and then see if I find myself wanting to play region 1 discs and then look for a solution.
Which is the most expensive way to go about things. Modifications after purchase always cost a lot more (sometimes it can be ridiculous prices).
 
If youve waited this long, why not wait a bit longer, there are more price reductions to come and more features to be added, just wait till chinese manufacturers and their loose attitude towards hackability enter the recordable DVD forray.
 
Well, I've got to the point where I just can't wait any longer :)

My main problem is that only good and cheap source of multiregion players in Europe is the UK. The likelihood of finding a multiregion E-30 outside the UK for a reasonable price is close to nothing. If I just wanted a player that wouldn't be a problem but recorders have tuners and for reasons best known to the manufacturers both Philips and Panasonic make different models for the UK (PAL I) and the rest of Europe (PAL B/G) (rather than making them switchable) so I can't get my E-30 in the UK, therefore I can't get it multiregion.

If later I find I want multiregion I'll either see if Techtronics or similar will do a DIY multiregion kit or, depending on the price, it may in fact be cheaper to get a separate multiregion player just to play non region 2 discs.

Personally I suspect that I won't find myself hankering for multiregion but I may be wrong....

Michael.
 
Sweet Jeebus! The UK? Cheap! :eek:
 
Originally posted by Kirk
Sweet Jeebus! The UK? Cheap! :eek:
Well - it's all relative of course. I'm sure that the far east and the US are much cheaper than the UK but compare these prices:

DMR-E20 in the UK: £600
DMR-E20 in Portugal: €1800 = ~ £1125

1.5x to 2x the UK price is a pretty good guide for electronic consumer goods in Portugal. VAT is the same here but the reasons are likely to do with far less demand, smaller market, less competition etc.

Michael.
 

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