- Recent Additions - if scared, go straight to the questions -
28/12/98 - More essential links for DVD ROM enthusiasts 2.4, and a link to the uk.media.dvd FAQ 1.4.
16/11/98 - I can't keep up! Too many players to now cover specific information. From here on, no more new machines will be covered - sorry! New question to cover this - 6.14
16/11/98 - General revision following inclusion of Dreamworks SKG, UK Fox Pathe, Blockbuster UK and WH Smiths etc.
16/11/98 - 2.2 (UK) and 3.2 (US) questions now include rental - "Where can I buy and rent discs?"
The basics
1.2 This is going to be a white elephant like Philips' CD-I, isn't it?
1.3 What is meant by "code free"?
1.4 Where can I find other information and the main worldwide DVD FAQ?
UK discs and machines
2.1 What films are available that play on a UK machine?
2.2 Where can I buy or rent them, and how much do they cost?
2.3 What faults are known to exist on British discs?
2.4 Should I buy a "proper" DVD machine, or a DVD-ROM for my PC?
2.5 What UK machines are available?
2.6 What is the best way of connecting my DVD to my TV?
2.7 What is the future of British DVD?
US discs and machines
3.1 What films are available that play on a US machine?
3.2 Where can I buy or rent them and how much do they cost?
3.3 Where can I buy a US machine, and will it work with my European TV?
3.4 Can a US machine be modified to play European discs as well?
3.5 What is the future of American DVD?
Code Free
4.1 How can I play foreign discs on a UK machine?
4.2 Who sells new machines which play UK and US discs?
4.3 Who can convert my UK machine to play US discs?
5.1 What machines can be modified myself at home? Who supplies the bits?
5.2 Will this invalidate the guarantee?
Individual machines: What's the story, Code Free glory?
6.1 The Panasonic A-100: What is the "pin snip" or "legs up" modification?
6.2 What are the "problem discs" which won't play?
6.4 The Panasonic A100 and A-350
6.5 The Pioneer DV-505 and DVL-909
6.7 The Philips DVD 730 and DVD 930
The legal arguments
7.1 Now come on - is all this really legal?
DIVX
8.1 What is DIVX, and will we get this in Europe?
Conclusion
9.1 Should I buy DVD now, or be sensible and wait a while?
Welcome to the UK DVD FAQ (The United Kingdom Digital Versatile Disc Frequently Asked Questions, in its less snappy form) - if you live in the UK, you should find out just about everything here, or find a link to somewhere else that has the answer. There should also be useful information for other Europeans, and people scattered around the globe who wish to play discs from countries other than your own. Welcome aboard.
- the basics -
It looks like a CD, it smells like a CD. But due to the wonders of technology, it can contain widescreen pictures better than broadcast quality, multi-channel digital surround sound, gazillions of subtitles, running commentaries by the film makers, documentaries, special effects breakdowns and even shooting scripts! Like a CD, you can instantly jump to any point in the film, and in addition, you can play in perfect slow motion and view perfect still frames. Basic Instinct is a good seller.
Depending on the type of DVD, about 4 hours can be fitted onto a single sided disc. Some discs have two sides, so in theory an 8 hour movie would fit on a 5" disc! Some early long films are actually spread across 2 sides (Das Boot, Seven), so the disc requires flipping half way through. More recent titles switch automatically from one layer to another on the same side, to allow uninterrupted playback.
For the time being, this format is replay only. It is believed that within a few years, recordable DVD will be available, however.
For more general information, an excellent jargon buster, news and good general UK DVD stuff, visit Andy Hawkins' site. For a superb source of latest UK based news and rumour, plus numerous other goodies, visit Lee Stoneman's DVD Debate page. There are many other sites - take a look at this site's links page.
1.2 This is going to be a white elephant like Philips' CD-I, isn't it?
You cynic, you. In the US, where DVD has been around for over a year, the market is buoyant, with all the studios releasing just about every new film on the format. CD-I, by contrast, had very poor software and consumer support.
The other big difference between CD-I and DVD is that CD-I always looked awful, where DVD is the best quality format yet devised, surpassing Laserdisc and whipping VHS into oblivion. It has a loyal and fanatical fan base growing all the time, and is fast replacing Laserdisc as the enthusiasts favourite. And as and when recordable DVD arrives, we can kiss goodbye to VHS.
1.3 What is meant by "code free"?
There is always a fly in the ointment. In the case of DVD, the fly's name is:
* * * REGIONAL CODING * * *
Each DVD machine is allotted a number from 1 to 6, depending on which part of the world it lives in - North America is 1, Europe is 2 and so on. Each disc is also allotted a number in the same way. So if you put a US region 1 (r1) disc in a European region 2 (r2) player, it will not play. Boo hoo.
So the magic words "code free" means - the ability to play discs from any part of the world. For more information on how to do this, start reading at 4.1.
1.4 Where can I find other information and the main worldwide DVD FAQ?
For more British releated material, try the newsgroup FAQ of uk.media.dvd. For more general DVD questions, with stacks of detailed information about discs and how it all works, you'll want Jim Taylor and his worldwide DVD FAQ.
- uk discs and machines -
2.1 What films are available that play on a UK machine?
There are three basic types of disc available which play on an off the shelf UK machine: UK, European or Japanese.
UK discs
For an up to date list of all UK titles on sale now and scheduled for upcoming release, check Movies, DVD and That's Studio page.
The UK market is still finding its feet, and some early discs have had problems. VCI enraged the fledgling UK DVD market by making their product Pan & Scan, unique among any movie company anywhere in the world to my knowledge. However, the company have since seen the error of their ways, and they state that they hope to re-release their titles later in the year in a double sided form, with widescreen on one side, and pan & scan on the other. Stand by also for Polygram news, who have just released the Usual Suspects in pan / scan only...
European discs
You can also get region 2 European imports. Almost all have English soundtracks, usually in 5 channel digial where available. Also, for those particularly sensitive to the scissors of the BBFC, European titles are largely free of censorship. Titles already available, and not otherwise released in the UK, include Mr Bean, In The Line Of Fire and Smilla's Feeling for Snow. For more details on these, and a complete list of titles available in France (in French, mind), take a look at the site pointed to me by Giuseppe Salsa.
Japanese discs
Japanese discs are in NTSC, but a UK machine can play these back as PAL, so they will look fine on an ordinary UK TV. There are many Japanese titles, although look out for a few very early DVD pressings of dubious quality (eg. Blade Runner). Others, like a few early UK discs, have the film spread across two sides - most long US discs are now single sided and dual layered, with automatic switching.
2.2 Where can I buy or rent them, and how much do they cost?
UK discs are now available to buy from WH Smiths, Virgin, HMV, Tower Records, MVC, Andy's Records, Dixons, PC World, some branches of Blockbuster and Choices Video and numerous mail order outlets - for some, see Movies, DVD & That's links page. The titles have RRPs between £16 and £24 (look for discounts). Be wary of Virgin and HMV - many branches are marking up ABOVE the rrps. Best prices of the chains so far have been MVC. Blockbuster and Choices Video are the first companies to rent UK discs, albeit on a trial basis - Blockbuster offer £3 for two nights, and a spectacular £10 for two films and a player for two nights, while Choices beat that with £2 for 2 nights.
For a comprehensive guide to avoiding getting ripped off, try the How-Not-To-Get-Ripped-Off DVD Guide.
For imports, again try try Movies, DVD & That's links page. Expect to pay £25+ for Japanese discs, and £18+ for European ones, with postage on top.
2.3 What are the European sound problems? What is MPEG 5.1?
All the digital sound compatibility problems which have dogged the European launch of DVD are now behind us (says here). Very briefly, here is a summary of what is/was going on.
There are three European sound formats:
MPEG STEREO (or MPEG 2.0) - All DVDs have this, or Dolby Digital. It can carry a matrixed Dolby Pro-logic soundtrack.
MPEG 5.1 - 5 Channel digital surround sound.
DOLBY DIGITAL - As MPEG 5.1, except incompatible (of course) and sometimes a disc may only use a simplified 2 channel version (called DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 rather than 5.1), which can carry ordinary surround information.
Initially, Philips said that the US would have Dolby Digital, and Europe MPEG 5.1. Then Panasonic released a non MPEG 5.1 machine, since no encoder/decoders were available. Software companies declared that they could not use MPEG 5.1 for similar reasons. Then Philips (inventors of DVD) announced that Dolby Digital was not allowed to be used in Europe. Pandemonium ensued. Within a couple of months they had changed their minds, and either digital system was declared acceptable. Chickens ran around with their heads cut off.
Since only Columbia's first discs carry the MPEG 5.1 signal, with everyone else now using Dolby Digital only as multi-channel digital surround sound, it seems that MPEG 5.1 is dead as far as UK DVD is concerned.
Basically, don't worry about it anymore. All UK machines have Dolby Digital capabilities (not necessarily decoders), as do all movies. And if the unthinkable happens and someone produces a non-Dolby Digital disc, you will still have Dolby Surround on the MPEG stereo tracks (guaranteed to be on everything). But what a lot of fuss it took to get here...
2.3 What faults are known to exist on British discs?
One of DVDs less marvelous features is that occasionally discs appear with "bugs" - to complicate matters, these may be evident on some machines and not others! For a comprehensive guide, try Jonathon Prince's DVD Lists.
2.4 Should I buy a "proper" DVD machine, or a DVD-ROM for my PC?
What a can of worms! DVD-ROM will get more common and much cheaper fairly quickly, and already it provides the cheapest way into the format for PC owners. In addition to the drive, you will need an MPEG 2 video decoder board, and a Dolby Digital decoder - often combined. But before you part with the readies, do consider the practicalities of having a PC next to your telly in the front room - that thing called a remote control proves very useful on a stand alone machine. Don't even THINK about watching a movie on a PC monitor - it'll look very wrong! Also, knowing computers to be unreliable beasts, the chances of bugs / system failures is going to be quite high.
The most common kit at the moment is the Creative Labs Encore DXR2. This is a quality piece of kit - in tests, it is rumoured to beat EVERY commercially available stand alone machine! It gives the user five goes to decide which region they want, 1 or 2, then it locks them in forever. In theory. As you would hope, the wonderful internet is the place to get your code-free software patch. For all things dXr2, go to the definitive dXr2 page, complete with software, hacks, news and a FAQ. Other good sources of news and info can be found here in the UK at the home pages of Simon Wesley., and David Warburton.
For PC DVD ROM info generally (and more on the dXr2), try the comprehenisve FAQ at the DVD Emporium.
2.5 What UK machines are available?
N.B: Click these links for code-free information on the individual machines.
The first to be available was the Panasonic A100 (and the Thompson DTH1000 / Denon DVD2000 clones) - it is still the cheapest and a fine & solid, if unflashy, machine. Other available or soon to be available UK machines are the following - Panasonic A-350, Sony DVP-S315, Sony DVP-S715, Philips DVD 730, Philips DVD 930, Pioneer DVL-505, Pioneer DVL-909 laserdisc / DVD combo, Thompson DTH 2000 (European Panasonic A150 clone), the Toshiba SD3107, Akai DVP 1000, Yamaha S-700 and the portable Panasonic L-10.
For more info on these machines, and some reviews, pop along to UK-DVD.
2.6 What is the best way of connecting my DVD to my TV?
Many DVD players do not have an RF (coaxial) output like a VCR, and that's just fine - the quality would be rubbish anyway. Many have a composite video output and L/R audio outputs on phono jacks, but a more convenient method is to use the SCART socket - this will also allow automatic widescreen switching if you have a widescreen telly. There is no quality difference between the SCART and phono sockets.
However, there are SCART sockets and SCART sockets. If your DVD player has the SCART's S-video pin enabled, and your telly does too, using a SCART lead will result in excellent S-video quality - the picture cleans up like you wouldn't believe. If your machine, like the Panasonic A100, is not so enabled, either connect from the little 4 pin S-video plug to an S-Video input on your TV, or use a special lead which has S-Video and audio plugs on one end, and an S-video SCART on the other. The A-100 comes bundled with one of these leads. The only drawback is that you lose auto widescreen switching. Shucks.
An option on the Panasonic A-350, Sony DVP S-715, Toshiba SD-3107 and some other new machines is use of an RGB-compatible SCART (if you have a similarly compatible telly). This uses the separate red, green and blue signals and some say this looks even better than S-video. There again, some don't.
2.7 What is the future of British DVD?
Pretty good. By Christmas we should have at least 200 titles, with a good few high profile, new releases, and then we should get a healthy, continuous flow. Blockbuster Video have started rental trials in some 30 stores. All major studios participating in the US have now announced European support. Disney's program is particularly exciting, since we are slated to receive some of their classic animation titles (finally the kids can't wear out Alice In Wonderland and Dumbo!). The US is yet to receive such promises.
One possible problem is the fiercomely complex issue of worldwide digital rights to films - for example, True Lies is Fox in America and Germany, but Universal elsewhere in Europe. Some titles could be tied up with small video labels who don't have the clout to get into DVD.
- us discs and machines -
3.1 What films are available that play on a US machine?
The largest selection of DVD discs on sale is, of course, still in the States - over 2000 and rising fast. Recent / imminent releases include Lost In Space, Good Will Hunting, Godzilla & The Wedding Singer. Coming in the next few months is the holy grail of DVD, the movie BORN to sit on a double layered, anamorphically squeezed disc, Titanic. All studios have either released discs, or have announced upcoming releases.
The only holdout is Steven Speilberg, who has been waiting for the number of players on the market to rise further before releasing his movies. The wait looks like it is coming to an end shortly, especially now his studio, Dreamworks SKG have joined the fold - the last of the majors to do so. For information on DIVX, the US rental format, see 8.1.
3.2 Where can I buy or rent them, and how much do they cost?
The DVD discs can be bought direct from the US, mail order, from dozens of places, starting at $19 for Contact for example - less than £12! At a total cost, including P&P, for less than HMV charges for VHS, it is just too durned good to ignore. For some sources, try Movies, DVD & That's links page. For a superb complete guide to the various US mail order companies, how much they charge for discs, P&P and customs issues, check out Lee Stoneman's wonderful DVD Debate site. It is worth noting that it is perfectly legal to import a non-BBFC certified disc or video (i.e. anything without a BBFC sticker) for individual purposes, as long as it conforms to obscenity laws etc. Be aware that you sill have to pay import charges, however.
Various companies have been importing the discs for us, with prices working out roughly pound for dollar. Take a look at Movies, DVD & That's links page for a good list of importers, but be aware that this practice has recently come to a dramatic halt following a raid by FACT and the police on one store. It is currently illegal to commercially resell copyrighted American goods in the UK.
A couple of companies had been offering a rental program for US DVDs. Dvdmod offering discs at £4.99 a week for the first two, and a pound off each subsequent title, and an option to buy if you want to. Dvdlibrary also did a similar system - check with them to see the current legal status.
3.3 Where can I buy a US machine, and will it work with my European TV?
A US machine will output video in NTSC only - check your TV is compatible first. Note that there are several different forms of NTSC - the American variant has the colour subcarrier at 3.58mhz, so that's the figure to look for. You will also need a mains converter from 110-240v.
For full information, including price comparisons between Stateside retailers, try the excellent DVD Debate site. Lee Stoneman, its owner, has imported a machine himself, so is a useful source of info on self-importing. A good UK retailer that imports and converts machines for us is D+D DVD, another is Upgrade Heaven - for details of some machines, see below.
3.4 Can a US machine be modified to play European discs as well?
The US Pioneer machines - the DV-505 and DVL-909 contain PAL circuitry. See 5.1 to perform a DIY modification, or contact Upgrade Heaven for a ready-modified machine.
At the moment, it seems as if all the other machines are NTSC only, so cannot easily replay PAL discs. However, some people have added extra PAL circuitry for the DTS compatible Panasonic A110 and A310 - Upgrade Heaven can supply a 2 region modification for £99, 6 regions for £149 and RS-232 updateable 6 region for £199. They also sell new machines for £499 and £599 respectively (2 region machines - add £50 for all 6 regions). Techtronics have a 2 region version for an incredible £40 DIY, and £90 fitted (on special offer until 24/8 only!) Way cheaper than a second R2 machine if you bought American in haste and, I'd imagine, a strong export to the US...
The ubiquitous Upgrade Heaven are also working on a 6 region modification for the 5 disc (!) Sony DVP-C600D.
3.5 What is the future of American DVD?
Just peachy. Blockbuster are behind a large scale rental program, and Warner are reducing the rrps of their newest releases to $20 - look for discounts around the $15 mark. As for the "rental", and incompatible, DIVX, it seems that there will be precious few titles unique to the format, which was its only selling point. For more on this, see 8.1.
- code free -
4.1 How can I play foreign discs on a UK machine?
There are various ways round the regional coding system (1.3) - the system used will vary from player to player.
To understand how a modification works on some machines, it is necessary to delve for a moment under the lid. There are two basic methods of modification:
The first kind is an eeprom. This replaces the chip in the machine which tells the player what part of the world it lives in. However, any attempt for a single eeprom to emulate 2 regions won't work with some titles - they smell an electronic rat and refuse to play. So if you want to play UK and US discs, you'll need 2 eeproms (but you'll have a UK one already in your machine of course), and a switch. One BIG beware here though - region 1 discs will ONLY play in NTSC. See 4.5 for more details.
The second general type of chip is a microprocessor. This is a totally different solution to that of an eeprom switch, and enables to user to set, via the remote, facilities such as the region, colour system & copy protection of their choice. It is a chip with 5 wires that require soldering to the main board, involves no snipping or switches, retains set-up memory and plays all discs from whichever region is currently selected. This chip is sometimes called a modchip, or a DVD Charger, after the company that first introduced it.
4.2 Who sells new machines which play UK and US discs?
DVD Library do a basic modded A100 for £349!!! They will also do a DVD charger type affair for a little more. Link Electronics and Techtronics currently also seem good bets - they offer a DVD-Charger type chip fitted for £399. Upgrade Heaven offer £369 for 3 region, and £419 for an all-six region updateable machine.
Richer Sounds in Bristol are also worth contacting direct by phone (0117-973-4397 - ask for Gary) - for an extra £100 they will supply and fit the "all-region 1 and most other discs" eeprom. However, theirs is currently a writable chip - in other words, if you change the player setup, you lose the ability to play region 1 discs! Ring to see if they've sorted this - in the meantime it is definitely NOT recommended for those with widescreen sets, but careful 4:3 owners with NTSC compatible TVs should be okay.
Techtronics are curently the cheapest on this one - a microprocessor modded beauty for £599. Home-Cinema are now offering a board which plays all region 1 and region 2, has colour system switching to play region 1 in PAL, and disables Macrovision. Cost of the modified machine is around 625 including UPS shipping. Link Electronics offer a remote controlled 3 region machine for £679, as do Upgrade Heaven for £669 - they also sell a 6 region version for £699. DVD Library also have a DVD Charger machine available, fully fitted. CodeFreeDVD also do a machine which can play all 6 regions, and in 60 hz PAL for a small fortune.
Techtronics were first out of the gate with a 2 region modified machine for £999.99, although Upgrade Heaven have a 6 region one for £929!
These have proved stubborn beasts to crack, and are a lot more complex internally than the Panasonics and Pioneers. The prolific Upgrade Heaven have a region 1-6, remote updatable S-715 available for £649, or £629 for a non-updateable version, and an S-315 region 1-3 with selectable NTSC and PAL for £499, 6 region for £539, or 6 region updateable version for £569. Phew! Link Electronics have their 4 region mod for a reasonable £529, or £599 for the two machines respectively. Techtronics match the price for a similar S-715, while CodeFreeDVD do it for £749.
Upgrade Heaven and are offering regions 1 - 6 selectable from the remote for the DVL-909 for a heard-to-beat £749 and the DV-505 for an incredible £399, dependent on stocks. Techtronics have the same mod fro £799 and £449 respectively, while D+D DVD do the same kind of deal for the 909 - for £775. Link Electronics, sell the 505 for £419, and the 909 for £899. For the even better off, go to the ever-reliable and ever-expensive CodeFreeDVD - their 909 retails at over £1100...
Techtronics are first off the block - their MulitMod microprocessor ready-fitted for £489. Upgrade Heaven,do a 2 region PAL/NTSC mod for the same price. But Link Electronics win here - an extraordinary £399!
Upgrade Heaven do a 2 region PAL/NTSC modified machine for £649
Once again, Techtronics are first - 6 regions all yours for £449.
Other machines
For more information on other machines try here, a European site with some more technical details.
4.3 Who can convert my UK machine to play US discs?
If you already own a machine, you can either send it (or the relevant internal board) away to get it modified.
CodeFreeDVD (among others) will perform the necessary dual eeprom surgery professionally for - deep breath - £150 + vat and shipping. A possibly better option is Upgrade Heaven, who will fit either a 3 or updateable 6 region microprocessor to your existing machine for £59 or £119 respectively, including postage, manual, and 6 months warranty. Techtronics meanwhile, can fit their microprocessor and have it fly off the workbench for £65, Link Electronics for £60.
Home-Cinema's board which plays all region 1 and region 2 in NTSC or PAL can be installed for you for around £160 or so, plus the not inconsiderable postage both ways. Techtronics' MultiMod can be fitted for you, total cost £80, Link Electronics is £75. Upgrade Heaven's 3 region microprocessor is £79, updateable 6 region for £119.
Techtronics will modify your portable with 2 regions for £120 - Upgrade Heaven have a 6 region version for the same price.
JVB Computers were first to crack these bothersome beasties. They now have two versions - 2 regions for $199, and 6 regions with further update possibilities for $249. Alternatively, for an S-315 is Techtronics - £80 puts their 4 region PAL/NTSC microprocessor on your board, or Upgrade Heaven - £79 for 3 regions, £129 for 6 regions and £149 for an updateable 6 region version, all on the S-315. The S-715 is now available from Techtronics for £120, regions 1&2 or £130 for regions 1-4, while Upgrade Heaven offer the 6 regions for £129 or, again, £149 for the updateable version. Link Electronics do a 2 region S-315 for £75.
Upgrade Heaven are offering regions 1 - 6 selectable from the remote for the DVL-909 and the DV-505 for an excellent £19 fitted. Also try Link Electronics, who will tweek your machine for £25, or Techtronics for £49.
Techtronics supply a 6 region mod for £80.
Techtronics have a 6 region hack going for £49, Upgrade Heaven for £69.
Upgrade Heaven are first with this one at £79 for 6 regions.
Other machines
For more information on other machines try here, a European site with some more technical details.
4.4 Is there such a thing as a code free disc?
Yes, examples include Spawn and Bound (n.b. I have recently heard that Bound may no longer be region 0). These play on absolutely any machine except a Sony Discman. For a full index, go to Simon Wesley's site.
4.5 Will my telly cope with American discs?
If your TV does not replay NTSC 3.58 (check the manual), you need to be sure your code free modification can convert the US NTSC picture to PAL.
In fact, the player does not convert the signal at all, it just colour codes it in PAL rather than NTSC, so colour rendition in PAL is excellent.
However, despite this, there are some old TVs on which the US discs definitely won't play, even in "PAL". NTSC is 60hz, PAL is 50hz. The PAL output from a UK DVD player of a region 1 disc is actually 60hz PAL. All modern TV sets accept either 50 or 60hz line rates, but some British older ones can't cope. A good rule of thumb is that if your set has a SCART socket, you should be okay. If not, you could do with a new set anyway, and shouldn't have bought a DVD yet, silly thing.
5.1 What machines can be modified myself at home? Who supplies the bits?
It is possible to have a go at a modification yourself on some machines. Although wiring the relevant chip(s) in is straightforward in theory, in practice it is VERY fiddly. Things are really crowded in there! If you've always fancied a go with a soldering iron but never got around to it, for goodness sake don't start here. Find a friendly engineer and buy her a beer.
When it comes to eeproms (read 4.1 for the difference between an eeprom and a microprocessor mod), there are both some very useful and totally useless chips around.
On the bad end of things, one particular chip means that you will not be able to play all region 1 discs, and you will also loose the ability to play all region 2 discs! This tells your machine in lives in region 0 AVOID this eeprom at all costs - it will NOT play all US or UK discs. Some discs are cleverer than others, and will not be fooled - check 6.2 for a list of the US problem studios. On an A100, its only advantage over snipping the power pin of the original eeprom (6.1) is it keeps the set-up memory going on power down. Nothing compared to the disadvantages - remember if you replace the eeprom, you lose your original one. The question to ask the supplier - can it play Disney/Universal titles? If the answer is no, say goodbye.
A better situation is an eeprom which plays ALL region 1 discs and those from region 2 that aren't very tricksy and clever. For many people, this will be good enough - but it is still better to go for 2 separate eeproms, or a microprocessor.
If you are dead clever, and fancy a go at programming a £1 blank eeprom yourself, go here for instructions and code...
There are a couple of really easy possibilities with this machine - see 6.1 and 6.3 for crude but free mods. Otherwise:
Dvdchip sell a Region 1 eeprom which will also play ordinary Region 2 discs (see above) as a kit of parts with very bad English and wires for $99. Possibly a better bet is SVS - the same chip for £50, inc postage, and in English. This could be fixed via a switch to your current region 2 eeprom, as described in 6.1. A good private UK-based supplier is Graham Lang - yours for thirty quid, good instructions in plain English and set up to be 4:3 or 16:9 according to your wishes. For another source, try Andrew Brierly in Australia, selling for $70 AUS. Upgrade Heaven do a dual eeprom for £29.
For a microprocessor, first off the block was the DVD-Charger - at current exchange rates, the chip costs around £90. Go here for the UK DVD FAQ editor's review. Since then, others have joined the fray - try Michael Stegen - yours for an incredible £25! The same deal is available from Techtronics - UK based, have a good reputation, and take credit cards. Some people have reported a few early problems with the installation of this one, but there is a correction to the early instructions posted on their site, and it is now problem free. Link Electronics offer the same chip, sourced from Techtronics, for a similar price. Upgrade Heaven have an RS-232 updateable mod with a 6 region microprocessor for £99.
SVS have a chip in "television" and "projector" forms, which sounds suspiciously like "with or without copy-protection". Graham Lang also has an A350 chip, which can play all 6 regions in NTSC or PAL via the remote - yum, yum! Home-Cinema's board (see 4.2) and an installation manual costs around £140. DVD Charger now have a chip - same price and details as the A100. Upgrade Heaven's PAL/NTSC region 1 & 2 mod sells for £59 and their updateable chip for £99, whilst Techtronics' remote controlled PAL/NTSC MultiMod is yours for £40, as is the Link equivalent.
Techtronics have a 2 region mod for £40.
Contrary to my sceptisism (!), Digital World, a Swiss company, is offereing a chip and seven wires for $160 plus shipping. This enables remote control enabled region switching. The ever-reliable Techtronics have cracked the S-315 with their chip - 4 regions, PAL/NTSC, £40 all in! The S-715 is the most complex mod yet, though. The company sell a 2 region one, which disables DNR, for £60, along with dire warnings of its complexity and potential for a fried machine! Their more recent mod is 4 regions, DNR enabled and £99. Upgrade Heaven have what could be the easiest mod, requiring only 8 wires to solder (although it goes without saying that it is still only for the highly technically proficient) - regions 1-6 are yours for £99, or an updateable via RS-232 version for £119 - again, the company point out (although still only for the technically competant), the RS-232 version is an easier install than the first mods, which required removing surface mount resistors and goodness only knows what. If that sounds - perversely - like a red rag to a bull, then Link Electronics, like Techtronics, will supply you with a S-315 mod for $40.
This looks pretty easy - just a dab of solder and some jiggery-pokery with the remote control. This European site has detailed information and pictures - follow the links for the Pioneer 505, or look at August 1998's edition of Home Cinema Choice magazine.
Link Electronics will supply you with the bits for £40, as will Techtronics.
6 regions for £40 are yours from Techtronics.
Other machines
Again, try here, And keep checking back at the FAQ...
5.2 Will this invalidate the guarantee?
Oh yes. This applies to anything which removes the cover.
6.1 The Panasonic A-100: What is the "pin snip" or "legs up" modification?
The easiest way to play SOME region 1 discs is to snip one pin on an internal chip. Cut either 5, 6 (data in/out) or 8 (the power pin) on IC 6041 on the MPEG board (see home cinema magazine, March 98 issue for piccies). Remember the warning - things are very, very crowded on the board!
The effect of this operation varies depending on what generation of A100 you own - which is almost impossible to tell, of course. Whatever vintage your machine, its post-operative memory is disabled on power down - you will need to set up a normal/widescreen mode for each disc as you go.
The very earliest generation machines play just about everything, at the expense of not enabling the most sophisticated "branching" features of a disc. The second and third generation machines will play some US discs, but not all - see 6.2 below for the problem discs.
The player naturally defaults to NTSC on a region 1 disc. If your telly doesn't support this, and you are using the pin-snip method, fear not. Stop the disc, and set the picture mode in the set-up menu to anything - 4:3, 16:9 whatever. Pressing return reinstates glorious PAL. Even better, this is no nasty colour conversion, since DVD stores information in component form, neither NTSC or PAL - what you see (barring resolution of 525 lines as opposed to 625, and the mild inherent 60hz NTSC judder noticeable on slow horizontal pans) is as good as it gets. Yum, yum.
6.2 What are the "problem discs" which won't play?
Brace yourself - there's more than most people think.
Disney (Buena Vista, Touchstone, Miramax)
Universal (MCA)
some MGM, and
Polygram.
This doesn't leave many! Currently Warner, New Line and Columbia / Tristar discs all seem safe. However, there is concern that more studios will employ the workround, so the pin snip is only a partial solution. For a list of some discs known to play on all snipped A100s, try this link - http://www.a-2-s.demon.co.uk. Also see the reviews on my DVD Review page, with pin-snip information.
There is a bodge which works on some of the problem discs above, on second generation machines only, known as the "stop trick". Perform the following:
1. Put disc in player
2. When 2nd or 3rd zero appears on the display, press STOP
3. Press PLAY - the screen will say "This player is not compatible with the regional markings of this disc"
4. Turn the player OFF
5. Turn the player ON (or press play)
6. Press PLAY.
Most, if not all, new machines do not work with this technique, however, due to "improvements" in the software. Also, newer discs are savvy to the trick anyway, and won't work. Menus may not work properly, and performing any disc function other than play may stop the disc working. So, better than nothing, but far from foolproof.
6.4 The Panasonic A-100 and A-350
A350 contains on-board Dolby Digital and MPEG 5.1 decoder.
Hackability index from ***** (easy / cheap) to * (hard / expensive) - A100 - ****, A350 - ***
Click on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a new code-free A100? A350?
When can I get my A100 / A350 modified professionally?
Where can I buy a DIY modification for my A100? A350?
6.5 The Pioneer DV-505 and DVL-909
The 505 is a basic machine, the 909 is a Laserdisc combo.
Hackability index from ***** (easy / cheap) to * (hard / expensive) - Both - *****
Click on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a new code-free Pioneer?
When can I get my Pioneer modified professionally?
Where can I get a DIY modification for my Pioneer?
The S-715 is a "audiophile" version of the S-315
Hackability index from ***** (easy / cheap) to * (hard / expensive) - S-315=**, S-715=*
Click on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a code-free Sony?
When can I get my Sony modified professioanlly?
Where can I buy a DIY modification for my Sony?
6.7 The Philips DVD 730 and DVD 930
Click on the link to answer the question.
When can I get my Philips modified professioanlly?
Sorry - no more information on Philips products yet. Check for FAQ updates.
Clone of the European Panasonic A150.
Hackability index from ***** (easy / cheap) to * (hard / expensive) - DTH 2000=***
Clink on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a new code-free Thompson?
Where can I buy a DIY modification for my Thompson?
Sorry - no more information on Thompson products yet. Check for FAQ updates.
Clink on the link to answer the question.
Where can I get my Toshiba modified professionally?
Sorry - no other code-free information on Toshiba products yet. Check for updates.
Clone of the Panasonic A350.
Clink on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a new code-free Denon?
For modification compatibility, look up the Panny A350 info, and check with the relevent companies.
Clink on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a code-free Akai?
When can I get my Akai modified professioanlly?
Where can I buy a DIY modification for my Akai?
Clone of the Panasonic A350.
For modification compatibility, look up the Panny A350 info, and check with the relevent companies.
Portable machine.
Clink on the link to answer the question.
Where can I buy a code-free L-10?
When can I get my L-10 modified professioanlly?
Where can I buy a DIY modification for my L-10?
There are more DVD players coming onto the market every month - it is now beyond the limits for which the FAQ editor can cope. For information on all other machines, try the following links:
Techtronics and
- the legal arguments -
7.1 Now come on - is all this really legal?
If is difficult to see how it could not be. Certainly the manufacturers - or more accurately, the software companies - would not want you to do it, but a chip is only a chip after all, and fiddling with a machine you own outright is hardly a criminal offence.
Rumours circulate about a bevy of studio lawyers that are ready to pounce on unsuspecting sources of chips and information, allegedly because it is on the "fringes of piracy". This argument is absolute rubbish - no-one wishes to pirate any DVDs, we just want to play the legitimate ones that the studios themselves produce!
That having been said, US congress are looking at passing a law which makes any hardware or software circumnavigation of copyright protection facilities a criminal offence. This would not affect basic region switching, but would apply to a DVD Charger - type product, which disables SCMS and Macrovision. This law looks unlikely to affect any territory other than the US, and even there it is not certain to have an easy passage.
The other flys in the ointment are the raids by FACT and the police on US disc importers. The law on this seems to be that it is fine to import discs from the US for personal use, but they must not be commercially resold. In any event, it is certainly NOT illegal to simply purchase US discs, as long as they conform to taste and decency standards.
In the meantime, this FAQ and its links are given in good faith that no laws are being broken, and it is up to the companies or organisations to explain any grounds for legal action, something they have not done up to now.
If anyone does know of further threats / implications, please e.mail.
- divx -
8.1 What is DIVX, and will we get it in Europe?
DIVX discs look like DVD discs with no widescreen or extras, but - they cost only $4.50! Wow, there must be a catch, you say. Well, yes, there is - when you first put the disc in your machine, the clock starts ticking. After 48 hours, your DIVX disc becomes a frisbee. Unless you pay up again for another 48 hours...
It is meant to replace the concept of renting a film, but things don't look good.
PLEASE NOTE - FALLIBLE OPINION OF THE FAQ EDITOR.
With no features such as widescreen or commentaries, it is of no interest to the enthusiasts already peeved at being penalised for buying early. Bog standard renters have this other alternative format called VHS with which they are very happy, and won't cost them an extra $600. Interest from all sides in the format on its own will be next to none.
On the other hand, someone buying a brand new DVD player has a choice of a machine which will play either-
DVD and DIVX, or
DVD
with potentially very little price difference. They will quite possibly, with all justification, conclude they have nothing to lose from buying a dual compatible machine, even if they never intend using DIVX much.
There has been much hatred vented in DIVX's direction, largely because it was believed that some studios would ONLY release titles on this format, and not regular, or "open", DVD. It seems that those early fears have come to nothing, although there may be a time lag between the DIVX and open DVD release from one or two studios (as between rental and retail VHS).
Will it succeed? Probably not. Will it do any harm? Probably not. Can we forget about it? Probably...
Europe
We will probably never see DIVX in Europe anyway for two main reasons. Firstly, some of the DIVX encryption technology has no US export licence - as it stands, this is for the US domestic market alone. The second reason is that the format is supported by major US retail chain Circuit City, who have invested $100m to try to make it work. The chain dominates the US market, whereas they have no stores in the UK, and no single chain dominates here either to be "targeted" by DIVX. So with a prevailing wind, we will escape the confusion and anguish the company has brought to DVD in the US.
Some rumours have said that Thompson are keen to adapt and use the technology in Europe. If this is so, a company spokesman I spoke to knows nothing of it - he states that a European version of DIVX will never happen, and the US version would, in his opinion, last about 18 months. Indeed, from their perspective, DIVX was a nightmare, complicating a situation already bad because of regional coding, and they wouldn't go near it.
- conclusion -
9.1 Should I buy DVD now, or be sensible and wait a while?
If I were you, I'd throw caution to the wind. Go on! It is still fairly easy to modify some machines so they will play both US and UK discs - this may well become more difficult and more expensive as time goes on. The vast majority of people will be quite happy with their off the shelf region 2 machine, now that we are more or less guaranteed to get an endless supply of movies from all the studios locally. The editor would strongly advise against a region 1 only machine, partly because buying US discs is not the cheap and easy process it first seems, and partly because Blockbusters are now renting them here. £3 is awfully cheap to watch a DVD.
So hunt around for a bargain now, and best of all, enjoy the best of both worlds by finding a good person or company to do you code free. Then sit back and watch movies from all over the globe to your heart's content. And tell your other half I told you so.
Watch this space, and good luck. And remember, all player tampering invalidates the warranty.
Disclaimer: All information is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but no responsibility will be taken for errors. All modifications performed entirely at owners risk. All information on code-free modification or links to outside sites do not support or endorse any form of piracy. Be gentle with me, this is my first FAQ.
FAQ maintained by Guy Rowland - e.mail dvd@guyandsue.prestel.co.uk.
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