That PAL is better because of the higher resolution is not necessarily correct, in the same way one could argue that the higher NTSC refresh rate (60Hz instead of 50Hz) is better - however in the end it depends on the actual DVD release, i.e. how much care has been taken during the mastering process.
There are websites dedicated to the purpose of comparing different releases in terms or quality, so if you want the best PQ you gotta check it out title by title …
Hooking up via component (YUV) connections could also help, given the DVD player supports PAL and the TV/display has such inputs.
All this could be a lot harder if they get some better protection for Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. Now, I like my region-free Powerbook though I probably will get a real player someday.
Hallelujah! Just got a Pioneer DV-383 that has been ‘beeped’ by the guy in the shop and happliy plays all region discs and converts the PAL signal to NTSC to watch on my landlady’s big old Philips TV. Tonight’s viewing: “Dr Who”…
So let me get this straight – TV’s in Taiwan are the NTSC standard, as is the US, so as long as I get a multi-region DVD player and order disks from the US, the PAL->NTSC conversion is not an issue; but if I order discs from Australia or Europe, then the player also needs to perform good PAL->NTSC conversion. Is that right?
That’s right. Though for me, the PAL->NTSC conversion is only annoyingly obvious when the credits are rolling, because they will be a bit jerky during the scrolling. Most of the time I don’t notice it at all.
I went to 全國 Quan2 Guo2, a local chain of appliance stores (sorry, don’t know the English name), and was VERY disappointed in their product knowledge. They carried about 10 DVD players under $4000, including Sampo, Teco, Pantiac, Toshibi (sic), Pioneer, LG and Kolin, but the clerk claimed they were all Taiwan region only, and didn’t have a clue about reprogramming or chipping them. Maybe I’ll try the Guanghua area next.
Guanghua is a better place to look for that, they openly advertise them as region free, don’t know about the NTSC>PAL conversion though, probably best if you take a DVD to test.
Pantiac you say ? I used to have a Pantiac that was region free through a very simple code, I could never find a Pantiac again. Any idea what model it was ?
a modded xbox would cost you just a bit more than that BUT plays any regions, upscales dvd to 720p and 1080i (a feature that only high end player have). pal/ntsc isnt an issue but you can switch if necessary. it also plays any audio or video formats such as shn, flac, ape, dix, xvid… :loco:
Thanks. I don’t actually have any foreign disks now, and don’t want to wait for one to arrive by mail before buying the machine! Any chance someone can lend me one for use in testing? (EDIT Got one – thanks, you know who!)
I wrote all the models down so I could check them for hackability on videohelp.com/dvdhacks. The Pantiac was a PV747, for only $1590. This site doesn’t have anything on that model or brand, nor did Google come up with anything. Apparently it’s a Taiwanese brand, because the only pages that found it are in Chinese. I’m checking the others now.
I posted how to hack a Pantiac PV-770 here: forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?p=125877 It might be the same, might not… best to ask at Guanghua. The cheap ones you’ve never heard of are more likely to be region free. The big brands are more likely to be stricter.
I could probably knock up something legal in PAL format for you to test, maybe some porn or a David Hasslehoff video or something. Will be you at the happy hour ?
[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”]I posted how to hack a Pantiac PV-770 here: forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?p=125877 It might be the same, might not… best to ask at Guanghua. The cheap ones you’ve never heard of are more likely to be region free. The big brands are more likely to be stricter.
I could probably knock up something legal in PAL format for you to test, maybe some porn or a David Hasslehoff video or something. Will be you at the happy hour ?[/quote]
That would be awesome, thanks. I’d really feel more comfortable if I had a disk to test it with, especially if it’s PAL also! Will PM you re: HH.
First, the bad news: well-known chain stores in Taipei appear increasingly unwilling to let you know whether any of their DVD player models are capable of resetting to be multi-region, and are no longer selling AFAIK any out-of-the-box multi-region models. 全國 Quan2guo2 in Donghu and 燦坤 Can4kun1 at Guanghua told me none of their models are multi-region, and even denied it when I pointed out some were probably reprogrammable. RTMart by the Minquan bridge started the same denial but when I quietly insisted that I knew they were reprogrammable, they reluctantly admitted some were but said they wanted nothing to do with it. One lady seemed like she might be willing to slip us the codes after purchase, but she was obviously afraid of being hit with huge fines; another salesman joined her at the counter and that was the end of it – no more friendly help.
The companies making the players also change model numbers all the time, so I couldn’t find an in-stock model matching earlier recommendations which was PAL-NTSC compatible.
At Guanghua, most of the stores along the main Bade Rd. strip, other than 燦坤 Can4kun1, are computers only. We had almost given up when we found a store in a back alley that had several models ready out-of-the-box for all-region and PAL-NTSC. We got a Dennys model for $1799, and tested it on a UK Python in-shop. If you want the shop’s address and are a regular here, ask me. They also still sell and repair VCRs BTW.
I can’t believe one has to go through all this trouble just to be able to watch legally acquired, original DVD movies!!! While I understand the need to control piracy, these region-coding laws don’t really do that; they just make life for expats difficult. They’re forced on Taiwan by the US movie industry and are clearly an abuse of power and an unfair restriction of trade. :fume: :taz:
It’s not just about piracy, they also want to ensure that you watch the movie at your local cinema first instead of watching the movie at home on DVD obtained from a different region before it’s released wherever you are.
Well, if they did that by releasing simultaneously in global theaters, then they wouldn’t be infringing on the rights of consumers like the current bullshit system does. Greedy mofo’s is all they are.
The other reason is because they want to be able to have market specific pricing without someone being able to resell disks from a cheap market to an expensive one. For example, the same DVD might go for TWD500 (USD15) here, USD20 in the US and JPY3500 (USD30) in Japan. They don’t want someone to load up on cheap DVDs here and sell them in Japan. And unlike pirated disks, regulations on legit grey-market goods being sold in a different market are spotty or hard to enforce.
Any chance someone can lend me one for use in testing? (EDIT Got one – thanks, you know who!)