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We would like to buy a DVD player in France and would be interested to know what folks would recommend and/or what  experiences you have had with these. It needs to have a hard drive for recording TV from the SKY box and work with DVDs from all regions. Would consider buying on-line but would prefer to buy locally if possible so can go and make a fuss in person when or if it goes wrong!.......J & J
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I have a Sony RDR-HX510 which has an 80Gb hard drive. It has been excellent in use (though the instruction book could be simpler, as always). I bought it from Amazon on the basis of user reviews. I have given it heavy use and there have been no problems, excellent quality recordings. Records fine from the Sky box, and I think it is all regions (the blurb says it is) as I don't have any non-region 1 DVDs. I don't know if it is HD ready or not.

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We bought a Philips from Darty, not the cheapest place around but it is worth taking a look at their site, they have a few different makes and models and info on each. Mine is not Multi Region so make sure of that if you want multi region. It is working very well and with the HD it makes the pausing of live TV possible too and as Dick has mentioned elsewhere it is great for tranferring all those treasured VHS tapes to DVD along with inputs for a DV Camera too, even an improvement in quality can be noticed.  Good luck.

http://www.darty.com/

best regards

Zak

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The Sony definitely isn't multi-region.  You will really stuggle to find a multi-region player unless you buy a cheapo (non-branded) one from the Internet - all the branded manufacturers 'regionalise' their players.  Unless you can get someone to fiddle one for you (used to be common place when there weren't many R2 DVD's around, but now not so). 

I'm stuggling with this as well as we have a lot of R1 DVD's and only one multi-regional player (a cheapo bought from the Internet a few years back!).  It's on the way out, which is why I've been looking into it.  I wanted a branded player, but just can't find a multi-region one.  Not helped by the fact that the region isn't always very clearly pointed out!  Normally you'll find hidden somewhere a stylised globe icon with a number inside of it that tells you which region it is.

Matt

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Hi most new DVD players now come fitted reginal set by default and cannot play all region DVDs, saying that if you google you can find sites that give you code to set your player to all regions 1-6 not 8or9 , some charge you a small amount, some are free you must download the code specific for your make and model ie there is no catch all code for all machines,  you can also download for your pc to play all if fitted with a DVD player but it is a little scary and can mush your hard drive if you get it wrong,  another way for your pc is to purchase over the net, DVD player software such as .DVD X. which will con your DVD reader to think the disc is of the reagion you have set  

This I do know works without any problems on my PC,   I tried it first as a 14 day download trial before parting with any dosh to make sure it works fine.

 

Dave

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There are many specialist dealers and retailers in the UK selling branded DVD's  players and recorders including the  Sony RDR-HX510 mentioned previously as multi regional . They re-chip them in their workshops and this does not invalidate the guarantees, I should imagine that this service may well be available in France or  there are some UK companies that may deliver to France. The cost of these modified players is often the same and sometimes cheaper than the basic Region 2 machines.

 

Baz

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One thing to remember when buying DVD writers is that you buy one that can write to DVD-R AND DVD+R, if you have got DVDs for your PC already. Most PCs use both but many DVD readers only use -Rs. Most of the latest writers will write both, but old stock models will not.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]The Sony RDR-HX525 claims to be multi-region.

Review of my model here.

This machine does not have a VHS capability - I have another, non-HD machine for that (a Samsung, recommended by Cooperlola and it is also excellent.). I have not researched VHS-DVD HD machines, but you certainly don't need to buy rubbish to get multi-region playability.

[/quote]

Dick - sorry, maybe I'm being stupid but I don't see the bit that says it is multi-regional.  The reason I said the HX510 wasn't multi-regional was after reading the Amazon user reviews where someone said catagorically that it wasn't multi-regional.  Sony don't make multi-regional players, but check out this... (I just found it whilst checking I was correct with the review!)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_37272265_1/026-7173526-2641219?ie=UTF8&docId=1000013633

I think it's rather amusing that Amazon are offering up the info - and just shows how much demand there is for it.  Maybe I'll be able to go Sony after all!

Matt

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That's interesting - the HX525 is definitely advertised by Amazon as multi-region capable - see here. From what you say I assume that means if you hack it, which looks a bit complex. Which is a rather dodgy bit of advertising, I think. Sony don't seem to advertise it as such on their website. A pity, because it is an excellent bit of kit.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]That's interesting - the HX525 is definitely advertised by Amazon as multi-region capable - see here. From what you say I assume that means if you hack it, which looks a bit complex.

Which is a rather dodgy bit of advertising, I think.

[/quote]

I tend to agree - tho the fact that they give you the hacks on their own website is I suppose how they get away with it.  None-the-less, it is good news that you can software hack it rather than have to pay to chip it.

Matt

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It's a bit of a complex process, though. I wonder what happens if you get it wrong - presumably just resetting the machine wouldn't clear it. We need to hear from someone who has done it.

Another answer would be to have a good quality recorder plus a cheapo multi-region player (I have a JVC which was cheap) and use both. I must admit to having an embarrassment of DVD players at the moment!

They are now so cheap that at school we no longer insure them.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]

Another answer would be to have a good quality recorder plus a cheapo multi-region player (I have a JVC which was cheap) and use both. I must admit to having an embarrassment of DVD players at the moment!

[/quote]

Me too - I think at last count it was 5!  How things have changed - my first DVD *player* cost me £650!!  One of the reasons I have so many R1 DVD's is that when I bought mine there were only about 5 R2 titles around!  I used to buy them from Quixell (a forerunner of eBay UK) the shops in the UK wouldn't sell them, but HMV on the Champs Elysées used to sell R1's!  Strangely that original DVD player won't play a lot of the recent DVD's on the market - I have no idea why.  Not that is gets much use now-a-days anyway!

Matt

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  • 2 weeks later...

ZAK said  "It is working very well and with the HD it makes the pausing of live TV possible too"

I'm puzzled as to how you can get HD as in "High Definition" TV in France when AFAIK it is not broadcast on French channels or Canal yet and is only available from SKY via a HD box which ahs to be connected by SKY and to them via a UK phone line.  You of course can,  with a SKY subscription, view the so called HD channels but what you are seeing is certainly not HD if you are in France, or are we talking about HD DVDs?

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]Correct. AFAIK there are no High-Def DVD recorders available at the moment - according to a sign I saw in Dixon's they are coming soon.

Still having loadsa fun with mine, but I can't get the LP to work on the Samsung.
[/quote]What's the model number of the Samsung again, Dick?
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[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="Dick Smith"]Correct. AFAIK there are no High-Def DVD recorders available at the moment - according to a sign I saw in Dixon's they are coming soon.

Still having loadsa fun with mine, but I can't get the LP to work on the Samsung.

[/quote]What's the model number of the Samsung again, Dick?[/quote]\

DVD-VR330/XEU

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