Compatibility Of Dvds (movies)

[dclaryjr]

I still have a multi-system TV I bought in Germany in the 80s that would play PAL, Secam, and others. I also had a multi-system video-tape player. That got me thinking the other day. Will the DVDs I own now be usable when I retire in Thailand? Are there international standards that all DVD players (or BlueRay for that matter) follow?

[MJo]

PAL worries are history nowdays. Most tv's and players should do them all.

With dvd's from US you just need to make sure your player is "multiregion" as most of the movies from US would be coded as region 1.

I have found that best multiregion players usually are the cheepo ones from Tesco. More expensive brand names still hold on to the regions sometimes. Although i just purchased nice Pioneer blue ray player that has so far worked with my region 2 dvd's from europe.

Region definitions can be found from HERE

[webfact]

Yeah, no problem, but you should be careful with the very cheap ones.

Sometimes they can't play older DVD's or you get the massage "no DVD inside"...

Take one or 2 DVD from your US collection with you and go shopping. Test in the shop before you buy.

[tutsiwarrior]

it's also possible to re-set a dvd player that has been pre-set to a particular region to 'region-free'...there was a thread on this subject about the middle of last year; check it out...there's also information on re-setting dvd players to 'region free' to be had if you google.

[mdechgan]

In my experience the best dvd players are the cheap no name brands from China. They are region unlocked and can play almost anything. However they tend to wear out after a couple of years. But for like 1,000 baht why not?The better ones like samsung and LG have a little problem reading burned or copied discs. They also are region locked like can't play US dvds etc. However there is usually a way to region unlocked them, well for most models.

[think_too_mut]

I still have a multi-system TV I bought in Germany in the 80s that would play PAL, Secam, and others. I also had a multi-system video-tape player. That got me thinking the other day. Will the DVDs I own now be usable when I retire in Thailand? Are there international standards that all DVD players (or BlueRay for that matter) follow?

DVDs won't work unless you have a multi-region (or region-free) DVD player. Once you have it, it's auto-detected. You will not even notice anything, it will just play.

Second thing, NTSC/PAL DVDs are also auto detected but that auto-detection gives a mediocre picture for a non-native system (which NTSC will be on a PAL-resident DVD player).

For good results you would have to change that setting (it's an option on the DVD but still) before playing different format.

6 months ago a very knowledgable salesman at duty-free section of Eiden (a very large electronics chain in Japan) explained that to me.

Among several models of DVD players, he recommeneded Pioneer for ease of use, others had advanced functions available only in Japanese, I could not use them anyway.

Those Region-crackers that you can google are not free - 20-30$. Could be more than the DVD at Lotus itself. I looked them up 8 months ago when my shipment of movies arrived from Amazon.com and would not play on my PC.

Edited March 30, 2009 by think_too_mut

[kamalabob2]

The Oppo dvd players, same exact models as sold in the USA (they are all dual voltage) are also available in Thailand for a tad more than you can pay in America for the same Chinese made model. They play ALL the legal DVD's I have sent from America, and any legal Thai dvd's, not to mention the "early copy" dvd's from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangkok. There are quite a few articles you can google on Oppo and we have no problems. Soken might be the distributor in Thailand, but it you are in the USA you could try the machine there, pay less there and have return "rights". You could easily pack that DVD player in your luggage when you relocate to Thailand. Genuine Blue Ray discs and players are still very expensive in Thailand. The Pantip Blue Ray discs are perhaps only "packaged" as such, just like the blue ray discs from Vietnam. Costs for legal blue ray discs might come down in Thailand, but before you move here you might look at the back of the blue ray players to see if they are dual voltage. If you see the costs here on a blue ray player you would be shocked. The same legal Blue Ray discs sold in Thailand will play on a USA purchased machine and vice versa.

http://www.piyanas.com/product.php?cat=124...4e20d38c21515e1

Piyanas is an authorized and reputable dealer of many audio products in several locations of Thailand.

[phaethon]

I looked them up 8 months ago when my shipment of movies arrived from Amazon.com and would not play on my PC.

European and Thai DVDs and VCDs play okay on my PC, but I use VLC (which ignores regions) as my player under both Vista and Ubuntu.

[Jingthing]

Gordon Brown knows a thing or two about this topic.

[dclaryjr]

Thanks all--lots of good info!