Resolved: Finding a new cheap region free DVD player

Shyfted

Update:

Found one I liked with http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RJ9XL0/ref=oss_T15_product

My old one's drive just crapped out on me. The reason I want it to be region free is because I have 2 sisters who were adopted from China and my step-dad has since brought home a lot of DVDs from over there. The one that just broke was made by Phillips and only cost me about $30. It wasn't perfect and had some problems with a few discs, but it got the job done and after 2+ years without cable it's served it's purpose very well.

I'm looking for something in a similar price range. I don't need any upscaling or fancy features, but simply something that's decent, cheap, and region free. Most of what I've found when searching has been about double the price, which seems absurd to me considering how long DVD players have been out. Even if you can just suggest some companies along with model numbers I don't mind trying to track them down on my own. I just want to know if there's anything in particular I should be looking for as my old one is at least a 3-4 year old model and I haven't really been following anything regarding DVD players in a while.

Thanks in advance.

Improvolone

A lot of DVD players can be softhacked (a code on the remote) into region 0 (region free). Go get your Google on!

Donovan Puppyfucker

How about a cable to hook your computer up to your TV? Even if you don't have a DVD drive in your PC, the total cost for a name brand cable and DVD drive shouldn't come to more than $40. Just the cable should be around $10

Improvolone

Those drives are also region coded I believe.

Shyfted

I might be looking at a HTPC is the future, but not right now as I still have a standard def TV. And I tend to be using my computer a lot while my TV is playing some movie or TV series. I really don't currently have the setups needed to make this happen as I'm mostly using a latptop right now and when I build a new desktop in the near future I'm not going to be running absurdly long cables (based on where it would be positioned) from it to my TV.

I'm also not looking for something that I have to soft hack, unless the process is actually much simpler than it used to be where you'd need specific remotes and a lengthy set of button pushes to do it. Like I said, I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to these things now, but I know my old player was able to play just about anything right out of the box.

The reason I avoided most soft hack to region 0 players in the past was because of all the mixed reviews about whether it worked or not. I realize that a lot of people are stupid and probably messed up resetting the player to region 0, but at the same time I'm looking for something that possibly a person here has experience with and knows it works. Don't really want to spend $30 on a DVD player I can't unlock to region 0 and then have to drop even more money to eventually get what I want. If no one actually knows of something that does what I want off the top of their head then I'll end up doing the research myself. I'm just trying to see if anyone has dealt with a similar situation that can help me save some time with a solid recommendation.

Cokebotle

Improvolone wrote: »

Those drives are also region coded I believe.

They are, but there is software available that will allow any region of DVD to be played on your computer's DVD drive, if it's supported.

Improvolone

I got a $25 DVD player from Radioshack six years ago that I was able to hack into region 0 with like... 6 button presses on the player's remote. I don't know how it can be considered complicated. I have since given that player away and forget the model, but I think it was Insignia and I think it was this model
http://www.amazon.com/Insignia-NS-DVD1-DVD-player/dp/B001ACQARO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264563322&sr=8-1

I'm harping on the softhack route because, last I looked into it, natively region free players were $100+.