Flatpanel Tvs Guide

Every DVD manufactured in a particular region has its own region code, which is incorporated as one byte of information on the disc that the DVD player checks before playing. DVD players and discs are coded by putting in their region number superimposed on a world globe. If a disc can play in more than one region, it will have more than one number on the globe. This implies that a disc bought in one country would not play on a DVD player bought in another country. Therefore the DVD standard includes region specific codes to prevent playback of DVDs in certain geographical regions.

Preventing Illegal Playback of Pirated DVDs

The greatest requirement for carrying out the concept of region-specific codes was to prevent the illegal playback of pirated DVDs in certain countries. Movies made in the U.S. are released in a staggered manner all over the world. The DVDs are also released a few months after the release of the movie in theaters. However, it is very easy to copy DVDs illegally and distribute these movies in the other countries even before they are formally released in their cinemas. Also, movie studios sell distribution rights to different foreign distributors and would like to guarantee an exclusive market. This piracy results in huge financial losses for the production companies.

On DVDs also, movies are released at different times around the world, typically first in America and Canada, later in Australia and Japan, and then in Europe. In some cases, DVD movies are available for purchase in America and Canada even before they are released in European cinema theaters.

Considering the high quality of movies on DVD, and the staggered movie release system, six regions were established to prevent people from watching region 1 movies before they were released in Regions 2-6. The six regions are as follows; Region 1 being U.S. and Canada, Region 2 comprising Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East. Region 3 has East and Southeast Asia, while Region 4 includes Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Region 5 comprises of Eastern Europe, Africa, North Korea, Mongolia, and the Indian Subcontinent, while Region 6 has China. An additional Region 7 for reserved category and Region 8 for special International venues like airplanes and cruise ships were also designated.

Catering to the Traveler

However, these region-coded DVDs can be very restraining in today’s time with the world becoming a global village. People travel extensively around the world and like to have access to entertainment without any restrictions. To counter this problem, the regionfree and codefree DVD players were designed. These DVD players are able to play a disc manufactured in any region and having any region code, anywhere in the world. To create such a provision in the DVD player certain modifications are carried out in its reading mechanism. There are certain global converters available in the market that can convert the coded DVD player to a region free DVD player.

Modifying DVD Players

Certain DVD players can be physically modified with a chipset technology to play discs regardless of their regional codes. This procedure, however, voids the warranty provided by the manufacturer, but is not illegal in most countries. Some players have a provision for modification using special command sequences to a code free mode by using a remote control. Several retailers sell DVD players that are already modified for multiple regions, or in some cases, they provide instructions on how to install the region change features that are already built into the player.

NTSC, SECAM and PAL

Most countries have television standards that are incompatible with those of other countries. These TV standards can be broadly classified into three categories, NTSC, PAL and SECAM.

The initial TV (color) broadcast system, released in 1953 in the U.S., was based on the standard called NTSC (National Television System Committee). NTSC runs with 525 lines/frame and 30 frames per second. NTSC is the TV format used in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, United States, and other countries

In the 1960s, the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) standard was presented in many European countries, most of Africa, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, North Korea and other countries - with the exception of France. The PAL standard uses a more expanded channel bandwidth than NTSC, providing more picture quality. PAL uses 625 lines/frame and 25 frames per second.

The SECAM, also known as Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire or Sequential Color with Memory, standard came to France in the 1960s. SECAM also has identical bandwidth to PAL, but it transmits the color information sequentially.

Decoding NTSC and PAL with the Flip of a Switch

NTSC and PAL standards are incompatible with one another. With a multi-system TV, one can view both the NTSC and PAL formatted DVDs. A regionfree DVD Player with a built-in PAL to NTSC and NTSC to PAL converter enables a viewer to watch different system DVDs. A codefree DVD player is able to decode NTSC and PAL with a simple flip of a switch, enabling the user to watch imported DVDs on the same DVD player. External converter boxes are also available, such as the Emerson EVC1595. Several high-quality converters are available from companies such as Tenlab, Snell, and Wilcox.

There is a range of additional features available in a code free DVD player, such as the multi-format playback, which allows the user to playback formats other than DVDs. Most multi-format DVD players are compatible with CDs, MP3s, DVD audio, DVD-R/DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW, and WMA. However, it is always advisable to read the specifications before buying, because not all players are compatible with the same formats.

Parental Control and Other Great Features

Another useful feature is the parental control, which give parents the control in choosing movies based on the movie ratings allowed for playback. Another extra includes a zoom function that magnifies an image on the screen. The shuttle or jog function allows frame-by-frame scanning, and dual laser for better playback of audio discs.

Codefree DVD players are available online at affordable prices. The great features and the codefree benefits make it a worthwhile investment.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player’s own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That’s every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945

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United Kingdom DVD Region

In UK, the DVDs and DVD players that are manufactured and sold are coded for Region 2, since UK falls in the Region 2 code. These local DVD players are able to play only the DVDs that have the region code 2 marked on them. However, regionfree or code free DVD players will be capable of playing back a DVD from anywhere in the world. It is perfectly legitimate to own and use a region free DVD player in the UK; however it should not be misused for illegal activities.

United Kingdom’s Video and TV Format

The video and television format used widely in UK is PAL standard, however, in certain products, NTSC standard is also available. The Pal and NTSC standards are incompatible and are limited to playing only the same format discs. This problem is overcome by using a regionfree DVD player in the UK that has the provision for switching between PAL and NTSC, as per the disc requirement.

Electricity Facts for the UK

The electricity supply in UK is 220-240 volts and all the local appliances are designed to run at this voltage. However, an American make of DVD player would normally not be able to operate in this voltage, since it is designed for 110 volts. To overcome the differences in voltage supplies for different parts of the world, some of the regionfree DVD players have the dual voltage feature, which enables the customer to use his DVD player anywhere in the world.

A Variety of Features for UK Codefree DVD Players

Most of the regionfree DVD players in the UK come with some great standard features, some of which include language choice, which makes it possible to select video scenes, menus, audio tracks and subtitle tracks automatically. Special effects for playback can be used for the functions called freeze, slow, step, scan and fast. The parental lock facility can enable parents to restrict the access of their children to play back certain discs. Programmability, random and repeat play, and digital audio output are other great features. They can also recognize DTS Digital Surround audio tracks.

Also available are the wall mountable DVD players that can be good space savers around the house, and the portable DVD players that can be taken along in a car.

Advanced Features of Code Free DVD Players

Some of the more expensive code free DVD players in the UK have certain enhanced features, such as playback for video CDs and super video CDs, MP3 CDs, MP3 DVDs, laser discs, CDVs, and picture and photo CDs. They can also play back video files in unique formats like MPEG-4 and DivX. These DVD players can give a better picture quality through the component video output and progressive scan component output (YUV or RGB).

They also have multi lingual on-screen display feature, reverse single-frame stepping and reverse play at normal speed. They can provide a perfect digital picture quality using SDI, DVI, or HDMI digital video outputs. They have a 6-channel analog output using MLP, Dolby digital or DTS. The advanced models also have a Digital Zoom feature that gives a 2

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Spain’s DVD Region

Spain belongs to Region 2 and its DVD players are coded for Region 2 only. Hence, these players are able to play only Region 2 coded DVDs. They are unable to play DVDs that are coded for Regions 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6. To overcome this limitation, the regionfree or codefree DVD players are used. A regionfree DVD player is one that is able to play DVDs from any part of the world, belonging to any of the Regions, 1 to 6. The players are designed in such a manner that they are able to switch to the relevant code for the DVD being played. Certain other DVD players are provided with a chip set that enables them to read DVDs from other regions.

PAL and NTSC Standards in Spain

In Spain, there are two types of DVD players available, the Region 2 type players, which can only play code 2 DVDs, and the regionfree or codefree DVD players, which can play any type of DVD. The Region 2 DVDs are PAL formatted and need televisions of standard PAL format to be able to be played. The DVD players are also manufactured having the PAL video format. The Region 2 DVDs are also provided with PAL to NTSC and NTSC to PAL convertibility and are able to play any type of DVD, PAL, or NTSC video format.

These PAL formatted Region 2 coded DVDs and the PAL-NTSC region coded players are readily available in all the local electrical stores and supermarkets. They are priced at around the $80 to $330 range, depending on the brand and the features provided. The major brands available in the Spain market are Panasonic, Samsung, Denon, Hitachi, Sony, Philips, and many others.

The regionfree DVD players are also available plentiful through the Internet, and are priced higher than the region coded types. These multi-region DVD players are equipped with PAL - NTSC convertibility and are able to play DVDs from any part of the world. They are priced higher and can be purchased in the price range of $200 to $770, depending on the features.

Electrical Supply Obstacles in Spain

The electrical supply in most of Spain is 220 to 225 volts AC and 50 Hz frequency. The Region 2 DVD players and the regionfree DVD players that are locally produced are designed to be 220 volts compatible. The regionfree DVD players would need a step down rig or adaptor to enable the DVD player to function. A few recent DVD players are fitted with a dual voltage adaptation function and are provisioned to adjust according to the inlet voltage for playing a CD.

A Wealth of Features

The DVD players are available with a range of features to woo the customers and provide them with a total entertainment experience. They are available in the portable and wall mounted forms as well, at a slightly higher price. The newer combo DVD players are equipped to be able to play a wide range of devices, including CDs, MP3s, DVD-A, DVD-R, DVD-RW, WMA, and also the JPEG and MPEG 4 drive modes.

It is legally permitted to use and own region free DVD players in Spain, provided it is not put to illegitimate use.

To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a particular film has not reached the theaters yet, Hollywood film studios imposed an encoding technique. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player’s own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. So while a normal, non-codefree DVD player can only play DVD’s from one region, a codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions. PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. The Sharp DV-NC85 and most other combo CODEFREE DVD and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH PAL (there is no such thing as a SECAM DVD disc, all SECAM countries use PAL DVD) and all PAL.

In the USA you can buy region free DVD players, both that convert to PAL or NTSC or don’t convert and some that do all three, starting at $79.95 from a company called MIND LOGIC at http://www.mindlogic.com They ship worldwide and offer lifetime warranties on all their codefree dvd players. You can call them from inside the states toll free at 800-514-2984 or from overseas at 925-686-9945.

They have more thank 140,000 consumer electronics including multisystem pal TVs such as plasma, LCD, DLP etc. They also have free standing video standards converters from Tenlab and converting PAL-SECAM,NTSC, PAL-N, PAL-M VCRs and much more.

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