GatorDeb

I'm iffy in buying BDs from Amazon UK because some will play on the PS3, some won't. What's a good BD player that will play anything out of the box? Or with some modification? Are there ANY that will play anything out of the box without modifications?

I never thought I'd be modding a BD player

Spiky

Nothing will play all 3 BD regions without modifications, I think. However, you can buy a player already modded, so no difference to you. Also, when you need to play a different region BD, you must manually switch the player to that region, however that player does it. It is not like DVD, where an all-region player can simply play any DVD.

220-electronics has an LG for $130. Read carefully when you shop, some are region free for DVD, but not BD.

Dan

You might want to check out this thread as well. People have had amazing luck with a few of the Panasonic players, specifically the DMP-BD60.

I went "high-end" with an Oppo BDP-103 and a mod chip. Total cost being about $650 USD, so it's not for everyone, but I have no regrets.

GatorDeb

Thanks! So it can be as low as $130? Not as bad as I thought.

dhmac

Make sure a Blu-ray player can handle 50Hz BDs because even region-free (region 0) Blu-ray Discs may not play on a U.S. player because of the 60Hz (U.S.) vs. 50Hz (UK) difference.

(For example, I have David Attenborough's "Life on Earth" and "Trials of Life" in the region-free HD versions released on Blu-ray last year. But they will not play at all on my Sony Blu-ray player because they are 50Hz encoded, yet they play perfectly on my Toshiba Blu-ray player which can handle 50Hz discs.)

PhantomStranger

A handful of cheaper region-free BD models have circulated over the years. Early Insignia BD players with specific firmware could play any region, not to mention the Seiki SR212S. For a higher-end option, many go with a physical mod to the Oppo machines.

It's practically a necessity these days if your interests trend toward horror and certain other genres.

Dan

The 50hz issue mentioned above is pretty rare. Most BDs are encoded at 1080p/24fps. It's usually video-based content that's 50hz (or 50fps). It's a bigger issue with standard-definition extras than it is for "feataure" films or TV.

andicus

I came across the issue with UK TV shows on region-free BD. Just my luck, I have a couple PS3s and another Sony BD player, so none of them can play these discs.

Paul_SD

What Bd player do you have now?

if you can solder (in some cases even that isn't necessary), you may be able to buy a region mod kit for what you have now. I bought my player, already with the mod, from JVB and turnaround time was exceptionally fast. Kits start at around $80 and go up from there

....nevermind. I see now you're using the PS3 for the player.

The Orei BDP-M2 was recommended to me. It's around $123 on Amazon right now.

Same here (though mine was $580 shipped from the dealer above). It's not only region free, it seems to be pretty sweet player in general.

Nick Danger

My BD player has a free mod that makes the DVDs all region. (The Blu costs money). But it doesn't let me play British disks, because the player won't translate PAL to something the television recognizes.