Tomboymama

I am not looking for anything fancy, but have a few DVDs that I prefer from other regions, mostly Region 4, that I want to be able to play. I don't have or need anything fancy. I just have a regular older TV and likely won't be upgrading too soon. I have no idea what the upconverting feature is that I have read about when searching for information on this. Is that something I need? Are there any that are region free out of the box, or are the hacks the usual method? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.

Mikael79

If you're just looking for a cheap region-free player - I would suggest something from Philips. You can find them online or at most Wal-Marts, Targets, etc. for under $40, and the code hacks are easily found online. Just find a model that suits your needs, make sure the code exists (and that new firmware versions don't block it) and make the purchae.

Preterite

For finding DVD player hacks, Video Help is your friend. And before you buy a new player, look up your current player on its search page - you might already own a hackable model.

Tomboymama

Thank you both. I was not able to find a hack code for the DVD player I have but found one for the cheapest Philip's player at Wal-Mart. I wanted to get another DVD player anyhow for a different room. The site with the codes worked like a charm. I appreciate your help!

cgray

Similar situation as OP... I threw a t.v. downstairs in the unfinished basement to have on during ping pong, etc.

I'd like suggestions on the cheapest region free possible. I purchased a philips dvp642 (and love it, and use it upstairs) for about $30, but now I can't find it anywhere for much less than $50 (even refurbed).

I also have a Philips dvp3040 which I purchased for about the same price, but again, can only find it for around $50-55.

(Everything mentioned above is being used elsewhere; already have a PS3 for blu ray, etc. -- this isn't my main set-up. Just a cheapo for the old CRT in the basement.)

Any suggestions are most welcome.

X

Take a look at the Philips DVP5992. $40 at Costco.

Region Free:
Press Setup
Select the Preference Tab
Press 1,3,8,9,3,1
Press up/down key to select "0"
Press menu to exit.

Check the current firmware:
Press SETUP
Navigate to [General Options] menu
Press 1 3 7 9

cgray

Thanks for the recommend!

cgray

Went to my Costco and the DVP 5992 was $50. I passed, so any other tips/suggestion or places to look are still appreciated. Thanks!

Spiky

How much gas are you going to use to save $10?

cgray

Not sure if you are serious. Zero. I was there anyway. Also, it's already $10 more than my two previous DVD players (so now $20 more ), but I appreciate your insightful post.

jonnyquest

The Philips 5990/5992 (identical except color black/silver) are very nice players. $50 is a bargain and $40 an absolute steal. I pricewatched it since last fall and NEVER saw below $55. (But I'm not costco/sams/bj member) If you're aiming for $40, go for a lesser model.

The 5990/5992 has unique features such as USB port and the ability to play avi/wmv/jpg/mp3 files directly from a flash drive or external usb harddrive. Also it can rip CDs to create MP3 files and write the MP3s to a USB storage device. So it is not a basic plain DVD player. So you should not expect to find it at a superlow price. There are other Philips DVD players which are more basic without such extra features, which will cost less.

cgray

Links? I'm happy with a lesser DVD player, but --as stated in my post above -- am having trouble finding any of the traditional cheapies (DVP642) for much less than $50.

jonnyquest

You can do the research easily enough. Just shop the various retailers for DVD player in your price/features range, then check videohelp.com (per preterite post above) for region hack existence. Quick check at walmart.com has Philips DVP3962 for $39. Maybe you can find something at Circuit City's liquidation sale.

NoirFan

This is why I love the 5982 - being able to watch video files on my television without the hassle of converting them to DVD. In the long run, it's certainly worth the extra ten bucks or so.

jonnyquest

Agreed. But for someone who only needs to play rented/purchased DVDs, the extra cost is money wasted.

X

I think the difference is that the 5992 has USB 2.0 and the 5990 has USB 1.1.

They certainly are cheaply built and mechanically very noisy. But the picture is pretty good. I'm very happy with its upconverted 1080p via HDMI.

jonnyquest

My 5990 has USB 2.0 and is black. I learned the black/silver thing at AVS forum. Is your 5992 silver ?

X

No, my 5992 is black. I may have the USB versions confused with the 5982 though. I'm not an expert on these.

I just returned a 5992 today because it was funky. I had to unplug it every couple of days to get it to operate correctly -- it would freeze when it resumed play or when I tried to change chapters every couple of days. I got this second one to try to replace my original one (which I kept) because I thought the extremely loud seeking noise must have been indicative of a problem. Turns out the second one was just about as noisy, but it had that need to completely power-off problem.

Both were extremely RF noisy at the lower end of the AM spectrum. I can hardly listen to the radio at lower AM frequencies anywhere around the player when it's plugged in. But I like it enough that I can live with that.

Spiky

Wow, that's a great vote of confidence. One a lemon, and both basically illegally bleeding radiation. And people here wonder why I always say Philips sucks.

Anyway, if you want super cheap, try Walmart. They have players, plural, for $30 regular price. I'm sure some of them could be hacked easily.

X

I have 3 Philips players, and of the 10 or so under $100 standalone players I've had the Philips ones are the ones I've ended up using most of the time.

I got the 5992 to see how it would do replacing the 642 (that has absolutely no problems) I used in the bedroom and I was happy with it. I recently got a 1080p set and I wanted to see how an upconverting player would work with it. The slightly improved picture for $40 works for me. I also like how it automatically resumes playing where it was when you shut it off the last time.

I haven't had a chance to try its USB or MP3-creation features but those potentially are really nice features I may end up using.

cine

In looking for on-line retailers who carry 5990 I notice there are quite a few of them who sell only refurbished 5990. I am wondering if this is any reflection of the player's quality control, or just Philips' way of having discount sale channel.

X

The 5992 is back down to $40 at Costco.

DVD Guy ATL

I had a similar issue but it seemed to stop after I updated the firmware.

My experience has been generally quite good... my only quibble is that it forces black pillars in 4:3 mode rather than allowing a lighter color. Well worth the $40 though.

X

My older one seems fine, but I wouldn't mind checking out the newer firmware.

Do you have a link?

DVD Guy ATL

I think this is it:
http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/d...=Link_Software