huzefa

I'm looking to buy this DVD player since it seems to be on sale at Bestbuy this week, but moreover I read at www.7thzone.com that this can be converted to a region free player. Is this true? Those of you out there with this DVD player, can you tell me if the region free thing actually works properly? It doesn't seem like a great player, but I already have a Toshiba, so this would be a second. Here is the link to the 7th zone article:

http://www.7thzone.com/cgi-bin/page....ge=apex_ad600a

Can someone tell me if this actually works?
Thanks.

H

BrianGT

That used to be the case, but as soon as APEX got news of this, they immediately pulled all of them off the shelves. The versions being sold now are most likely the new version which does not have the ability to acces the secret menu. You can find the old versions often on Ebay going for around $300-400.

Brian

pmf

I still have mine in-box after picking it up from CC back when news first broke about its multi-regional ability. Immediately after the purchase I did try it out on CD & RC1 DTS DVD with reasonable result also was able to access the 'loop hole' menu without problem. I am looking forward to trying out some RC3 DVD's coming from HK soon (CTHD incl.) and will let you know how that comes out.

PF

Edison

I also bought one when they were brought to my attention on the net. Mine is a 9/99 model which I use as a secondary player to my Pioneer 414. I have used it for region 3 dvd's, and just recently tried out a region 2 PAL dvd, and was pretty impressed by the PAL/NTSC conversion.


You might check out http://www.nerd-out.com/ they have an excellent forum section with all kinds of info on the Apex players.

huzefa

Okay, I guess Apex is out of the question for me since I'm not going to spend $300-$400 on a crappy player, especially on ebay. But does anyone know of any other regionfree DVD players out there. This is going to be a second DVD player. I already have a kickass Toshiba that plays every DVD thrown at it (only region1, of course). So what's a good bargain for a regionfree player. I've seen at some places, like www.dvdcity.com where they modify the actual DVD players you buy in electronics stores to be region free. Is this is a good option, or should I look overseas for a manufacturer-built region free player. Budget is around 200-500, depending on the quality. Thanks

edmeister

I had an APEX 600A and loved it because it could also play MP3's.. I gave it to my in-laws though because they wanted a karaoke system and we didn't need 2 DVD players.

I have a Samsung 709 that can be hacked to be region free and no macrovision. Look up details at www.709online.com and you can find an FAQ on it.. They are still readily available and can be had for quite cheap.

DavidK

Hello,

You might want to check out the Sampo DVE620. It generally runs for under $150. It has loophole menus, like the old version of the Apex, that allow you to switch regions and to toggle Macravision on and off. It can also convert PAL signals to NTSC for viewing R2 DVDs on US televisions. The quality is a little on the cheap side, so I wouldn't recommend it as a primary machine, but it works well as a backup and for viewing non-R1 discs. There's been discussion on this previously - do a search for sampo.

Brett

Can the Samsung 709 actually do the PAL->NTSC conversion? How is the picture quality, because the quality on the APEX is terrible.

edmeister

I've never tried anything outside of R1 on my Samsung 709. I only wanted to hook it up to my VCR because my TV doesn't have enough inputs.

The disable macrovision works like a charm though.

Look at the www.709online.com website to find out more details.. They have a very detailed FAQ and how to on the site.