Malata and beyond: discussing Region-Free DVD player options [PART 6]
#1
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PROBLEMS PLAYING BURNED DISCS?
PROBLEMS PLAYING BURNED DISCS?
My Malata N996 has problems playing all burned discs. I've burned VCDs, SVCDS and CDs and all have skipping problems. SVCDs seem to be the worst of them. I've tried different media and tried burning at slower speeds but nothing seems to work. Every few minutes the screen will go all blocky, like a corrupted JPG file as someone else put it. It's gotten to the point where I'm considering buying a new player because it's such an annoyance. Really disrupts watching a movie.
So, anyone else have this problem? Is it a problem others have or is my player having issues?
My Malata N996 has problems playing all burned discs. I've burned VCDs, SVCDS and CDs and all have skipping problems. SVCDs seem to be the worst of them. I've tried different media and tried burning at slower speeds but nothing seems to work. Every few minutes the screen will go all blocky, like a corrupted JPG file as someone else put it. It's gotten to the point where I'm considering buying a new player because it's such an annoyance. Really disrupts watching a movie.
So, anyone else have this problem? Is it a problem others have or is my player having issues?
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Re: PROBLEMS PLAYING BURNED DISCS?
Originally posted by Nosebleed
PROBLEMS PLAYING BURNED DISCS?
My Malata N996 has problems playing all burned discs. I've burned VCDs, SVCDS and CDs and all have skipping problems. SVCDs seem to be the worst of them. I've tried different media and tried burning at slower speeds but nothing seems to work. Every few minutes the screen will go all blocky, like a corrupted JPG file as someone else put it. It's gotten to the point where I'm considering buying a new player because it's such an annoyance. Really disrupts watching a movie.
So, anyone else have this problem? Is it a problem others have or is my player having issues?
PROBLEMS PLAYING BURNED DISCS?
My Malata N996 has problems playing all burned discs. I've burned VCDs, SVCDS and CDs and all have skipping problems. SVCDs seem to be the worst of them. I've tried different media and tried burning at slower speeds but nothing seems to work. Every few minutes the screen will go all blocky, like a corrupted JPG file as someone else put it. It's gotten to the point where I'm considering buying a new player because it's such an annoyance. Really disrupts watching a movie.
So, anyone else have this problem? Is it a problem others have or is my player having issues?
#3
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If you are truly making these yourself, make sure you are not exceeding the maximum bitrate for the Malata. I forgot what it was though, but have made xVCD at the max
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Just wanted to let y'all know....
got "body of evidence" last night...
(don't laugh)
ANY of the scenes that have a red light to them (fireplace sex scenes) have the scrolling effect I was talking about. Are we SURE this isn't the chroma bug??? It ONLY happens on the reds.
got "body of evidence" last night...
(don't laugh)
ANY of the scenes that have a red light to them (fireplace sex scenes) have the scrolling effect I was talking about. Are we SURE this isn't the chroma bug??? It ONLY happens on the reds.
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paranoized: I have a few questions that hope fully you can answer for me. I have the Sony Wega 36xbr800 4x3 tv, I will hook up my dvd player through component inputs, this is not my main dvd player I also have a panny rp-91 for all of my region 1 dvd's. but my questions are:
1. I want to play movies with subtitles like Salo, and Battle Royale. Will I be able to view the subtitles on my tv.
2. WIll I suffering anying combing or shimmering thorugh component inputs.
3. I want the Malata 520vga so that x-y scaling is "stored" when I turn off the player, is there a cheaper place to buy it than from hkflix.com.
At this point I only want to buy Salo, Battle Royale tin and a few Aussie discs that are 16x9, so will this player work for me.
1. I want to play movies with subtitles like Salo, and Battle Royale. Will I be able to view the subtitles on my tv.
2. WIll I suffering anying combing or shimmering thorugh component inputs.
3. I want the Malata 520vga so that x-y scaling is "stored" when I turn off the player, is there a cheaper place to buy it than from hkflix.com.
At this point I only want to buy Salo, Battle Royale tin and a few Aussie discs that are 16x9, so will this player work for me.
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Originally posted by Corky Roxbury
paranoized: I have a few questions that hope fully you can answer for me. I have the Sony Wega 36xbr800 4x3 tv, I will hook up my dvd player through component inputs, this is not my main dvd player I also have a panny rp-91 for all of my region 1 dvd's. but my questions are:
1. I want to play movies with subtitles like Salo, and Battle Royale. Will I be able to view the subtitles on my tv.
2. WIll I suffering anying combing or shimmering thorugh component inputs.
3. I want the Malata 520vga so that x-y scaling is "stored" when I turn off the player, is there a cheaper place to buy it than from hkflix.com.
At this point I only want to buy Salo, Battle Royale tin and a few Aussie discs that are 16x9, so will this player work for me.
paranoized: I have a few questions that hope fully you can answer for me. I have the Sony Wega 36xbr800 4x3 tv, I will hook up my dvd player through component inputs, this is not my main dvd player I also have a panny rp-91 for all of my region 1 dvd's. but my questions are:
1. I want to play movies with subtitles like Salo, and Battle Royale. Will I be able to view the subtitles on my tv.
2. WIll I suffering anying combing or shimmering thorugh component inputs.
3. I want the Malata 520vga so that x-y scaling is "stored" when I turn off the player, is there a cheaper place to buy it than from hkflix.com.
At this point I only want to buy Salo, Battle Royale tin and a few Aussie discs that are 16x9, so will this player work for me.
However, when you use the XY scaling on a Malata the subtitles are also "scaled" with the image. It's no big deal unless you are zooming OUT a lot.
2. No; you won't have any problems as long as you're running component in and have the player in progressive scan mode. Enjoy.
3. Not that I know of.
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Paranoized, I read your FAQ. Lots of good information there. I do have one question though. If I go to Best Buy and pick up a JVC XV-S500BK, will it do PAL -> NTSC conversion? I have a set of Region 0, Pal discs I want to view, but I don't need a Region free player at this time. Will the JVC XV-S500BK do it for me?
Thanx for all your hard work!
Thanx for all your hard work!

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Originally posted by dvdbase
If I go to Best Buy and pick up a JVC XV-S500BK, will it do PAL -> NTSC conversion? I have a set of Region 0, Pal discs I want to view, but I don't need a Region free player at this time. Will the JVC XV-S500BK do it for me?
Thanx for all your hard work!
If I go to Best Buy and pick up a JVC XV-S500BK, will it do PAL -> NTSC conversion? I have a set of Region 0, Pal discs I want to view, but I don't need a Region free player at this time. Will the JVC XV-S500BK do it for me?
Thanx for all your hard work!

It has to be modded. They won't work out of the box (like Best Buy etc). I got mine for $243 shipped from http://www.codefreedvdmart.com
Came really quick and their mod is seamless (Just pop in any region disc that is PAL or NTSC) and it plays without a hitch.
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Originally posted by dvdbase
Paranoized, I read your FAQ. Lots of good information there. I do have one question though. If I go to Best Buy and pick up a JVC XV-S500BK, will it do PAL -> NTSC conversion? I have a set of Region 0, Pal discs I want to view, but I don't need a Region free player at this time. Will the JVC XV-S500BK do it for me?
Thanx for all your hard work!
Paranoized, I read your FAQ. Lots of good information there. I do have one question though. If I go to Best Buy and pick up a JVC XV-S500BK, will it do PAL -> NTSC conversion? I have a set of Region 0, Pal discs I want to view, but I don't need a Region free player at this time. Will the JVC XV-S500BK do it for me?
Thanx for all your hard work!

Yes, the XV-S500BK does the PAL->NTSC conversion out of the box... it's even stated in the manual. The player only needs to be modified to circumvent region coding.
As long as your DVDs are truly PAL Region 0, they will play through. Enjoy.
Last edited by paranoized; 12-13-02 at 11:09 AM.
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Originally posted by paranoized
dvdbase -
Yes, the JVCs do the PAL->NTSC conversion out of the box. It's even stated in the manual. They only need to be modified to circumvent the region coding.
As long as your DVDs are truly PAL Region 0, they will play through. Enjoy.
dvdbase -
Yes, the JVCs do the PAL->NTSC conversion out of the box. It's even stated in the manual. They only need to be modified to circumvent the region coding.
As long as your DVDs are truly PAL Region 0, they will play through. Enjoy.
Thanx again for the help!
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Yet Another Which Player Do I Buy Post
So it's impossible to ignore all the posts that say "go with Malata" but let me ask this question for my own peace of mind.
I already have a collection of Region 1 DVDs, but my job has forced me to relocate and it'll be cheaper to start buying DVD's out of Australia. I also want to order from the HKL collection. There seem to be a lot of little "inconveniences" with any of the region free players and I'm a little worried about getting in over my head. I'll probably buy the Malata 520, but nobody has mentioned anything about the Jaton players. How are they?
I just want to make the best decision.
Thanks
I already have a collection of Region 1 DVDs, but my job has forced me to relocate and it'll be cheaper to start buying DVD's out of Australia. I also want to order from the HKL collection. There seem to be a lot of little "inconveniences" with any of the region free players and I'm a little worried about getting in over my head. I'll probably buy the Malata 520, but nobody has mentioned anything about the Jaton players. How are they?
I just want to make the best decision.
Thanks
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I found these four region free DVD players (among many others) at codefreedvdmart.com
Daewoo Code Free DVD DVG 3000N in built converter ($114.99)
Panasonic RV31EN Code Free DVD Player ($249.99)
Philips 724 Code Free Progressive Scan DVD Player With PAL/NTSC Converter ($189.99)
JVC XV-S500 DVD Multi Region Built-in Converter ($219.00)
From what the descriptions state, it sounds like the Daewoo offers the best for the money... but I'm not sure; All I need is a player I can plug in and with which I can watch my Region 2 Dvds...
Any recommendation? I don't know what the difference between these two is...
Any help greatly appreciated!
Daewoo Code Free DVD DVG 3000N in built converter ($114.99)
Panasonic RV31EN Code Free DVD Player ($249.99)
Philips 724 Code Free Progressive Scan DVD Player With PAL/NTSC Converter ($189.99)
JVC XV-S500 DVD Multi Region Built-in Converter ($219.00)
From what the descriptions state, it sounds like the Daewoo offers the best for the money... but I'm not sure; All I need is a player I can plug in and with which I can watch my Region 2 Dvds...
Any recommendation? I don't know what the difference between these two is...
Any help greatly appreciated!
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Not sure if this would help but... the new Philips player - 963SA is quite a hot commodity. Not that that is any indication the 724 is good, bad or indifferent - just might be worth looking into.
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Originally posted by Leila
I found these four region free DVD players (among many others) at codefreedvdmart.com
Daewoo Code Free DVD DVG 3000N in built converter ($114.99)
Panasonic RV31EN Code Free DVD Player ($249.99)
Philips 724 Code Free Progressive Scan DVD Player With PAL/NTSC Converter ($189.99)
JVC XV-S500 DVD Multi Region Built-in Converter ($219.00)
From what the descriptions state, it sounds like the Daewoo offers the best for the money... but I'm not sure; All I need is a player I can plug in and with which I can watch my Region 2 Dvds...
Any recommendation? I don't know what the difference between these two is...
Any help greatly appreciated!
I found these four region free DVD players (among many others) at codefreedvdmart.com
Daewoo Code Free DVD DVG 3000N in built converter ($114.99)
Panasonic RV31EN Code Free DVD Player ($249.99)
Philips 724 Code Free Progressive Scan DVD Player With PAL/NTSC Converter ($189.99)
JVC XV-S500 DVD Multi Region Built-in Converter ($219.00)
From what the descriptions state, it sounds like the Daewoo offers the best for the money... but I'm not sure; All I need is a player I can plug in and with which I can watch my Region 2 Dvds...
Any recommendation? I don't know what the difference between these two is...
Any help greatly appreciated!

1. Avoid Daewoo... UNLESS you really feel the need for more pain and frustration in your life and you really love returning items to the store.

2. Do you really want to give your money to a business that's shady at best? There are more reputable places out there.
3. If you have an HDTV or HDTV-ready TV, get one of the JVCs or Malatas immediately. Model numbers can be found by going to the link in my signature.
4. Read #1 again.
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Originally posted by stingo
Not sure if this would help but... the new Philips player - 963SA is quite a hot commodity. Not that that is any indication the 724 is good, bad or indifferent - just might be worth looking into.
Not sure if this would help but... the new Philips player - 963SA is quite a hot commodity. Not that that is any indication the 724 is good, bad or indifferent - just might be worth looking into.
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Re: Yet Another Which Player Do I Buy Post
Originally posted by kyuzo13
I'll probably buy the Malata 520, but nobody has mentioned anything about the Jaton players. How are they?
I'll probably buy the Malata 520, but nobody has mentioned anything about the Jaton players. How are they?
Pass on the Jaton.
The construction is about as impressive as an 8th grade electronics project built inside a shoebox. In fact if you could find one in a store, you'd probably be too embarrassed to even be seen touching it.

Stick with a JVC or Malata.
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Hey all,
Just got the U2 video collection for christmas and i noticed that it only has a PCM audio track. Does this mean my annoyance with my Malata 520 is not going to play it? This will (most likely) push me over the edge into selling the machine. They're more trouble than they're worth.
Just got the U2 video collection for christmas and i noticed that it only has a PCM audio track. Does this mean my annoyance with my Malata 520 is not going to play it? This will (most likely) push me over the edge into selling the machine. They're more trouble than they're worth.
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Hey paranoized! Did you say that codefreedvdmart.com is not a good place to buy from?
Do you have a recommendation?
Before I came here and saw your advice, I had already ordered a Daewoo 5800 from another on-line retailer. When it arrived, it didn't play my region 2 dvd's. But I found the info on your site on how to fix that. I thought everything was fine then, but I have a six-disk set - brand new, and it'll play 2 out of the 6 disks - the others freeze and won't play.
I just want to be able to watch my region 2 dvd's. I don't have hdtv.
If I want to plug & play - you recommend Malata over JVC, right?
Any more advice you have would be appreciated.
Do you have a recommendation?
Before I came here and saw your advice, I had already ordered a Daewoo 5800 from another on-line retailer. When it arrived, it didn't play my region 2 dvd's. But I found the info on your site on how to fix that. I thought everything was fine then, but I have a six-disk set - brand new, and it'll play 2 out of the 6 disks - the others freeze and won't play.
I just want to be able to watch my region 2 dvd's. I don't have hdtv.
If I want to plug & play - you recommend Malata over JVC, right?
Any more advice you have would be appreciated.
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Originally posted by Leila
Thanks paranoized! Which specific players (model numbers) would you recommend? Can I plug any of these in and let them roll?
Merci!
Thanks paranoized! Which specific players (model numbers) would you recommend? Can I plug any of these in and let them roll?
Merci!
model numbers
They are not all plug & play
So if you want a JVC or Toshiba, you need to buy from a dealer that does the internal region code modification.
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Originally posted by digitalfreaknyc
Hey all,
Just got the U2 video collection for christmas and i noticed that it only has a PCM audio track. Does this mean my annoyance with my Malata 520 is not going to play it?
Hey all,
Just got the U2 video collection for christmas and i noticed that it only has a PCM audio track. Does this mean my annoyance with my Malata 520 is not going to play it?