First multi-region Blu-ray players appearing

We're not quite ready to believe these things function as advertised just yet, but it seems that multi-region Blu-ray players are beginning to pop up on a few overseas websites. We're seeing a region hacked Samsung BD-P1400 and Sony BDP-S300 / BDP-S500, each of which are reportedly modified to play nice with BD regions A / B as well as DVD regions 1 / 2. Aside from that, each player looks to be unchanged, but you better believe the convenience won't run you cheap. Over at Stegen Electronics, a multi-region BDP-S300 will demand €599 ($878), while the modded BDP-S500 rings up at €899 ($1,318), and until someone bites the bullet and confirms that these things actually do what they claim to, we'd recommend holding off.

[Via TheImportForums, thanks Frode A.]
Read - Stegen Electronics
Read - DVD Direct

[seoultrain @ Dec 31st 2007 1:36AM]

Most likely this is a firmware hack, so won't this (or equivalent) eventually be available for free?

[ComeGetVirus @ Dec 31st 2007 5:46AM]

Its a harhware hack which requires hot air solder reworking. There is a conversion kit for 90euro's if you have the skills and equipment to do it yourself.

[silverblackvoid @ Dec 31st 2007 1:48AM]

i support blu-ray but i think something is really wrong here. i mean the blu-ray consortium oughta know it by now that affordability plays a key role in market dominance. if they really want to win this format war, they should reiterate what Toshiba have done with theirs: make them more affordable to the people!

[DrXym @ Dec 31st 2007 5:57AM]

Toshiba has made their players more affordable by massively subsidizing them and selling them at a loss. That's one of the advantages of a monopoly - you can sell things below cost to entice people to stick with your format. Blu Ray doesn't have that luxury since it is a consortium. Sharp isn't going to subsidize its players for example. Perhaps Sony could, but I doubt they would so as to not undercut the other members of the consortium. Instead they used the PS3 to seed their market with blu ray being a value add of the format.

Anyway, 2008 will see a flood of Blu Ray players onto the market. I wouldn't worry about price since they'll be sub $200 by the end of the year.

[Jeebus @ Dec 31st 2007 4:02PM]

I'll be faster than that. By summer, we'll have several $199 BD players to choose from, and probably a couple of $149 ones by year end.
You can already get both Samsung and Sony for $270.

[NovaLand @ Dec 31st 2007 4:12AM]

I bet they just poped in a region-A and a region-B movie that wasn't locked and thought "wow... this player is region-free!"

[shawnmos @ Dec 31st 2007 4:49AM]

Or you could go with the much cheaper alternative, HD DVD, which is region free.

[James Ollier @ Dec 31st 2007 4:59AM]

Or you could go for the even cheaper option, Rapidshare, which is DRM free...

[ComeGetVirus @ Dec 31st 2007 5:51AM]

The region locked titles are from Fox, Disney and sometimes Sony.

None of these are available on HD-DVD, so this hack is the only way to access region locked titles... even for HD-DVD owners.

[Jeebus @ Dec 31st 2007 4:03PM]

You can, yes, if you're a cheap kind of person. But nobody likes a cheapskate.

[Ironhide @ Dec 31st 2007 1:22PM]

Fantastic Four and the second one available on HD DVD:
http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/fantastic-four-german-release-p-12469.html

Bridge to Terebithia on HD DVD:
http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/bridge-terabithia-italian-release-p-12722.html

Resident Evil on HD DVD(You can find the second on on there too if you look:
http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/resident-evil-german-release-p-12916.html

BluRay, the look and sound of... Hey why's that on HD DVD?

[Jeebus @ Dec 31st 2007 4:05PM]

That's awfully expensive compared to US prices ($20, or less).

[Neil Jacobs @ Jan 1st 2008 6:19PM]

I saw one of these advertised here in Switzerlnad by azone.ch When I asked them about it they said it had problems even with providing region free on SA DVD's plus with BD's.

I haven't looked into the technology too closely, but I heard htere is interaction between the disc and the player which might make this impossible to crack permamently as they can just update the software on future discs.

I've gone for the simple solution, a Region A & B PS3

[BanRegionCoding @ Jan 5th 2008 10:37AM]

@NovaLand

Oh... you're so clever... let me guess- you're American - right?

You guys are so smug, you don't know when you've got it so good. The mod you're making fun of is a hardware hack (http://www.stegen.com/product_info.php/products_id/1020) to get around the bullsh*t region coding lockout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_lockout) imposed by American movie studios to illegally inflate their profits.

This Sony player hacked to be able to play disks legally purchased costs in Europe EUR 899 (that's 1,324.95 worth of your funny money). At Amazon.com they're going for USD 544 (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S500-1080p-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B000VSWCRK).

And people wonder why Europeans complain.

[Simon @ Jan 10th 2008 3:50PM]

Hey Neil Jacobs, you said:
"I've gone for the simple solution, a Region A & B PS3"

Yep good solution, but I didn't think you could get a PS3 doing that? I understand a lot of Blu-ray movies aren't region-enforced at the moment, sure you're not mistaking that for a region A + B capable PS3?

[john @ Mar 26th 2008 5:39PM]

This company sells multiregion blu-ray players in the states, but they ship worldwide.

PLANET OMNI

FWIW