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Ask Engadget HD: Best region free Blu-ray player solution?


This week's conundrum has tripped up more than a few people, from the President on down. We all know, the easiest solution to the problem of living in one place and wanting to watch movies released in another is a multiregion or region free player, but which one is the best? Let's get the details from Felix:

"I have a potentially more unusual question for you regarding choice of mainstream Blu-ray players. I'm interested in options for including codefree functionality

A brief bit of background. I am an englishman living in Germany; there are a couple of video rental shops here specialising in US/UK films and TV series. Many of their discs are purchased directly in the UK and the US, hence a number of their DVDs are region code 1 and I dare say that as their numbers of BDs gradually increase the same will be true here. As my DVD player is codefree this hasn't been an issue so far.

I am now looking into upgrading to a Blu-ray player, but being able to play DVDs (with decent upscaling) from all regions is an absolute must. And being codefree on the Blu-ray front would be a very nice bonus too though not essential. I have found a number of offers for 'chipped' Blu-ray players, but it would be great if you could let me know about the possibilities for the "chipping" process and the quality and reliability of the results.

Anyone else dealing with similar problems and has experience to lend? We've covered a few different multiregion sources in the past, but if you've picked one of these players up, or unlocked your own, let us know in the comments how it worked out

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.