orangetravelcat

I feel like an idiot asking this - it seems so unimportant in light of today's horrible bombings in London - but here goes: there are alot of shows on BBC that we would love to get DVD's of - but I am told that English DVD's won't work on our American DVD player. What if we were to buy a British DVD player? Would it be compatible with our American TV set?

bluestar

It's not a matter of TV compatibility. DVD discs and players are coded for specific translation/playback modes. You could buy a player for British DVDs (PAL format) but buying one rated as "no region", "zone free" or "region free" would ultimately allow playback of discs from most other countries (differing format code regions). Try a google search of the terms above.

jsmith

I don't know the answers to your questions but you might try this website for DVDs made for the US market:

http://www.bbcamericashop.com/Defaul...ick&ctl=81

Hope you find what you want.

rkkwan

What you need is a "all-region" "multi-system" DVD player with PAL/SECAM-to-NTSC conversion.

Those will play virtually any disc from anywhere in the world. Do a google search and you'll find plenty of online merchants that sell them. Many of them are no-name brands from China/Taiwan/Korea, but also some JVCs. They don't cost much more than a regular DVD player you can buy at Best Buy.

logos999

Most DVD Players are locked to one region (i.e. Europe or North America). Write down you model and brand name (Maybe even post it here) and "google" for this brand + model plus the key words "region free". You will in almost all cases find some infos on how to make U.K DVDs play on your US DVD player by pressing a certain sequence of commands on the remote. It will then be changed to permanently accept all DVDs you can buy on this planet.

logos999

>What you need is a "all-region" "multi-system" DVD player with PAL/SECAM-to-NTSC conversion.

If you buy a player in Europe, make sure it says NTSC 3.58 and NOT (only) NTSC 4.43
About half of the players sold in Europe convert to NTSC 4.43, which doesn`t play on all U.S TV sets. Of cause there is the 110-120 to 240 Volts issue too.

mnss

Yes, British DVD payers definitely work with US TV sets!

I once gave a friend of mine a US-DVD player when I visited her in Europe, and it worked with her British TV set all right, but it only played the three US DVDs I'd brought with me from the US!!

So yes, if you buy a British DVD player, it will definitely work with your American TV set, but it will only play British DVDs!

logos999

>it will definitely work
It depends on the player and the chipset used converting 25 frames/sec to 30 frames/sec. Only about half of the payers sold in the U.K. will definitively work (if unlocked)
Check first!

bluestar

Guess I should have said: "Try a google search for a DVD player made for use in North America that is rated "no region", "zone free", "all region", etc.".

example:

www.zonefreedvd.com

rkkwan

Buy the all-region, multi-system player from a US-based online merchant. No need to worry about voltage or NTSC output. They will definitely work with a regular US TV.

There is absolutely no reason to buy a DVD player from the UK.

jsmith

orangetravelcat, have you had the opportunity to check the BBCAmerica site that I gave earlier for the DVDs you want? They have an extensive selection.

Seems to me it would be nicer to have them in the US format so you could share them with friends. But maybe you'd rather not.

jody

Or if you don't want to buy..try NETFLIX..they have a huge collection of BBC and PBS shows available

walkinaround

>>>
There is absolutely no reason to buy a DVD player from the UK.
>>>>

sums it up perfectly.

lincasanova

for when you return to the USA:
funnily enough, in europe AND in the U.S. ( confirmed by a radio shack employee) the absolute cheapest DVD players seem to come unlocked and are multi regional without advertising so.

try a cheap one before you get involved with a special one.
we did this in spain, and are very happy! saved a bundle and can watch zone 1and zone 2 on ours with no problem.

Robespierre

Never, ever accept the word of a Radio Shack employee as definitive. Remember - three months ago they were selling <i>shoes</i>.

<b>Radio Shack - You've Got Questions, We've Got Blank Stares.</b>

lincasanova

i wouldn't ASK them if that is the case.. just so happens my daughter was commenting it to them about the cheap spanish one that reads both zones and he said some customers had told them the same thing , and he didn't know why it was.. it just was.

they certainly weren't selling shoes in cincinnati thirty years ago.. or whenever i first went to one..
where are you talking about??

whatever.. pretty funny. i had a good laugh on that one.

orangetravelcat

Thx, everyone, for your replies. I've gotten some good info and actually have a clue now about the different regions.

jsmith - I checked the BBC America website before I posted my question because they didn't offer the DVD's I wanted.