Friends there is a BBC TV series I would like to buy but it is only in the Region 2 format. Is there any way around this issue, are ther multi region DVD players? Are there other options to view them?
Rip them on a computer, assuming that you’re in a location where that’s legal. Not all locations are.
Yes, you can buy a DVD player. Google ‘region-free DVD player’.
What I’ve done is to purchase a conventional, Region 1 DVD player and then use a hack to make it region free. I recommend looking at this website for information on hacks for various DVD players. The one you already own may be hackable, and if not, there are a couple of Philips DVD players available for $50 or so that can be hacked.
You also have to deal with the format issue. A British DVD is probably encoded in PAL format, rather than NTSC. My Philips DVD player can handle PAL.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code#PAL_vs._NTSC.2FSECAM
You can search here for DVD players that support PAL:
In the US, it’s not technically legal to rip DVDs. And if you just have 1 DVD, a new player is probably not worth it.
If you don’t mind watching on your computer, or can hook it up to the TV, VLC should work for your needs.
It’s perfectly legal in the US, and everywhere else in the world, to rip DVDs. What is illegal in the US is circumventing copyright protection schemes (which runs afoul of the DMCA) and, in many cases, copyright infringement. The former is an issue only if the DVD is encrypted; most commercially released DVDs are, though. The latter is an issue if you don’t hold the copyright to the DVD, or if the copyright holder hasn’t authorized you to make copies. Again, most commercially released DVDs are under copyright licences which do not permit copying.
Try the cheapest no-name brand DVD player you can get. They often read all regions. I found this true in both the US and England. FWIW, I got mine at the grocery store.