I’m thinking of getting a multi-region DVD player (motivated by a desperate need to watch Angel DVD’s not available in the US, only in the UK).
I have an up-to-the moment digital TV.
Does my TV need to understand anything in order for this to work, or is the only issue the DVD player itself, and as long as the DVD player is multi-region, we’re ok? (Also, same question for multi-region VCR, in case we go that route)
Thanks!
stoid
I’m gonna keep bumping this til I get an answer. You don’t understand, I’m a woman possessed! I see my drug, it’s just out of reach… all I need is the answer to this question!
Looks like you’re out of luck:
Actually, I think you misunderstood my question.
I know that the player I’ve currently got wont’ do it, so we are considering investing in one that will. My concern is about my TV… I read on a page about NTSC/PAL VCRs that some needed a special television, and some would work with any TV. I need to know the scoop with the DVD sitch, but I can’t find the answer anywhere.
But I appreciate the time you took to try. 
Oh. Well in that case you should have no trouble, because it’s the player that counts. We don’t need a special TV here to see PAL or NTSC, it’s a broadcast signal, and the TV is just a viewer.
Maybe your TV would be ok and out of the equation if you had a multistandard player.
Many multistandard players convert those standards into a single standard output, and as long as your TV has THAT standard input, everything’s cool.
However, it’s conceivable that your player has multiple OUTPUTS for multiple standards, eg., a PAL and an NTSC output. This may be beneficial in that the player will work with numerous monitor types as well as media types, and allow you to play PAL thru a SECAM monitor.
But if the player simply routes PAL input only to the PAL output, and the same with other standards, then you still have a problem. It is not doing any conversions. It is actually several players in the same box sharing some common hardware, each player having its own output. If you’re limited to a player like this, you need a converter box between the player and moniter to establish a single output standard to the monitor.
So your player must not only READ the various formats, it must convert all of them into a single output (ideally you can select which output as well, though this flexibility will add to the cost, and you don’t need it if you are only using a single TV as a monitor).
The key to look for is the player’s OUTPUT functionality, rather than simply PLAYBACK capability.
Ah! Key information! Thanks!
Looking at the one I was considering, this information is not clear.
hmmm.
I recently purchased a DVD player made in China. It’s sold under a variety of brand names around the world. It totally ignores all region encodings, outputs a PAL DVD into NTSC and vice versa, has the Dolby and DTS encoders built in, component video, plays CD-Rs, MP3s, VCDs, CDs, and oh yeah, Macrovision is disabled as well. And it’s dirt cheap – under US$150! Gotta love those Chinese. I hope joining the WTO doesn’t put a stop to great innovations such as this.
hmmmm… at http://www.google.com/ I input (no quotes) “pal to ntsc dvd player”
got chock full of links which i won’t post just in case but you should have a lot of fun with them Stoid. Also, you can write the people who have them for sale first & give your tv model.