A friend purchased a DVD online and tried to play it on my one-year-old Panasonic DVD player. The unit wouldn’t play the disk because the media was not region-4. I conducted a quick search online and discovered it’s possible to configure the unit to be multi-region. I called Panasonic and they confirmed it can be configured by a Panasonic service agent. Panasonic provided the contact details for the nearest service centre. The service agent advised me to bring the unit to them, together with proof of purchase and the matching remote control. I did so and they configured the unit to be multi-region. It took around 10 minutes to do and they applied the change while I waited. This service was free of charge.
I haven’t verified the facts, but the agent advised it is illegal to import region-free players into Australia, but it is not illegal to subsequently configure the units to be region-free. He indicated it’s possible to make the standard DVD function region-free, but not Blu-Ray, which is locked down by Panasonic.
I gather they simply press a predefined sequence of buttons on the remote to enable region-free functionality. I see online that it’s possible to do this with some Samsung units, but I don’t know Samsung’s policy on providing this as a service to customers.
In any event, the offending DVD can now be successfully played. I tested other region 4 and Blu-Ray DVDs, and they still play, so (as expected) the configuration change has had no detrimental impact.
I found this Panasonic web page, for New Zealand customers, advising their DVD or Blu-Ray units can be multi-zoned free of charge, and certain models can be multi-zoned by customers.
I rarely use the DVD player and am no aficionado so am unsure if the ability to make players region-free is widely known. However, I hope this post proves of value to other consumers.
Big W sells multi region cheapies all the time Thompson?? and a few others come standard Region free. My wife has a compact portable one that has a 10" screen that is region free out of the box.
What’s a DVD?
Oh yeah a dead digital technology.
Not trying to be facetious but I cannot remember the last time i bothered to use a DVD we just use digital media files now and online streaming.
The DVD’s will go out in the shed next to the boxes of VHS tapes.
Just a shame that all DVD players now sold are not region free. With the decline of DVD sales it would make sense for the owners of the material to mass produce one DVD for the world rather than more expensively producing specific DVDs for each region (and potentially languages for each country in that region).
Maybe the lawyers overrule the bean counters in the film industry when it comes to sensible decisons.
I keep my VHS tapes (and a player) next to my collection of vinyl recordings and 1970’s era turntable in my sound room. No reason the DVDs (and player) won’t look good next to them.
@mudpuppy They certainly do . The retailer or the description on the packaging ( carton ) the Blu Ray comes in will usually tell you all the different formats of discs the Blu Ray plays . But yes they all play DVD’s .
My Panasonic DVD Player/Recorder is also connected to the internet so it automatically upgrades when/if an upgrade is issued… it is multi region so plays Dvd’s from anywhere - brilliant machine!
Its my understanding that any DVD player can be made multi regional by simply putting a code into it. The codes can be readily found, with instructions, on the internet. Try a search like ‘unlock region codes for (your DVD player model)’. There are many sites, be wary of any that tell you to download anything - it isn’t necessary. The region locking is at the behest of the media companies who want to be able to control sales (that is, enforce geoblocking & geopricing) to increase profits. There is nothing illegal about unlocking your player. I have a Yamaha S550, which was unlocked by;
Power on,
Open Tray,
Press 9,9,9,9,0.
Press enter,
Close tray.
Its that simple. Note that different brands & models have different codes & steps to achieve the unlocking, but they are not complicated.
Regional encoding facilitates geopricing, so that the dvd that you buy in Australia that is locked to this region will cost more that a consumer in the UK or the US will have to pay for a disc locked to their region. It is a facet of the exploitative nature of multinational corporations. When it became evident that they were unable to enforce the regional locking of DVD players, they ensured that Blue Ray players could not be unlocked. it is a disgrace that many retailers will still tell purchasers that they cannot advise them about the ‘unlockability’ of DVD players that they sell as the companies have pressured them to not reveal this information.
