Region Free DVD Player Modifications

Why do DVD players have to be modified to play DVDs from other countries?

DVDs are produced by manufacturers to play DVDs from only one region of the world. There are 6 regions in total. For example, if you purchase your DVD player in North America it will come encoded to play region 1 discs. If you attempt to play a region 2 disc (Region 2 is Europe) in your region 1 DVD player you will get an error message and be unable to play the disc. There are also conflicting television standards in other countries which will not play on televisions manufactured for this region. For more information on this see PAL/SECAM and NTSC Conversion.

What is a DVD player region free Modification?

With a region free DVD player modification you will be able play DVDs from any region of the world if the DVD player is properly hardware modified. New DVDs enhanced with RCE (Region Code Enhancing) also make it necessary that the DVD player is hardware modified rather than the software modifications which change the DVD player coding to "all regions" or "region 0". The strongest modifications are hardware modifications in which the DVD player has one or two of its hardware "chips" replaced with alternative chipsets. These DVD players can play DVDs from anywhere in the world automatically with no menu adjustments necessary if the chipset is of good quality.

What is RCE (Region Code Enhancing)?

RCE is a software enhancement to the region coding which checks the players region code during the menu function in addition to startup. It is being added to all new region 1 DVDs and will cause an error if your region free DVD player is set to a region other than 1. For this reason, region free DVD players that are internally altered ("re-chipped") to play all regions of the world are a great choice when considering DVD players, especially if you want to play DVDs from other countries.

What kinds of region free dvd player modifications are available?

Region free DVD player modifications can vary greatly in quality. A poorly made or installed modification can affect your ability to play certain discs and can also have a detrimental effect on the picture quality. Most annoying is the probability of the modification not working when certain DVDs are played such as DVD -Rs from Europe or DVD-RWs from Japan. Modifying the sensitive electronics in a DVD player should be done in a clean, static free environment. As well, there are software modified region free DVD players as well as hardware modified DVD players. It's best to purchase a hardware modified region free DVD player. A good hardware modification (installing a new chip set into the DVD player) will enable lasting playback, seamless DVD operation, and no menu adjustments or code inputs to the DVD player. Most of all, this avoids annoying "slipping" problems in which the software modified DVD player slips back to only playing its original region code. Look for an updated hardware chipset modification such as the PMC-425Z or PMC-425U (Post manufacturer chipset) or World Clad modifications WC-10H or WC-12H as a couple of reliable choices. Hardware modified DVD players are more expensive but worth it.

Buy a new code free player or modify your existing DVD player?

There are companies out there that will modify your existing DVD player to be region free. We do not recommend this process as the firmware modifications can be unreliable and also cause permanent damage to your DVD player. Also, it is not recommended to send your DVD player in to a company to have it modified. With shipping both ways, the cost of modification, and the chance that the mod may be a software rather than hardware modification, it's typically just as cost effective to purchase a new separate region free DVD player.

Should I modify my DVD player myself?

Finding a relaible hardware modification can be difficult. It is a very involved process and demands precision skill with electronics, circuit boards, chips and a soldering iron. One mistake can render your DVD player an expensive paperweight. For engineers only.

This article has been written to answer some frequently asked questions about region free DVD modifications. A list our recommended resellers of hardware modified DVD players follows: