What is a Code Free or Region Free DVD player?
A Code free or Region Free DVD player is a DVD player that is capable of playing DVD discs from around the world. DVD discs are encoded into 6 different regions. These Region Free DVD players are sometimes modified to play PAL DVD discs on an NTSC television and vice versa.
There are two ways to modify a DVD player to convert it to Region/Code Free. One is to modify the firmware in the DVD player by inserting a special DVD disc that changes the way the DVD reads region codes. This is the least expensive method but also the least reliable method of modification. It can result in irregularities with the player. With this method of modification it is necessary most of the time to change menu settings with the remote control before, and after viewing the DVD. Codes for the DVD are changed manually this way. From our experience with these Code Free DVD players, the region free modification frequently "slips" back to normal operation over time causing the message "Does not recognize disc" or "Region not recognized" or "Operation Prohibited" on the DVD player when the player fails to recognize other Region DVD.
The alternate method of modifying a Region Free DVD Player is via hardware modification. This method tends to be much more reliable, but a little more expensive since the DVD player is actually "re-chipped" with a seperate chipset. This modification to the DVD player also takes more time. In the end, though we have found it to be worth a little extra money as these Region or Code Free DVD players work seamlessly with DVDs from all regions of the world. The operation is usually just plug and play since there is no need to change menu settings with the remote due to the internal hardware doing all the work. Over time, these DVD players tend to work very well esp. if the hardware chipset is of good quality. Our favorites have been the Region Free DVDs with World Clad or ICOS chipset modifications. These players often also perform PAL to NTSC conversion or the reverse.
