HD DvD Players

[Scoobz]

Gang,

Can HD DVD Players be made region free like normal DVD players? You know back back forward enter enter = extra life?

I'm at work and all the audio video websites are websensed...

[Mr_Yogi]

HD-DVD players are not region coded for HD-DVD playback, but are region coded for standard DVD playback.

I do not know if there are hacks to make them multi-region for standard DVD's, though I suspect there are.

[Scoobz]

I need it to play dvd's in other regions, I have yet to buy a HD dvd... just wanted to check before I bought one - player that is

[FlossyThePig]

Scoobz said:

I have yet to buy a HD dvd... just wanted to check before I bought one - player that is

Are you sure you want an HD-DVD player rather than a Blu-Ray? There are rumours that even Toshiba will drop HD-DVD

[malman]

You might want to hold off on HD-DVD its seems to be struggling at the moment. I decisive blow from Blu-ray could see the end of it for good.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/30/npd_group_...

[JustinP1]

As others have said, the days of the HD-DVD are up.

One of the major film distributors recently without warning pulled a few HD-DVD releases.

Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I said as much 18 months ago when Sony announced Blu-ray would be in the PS3. Just that ensured that 18 months later there are 50 times or more as many Blu-ray players than HD-DVD.

I really wouldn't 'invest' in one now, even if it is at a knock-down price, that is unless you will be happy with just playing the releases that are out already...

[Plotloss]

Yes, sadly the final nail is in the process of being extracted from its bucket to be driven home in the format war coffin.

Aside from the commercial argument there have been a number of technical production elements to have gone in BDs favour.

I cant help thinking that the emergence of BD as the HD format of choice is going to be a bad thing for the consumer overall. I just done like one company owning the entire production chain. This is something that wasnt a consideration when Betamax lost (due to quite astonishing arrogance, mainly) but something which is very real now.

That said, this is just one war that BD has to fight, the next one will be piped delivery of media, it wont be for a while yet but that one is far more interesting.

[Mr_Yogi]

While I think it is obvious that Bluray will win, some of the prices HD-DVD players can be had for at the moment is very tempting when just considering them as good upscalling DVD players, then take the free HD-DVD's as a bonus

[Russ35]

According to engadget.com Toshiba have pulled the plug on HD-DVD.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/toshiba-pulling-the-plug-on-hd-dvd-already 

And from a Japanese news agency

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/dailynews1.html 

[Scoobz]

Mr_Yogi said:

While I think it is obvious that Bluray will win, some of the prices HD-DVD players can be had for at the moment is very tempting when just considering them as good upscalling DVD players, then take the free HD-DVD's as a bonus

that was kind of my reasoning... they are peanuts hin the states... HD DVD players for under $100 kind of peanuts... and I have shed loads of dvd's and my current player just died.

[JustinP1]

Mr_Yogi said:

While I think it is obvious that Bluray will win, some of the prices HD-DVD players can be had for at the moment is very tempting when just considering them as good upscalling DVD players, then take the free HD-DVD's as a bonus

Are they that much cheaper than a ps3 which is a bloody good blu-ray player as well as a superb dvd-player which easily outperforms by couple of years old £3000 disc player due to the excellent upsampling?