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Will region free DVDs play on anything?

post #1 of 15
6/1/05 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
Just bought the Monty Python Flying Circus boxed set on DVD on eBay. I paid only $30 from a highly ranked seller, so it really was an offer I couldn't refuse being new and all; however, the DVD claims to be region free. Is it possible that it might not play on my DVD player? My player is a 5 year old Sony that has never had any problems with any disk, but they all are region 1 (with the exception of Cosmos, I think). The seller guarantees the disk and will refund, but just wondering?
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post #2 of 15
6/1/05 at 8:48pm
Yes anything. Even toasters.

The only thing you have to watch for is NTSC (USA) vs. PAL (UK) discs, since it's a different video standard.
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post #3 of 15
6/1/05 at 8:57pm
You got a bootleg.
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post #4 of 15
6/1/05 at 9:12pm
As long as it's not a PAL disc (if it's from the UK, it most likely is), it should be ok. Some NTSC players will play PAL discs, but many won't. Also, even if it does play you may notice that the audio is slightly higher pitched than normal. That's because PAL discs generally play 4 % faster in NTSC players.

Here's a link with some interesting information about the merits of PAL vs. NTSC DVDs.

http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Article.../PALvsNTSC.asp
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post #5 of 15
6/1/05 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by devincf
You got a bootleg.
I've been burned a couple of times with bootlegs off of ebay, but generally I either get the real thing and usually I can tell ahead of time not to bid. Do you know a sure fire way to know ahead of time by codes or are you just generally more in the know on what isn't available without it being a bootleg?
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post #6 of 15
6/1/05 at 11:16pm
Most region free non-Asian DVDs on Ebay are boots. Most of the Asian ones probably are too, but I don't know enough about that.
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post #7 of 15
6/1/05 at 11:52pm
I mostly get Asian DVDs off of ebay and they've all been legit. Only times I got burned were on French DVDs and one New Zelend movie. I try to be careful about it, but I'm thinking I've been a bit naive about buying DVDs on ebay.
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post #8 of 15
6/1/05 at 11:53pm
Asian boots can be indistinguishable from legit ones, from what I understand.
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post #9 of 15
6/2/05 at 12:19am
Especially since a lot of Asian DVDs have cheap and shitty packaging (Mei Ah, I'm looking at you). I remember buying a copy of VERSUS from an online retailer, which looked great, only to find it was a boot.
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post #10 of 15
6/2/05 at 12:52am
I bought a picture perfect boot of the Thai special edition DVD version of ONg Bak last year off Ebay.

Frankly, I was damn impressed. It was everything I could ask for. Worst case scenario, just email the seller and ask he/she whats up. in my experience they are upfront about everything.
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post #11 of 15
6/2/05 at 7:36pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all of the input. I hope I did not buy a bootleg. If I figure out that I did, I am going to return it and report the seller. Bootlegging sucks. I also checked out my Cosmos DVD, and it is region free, so maybe it is not a bootleg and will play. Thanks again.
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post #12 of 15
6/3/05 at 11:32am
I'd start with websites like dvdcompare.net to find out what regions are available.
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post #13 of 15
6/3/05 at 1:03pm
Seeing as there's no boxset of the Monty Python TV show in the UK, you can rule out these discs being PAL. Only the US has a full boxset, and that retails for around $200 last time I checked.

Getting a legit new copy for only $30 would be too good to be true, I fear.
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post #14 of 15
6/7/05 at 11:12am
Thread Starter 
Got it. It was a bootleg and does not play. Lesson learned. I suppose you get what you pay for. Thanks again for all of the feedback.
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post #15 of 15
6/7/05 at 10:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sacrilicious Supersucker
I've been burned a couple of times with bootlegs off of ebay, but generally I either get the real thing and usually I can tell ahead of time not to bid. Do you know a sure fire way to know ahead of time by codes or are you just generally more in the know on what isn't available without it being a bootleg?
If it's a film or program that's not of Asian origin but is subtitled in Mandarin and Thai, you can be reasonably sure it's a bootleg. Also, keep an eye out for sellers offering stuff that you know for sure hasn't gotten an R1 release; chances are their "official" releases are boots too.
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