InterestedNovice(Harmless) posted this on Sunday, 7th January 2001, 02:01
Hi there... I`m about to buy a DVD player, and I need some advice. I already have a dolby surround setup, but my amp does not decode 5.1 or DTS. This is the main reason I want on-board decoding on whatever DVD player I get. I anticipate that I will only really want to play region 1 DVDs, so an American model might be a possibility. My parents are visiting America very soon and could bring a player back. I realise there are some compatability problems with this. What I want to know is whether or not I can get a decent player from a reputable company like Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, Toshiba etc that decodes DTS and is multi-region in the UK for 200 pounds? Alternatively, I am aware that DVD player prices in the US are substantially less than their UK counterparts - less than half price in most cases - so I want to know if my old Sony TV which only has coaxial and scart inputs will play DVDs at all, either from America or the UK. I am a bit shaky on the whole PAL and NTSC issues... If anyone could make a suggestion I would appreciate it. Many thanks...
RE: Can anyone help...?
Mick Golby(Competent) posted this on Sunday, 7th January 2001, 22:46
"What I want to know is whether or not I can get a decent player from a reputable company like Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, Toshiba etc that decodes DTS and is multi-region in the UK for 200 pounds?"
The answer is no, and especially not if you want a decoder built in. You`d need to go up at least another £100 and get one ready-modified or have it modified afterwards.
As to buying a Region 1 player, there are a number of problems. 1. You`d need a step-down transformer as the US power supply is 110 Volts, not 230-250 as it is here. 2. It won`t have Scart sockets as they are a European connection. The Yanks use component video, so you`d have to get a lead made-up. 3. If your Sony TV is old, then the chances are it is PAL only, so you`d need a DVD player that internally converts NTSC to PAL60. There are a number that do, but not American ones. So, if you buy your US player, you`d probably have to buy a new TV. Most of the ones sold today will work with PAL or NTSC signals.
