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Posted: 26 Dec 2007, 13:01
by romerojpg
Yup I got a HD DVD player from Movietyme, had a 28 day warrenty! scary. Good job it did not blow up. yet. Your not covered at all basically for imports.

Posted: 26 Dec 2007, 22:45
by bradavon
Don't they have international warranties? Or is it void if you use a voltage converter? Even then if they go wrong it's not going to be voltage related, it's more likely it will stop working instead of blowing up from too much voltage.

If not it is a pity but a Region A Player is a must. I'd not buy a USA HD-DVD Player though as that has no regional coding anyway so I'd want the warranty.
Can't see the majority of releases being region coded.
Neither can I but do you want to risk it? Besides many of American BDs are.
romerojpg wrote:Yup I got a HD DVD player from Movietyme, had a 28 day warrenty! scary. Good job it did not blow up. yet.
That would be a MovieTyme warranty. What about the manufacturers warranty?

Certainly not all but many are international warranties.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 04:07
by Ray_Rogers
Blu-ray:
Black Hawk Down US

HD-DVD: (All US so far.)
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Batman Begins
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Frighteners

Good thing HD-DVD is region-free. Gonna import lots of them.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 05:09
by bradavon
Despite Blu-ray having Regional Coding many are in fact Region Free too (even if the packaging says otherwise). You can see which are Region B (i.e - Won't work on American Players) here:

http://bluray.liesinc.net/#bruk

It's split into BDs which could be Region A and those which could be Region B. Lines in red are titles which are region locked, you will see most are Region Free. It doesn't list Region C BDs but those are from countries like India.

In terms of UK BDs you won't be able to import BDs from the UK company EIV (Entertainment in Video) most/all others are Region Free. Fox also use Regional Coding but obviously they also release BDs in America too anyway.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 06:13
by Ray_Rogers
I'm not gonna buy very many BD discs anyways cause my best friend has the PS3 and I'm using the HD-DVD add-on for the 360 at my house. It'd be more convenient for me to just buy more HD DVD's anyway.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 11:59
by Markgway
bradavon wrote:Don't they have international warranties?
No. Because they're not supposed to be sold internationally.
Or is it void if you use a voltage converter?
I believe I answered that question about two posts back...
Even then if they go wrong it's not going to be voltage related, it's more likely it will stop working instead of blowing up from too much voltage.
The reason for the fault is irrelevant. If it stops working you're up shit creek. How it would affect insurance (in case of an electrical fire) I've no idea...
If not it is a pity but a Region A Player is a must.
You take your chances.
That would be a MovieTyme warranty. What about the manufacturers warranty?
Movietyme presumably give that basic warranty because there's none from the manufacturer. Why should an American company guarantee an electricial product not designed to be sold outwith America?

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 14:01
by romerojpg
Yup you get no Warrenty with anything sold outside of the country it suposed to be sold in, they are not suposed to be sold overseas at all. Its the same with everything as far as I know, smallprint says for country it suposed to be sold in.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 14:24
by saltysam
blu-ray region coding sucks arse :evil:

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 17:05
by bradavon
Thanks guys.

I do know many MP3 Players and Digital Cameras have "international warranties" but obviously they're intended to be used abroad.

Good point about Home Contents insurance, many offer their own warranty. Not that you should rely on that in the slightest. The chances of a voltage converter causing a fire are low, you're just as likely to get a general electrical fault. Many people use HD Players with voltage converters and USA PS3's, not that those need voltage converters.

Region A BD is so crucial I'll just have to risk it. Region A coded BDs are a fact, a damaged Player isn't not. Thankfully in my experience most electrical items don't go wrong (except due to age obviously). Some do but most don't.

I wonder if you could send it to a friend in America to then get repaired. Obviously that's a major hassle though.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 17:07
by bradavon
Okay back on topic:

HD-DVD

The Graduate - Sadly it's barebones but it was a good price and is such an awesome film I don't really mind. There's no sign of a SE too.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 19:05
by gasteropod
I've got to take my Spider-Man trilogy back and get a replacement, because the second film appears to be faulty. My PS3 takes up to 2 minutes to recognise it! No such problem with any other BD I've used, which is 20+ probably.

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 20:22
by IronMonkey
Blu Ray:

- Spider-Man Trilogy.

HD DVD:

- The Bourne Trilogy (US versions).

Posted: 27 Dec 2007, 22:46
by bradavon
What are the Bourne HD-DVDs like IM?

Posted: 28 Dec 2007, 11:54
by IronMonkey
I don't know yet - I'm still waiting for parts to come for this HTPC I'm building. Once I've got it built, I think the first films I'll watch will be the Bourne Trilogy, so I'll let you know...

Oh, & don't get me started on the whole "Full HD" issue...

Posted: 30 Dec 2007, 22:31
by saltysam
For info i've put a # next to the discs in my collection that are region-coded. might be useful to someone.

Posted: 30 Dec 2007, 22:43
by Markgway
Reservoir Dogs usa #
Isn't that also available on HD-DVD?

Why bother coding it for Blu-Ray when it's non-exclusive?

Posted: 30 Dec 2007, 22:47
by saltysam
Markgway wrote:
Reservoir Dogs usa #
Isn't that also available on HD-DVD?

Why bother coding it for Blu-Ray when it's non-exclusive?
it's only available on HD-DVD in Holland. in the usa it's a blu-ray only release. though why they would want to region code a 15 year old catalogue title is beyond me.

Posted: 30 Dec 2007, 22:49
by Markgway
My mistake.

Posted: 30 Dec 2007, 23:07
by bradavon
It was also an Exclusive when it came out. Some companies are just paranoid :twisted:

Posted: 30 Dec 2007, 23:17
by gasteropod
gasteropod wrote:I've got to take my Spider-Man trilogy back and get a replacement, because the second film appears to be faulty. My PS3 takes up to 2 minutes to recognise it! No such problem with any other BD I've used, which is 20+ probably.
My replacement works fine :D

I've got The Simpsons Movie on Blu-ray as well now, and I am waiting for 2001: A Space Odyssey to arrive. I haven't seen that film yet :)

Posted: 31 Dec 2007, 00:00
by bradavon
OMG that's some way to see 2001 for the first time.

HD in 1920x1080p on a 47" display! - WOW. I'm dead jealous. I hear the Remastered HD Transfer is outstanding. The cinemtography is marvellous. You may need to see it a couple of times to fully appreciate it. I did. It gets very weird near the end.

Posted: 31 Dec 2007, 00:20
by gasteropod
Hey, you've been paying attention haha :D . Yeah, my new TV would be arriving today (New Year's Eve), but I'm working so they're going to bring it on Thursday instead. Ah well, not much longer to wait :)

Yeah, I've read great things about the film's transfer, should be good.

Posted: 31 Dec 2007, 00:54
by bradavon
How much did you pay for your HDMI cable? I have a cheap on now but will get a better one when I buy a HD Player, not much more though about £15. Anymore is overkill. I'll use my old one on my DVD Recorder.

I presume your Amp is just DD5.1/DTS capable? 2001 BD has Lossless PCM, or DD5.1 but in 640Kbps.

Posted: 31 Dec 2007, 01:37
by gasteropod
I paid about £20 for my HDMI lead, it's a Mad Catz one or something.

Yeah, I have a Sony amp which does just normal DD and DTS. I'm not tooo bothered about lossless sound, as far as getting a new sound system, but I'm sure I will sometime in the future.

Posted: 31 Dec 2007, 02:01
by bradavon
Me neither, but I am if I can keep my Amp. As it has Analogue inputs and so does the Samsung Combo I'll be able to get Lossless from most BDs (if they have PCM) and HD-DVD in the future.

The DD5.1 on 2001 will still sound roughly the same as half-rate DTS, so still ace!