Re: Are there high quality DVDs or Videos of Layouts?

Jane Sullivan wrote:
In message <jO3qf.2511$%N1.331025@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Wolf Kirchmeir <wolfekir@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
[...]

Thanks, googled, found out my machine can't be reprogrammed this way,


Can you change the region your machine is set to? Is so, what happens if you change it to 99?

but found a nice long lists of a) machines that can be reprogrammed; and b) all-region machines 
for sale.

As I understand it, a machine that can be set for "all regions" can be set for any region. There are also machines that ignore the region code, and will play any DVD from anywhere.

You can also get software that will ignore or bypass the region and anti-copy codes so that you can play the DVDs on your computer (and make copies of them, too; you can even change encoding format if you like.) Prices are reasonable: the machines cost from around $80US on up, and the software costs from $10 per download on up, depending on what all it can do. Anyhow, I will revisit and restudy several sites, and buy both a new machine and some software in the next few days.

The following is not strictly on topic, but may be of interest.

There are six regions. The aim was and is to prevent people in high-income areas (N. America, Europe) from buying and playing DVDs sold in low-income areas (Asia, Africa.) The entertainment companies price their product as high they think they can get away with. But they have IMO both miscalculated people's willingness to pay, and the value of their product. There is simply too much entertainment product out there. The market is oversaturated. Hence:

a) the proliferation of copying and code-breaking software, which is legal in many jurisdictions, and can be easily downloaded;

b) the developing buyer resistance: for the fourth or fifth year in a row, sales of music are down in Canada and the USA, but this past year there's an interesting twist: the sales of individual tracks via the 'net has not compensated for the drop in sales of CDs: the _overall_ sale of music is down. And no wonder: IMO 99 cents is way too much to pay for a single track of music. Most music isn't worth a nickel IMO. (And I like all kinds of music, I have no favourite style or genre.)

c) a steady drop in DVD prices (20-50% in the last year here), another sign of buyer resistance. Eg, a two-disc set of Les Triplettes de Belleville was priced at $34.95 last year, I go it for $21.95 less 20% the other day. I think that's still on the high side, but I wanted the movie for a Christmas gift. There are also more bare-bones DVDs available: many people have had enough of paying exorbitant prices for "extras" like interviews with stars and directors, etc, which you only watch once, if that.

BTW, I notice that many railroad themed DVDs are priced in the $30-40 range. Way, way too high. I'll keep looking at the VHS tapes for a while longer.

HTH
.

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