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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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 Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:53 pm Post subject: DVD player advice |
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| Can anyone help? I am finally getting around to buying a DVD player. I seem to recall the cheap ones from the large supermarkets are a waste of time. Does anyone have any recommendations for a basic non recording machine? |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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I can't really help you on the technical stuff but, if you have a reasonable VHS tape collection, I'd recommend buying the "Twin" VCR/DVD unit with DVD recording facility.
You can then obviously transfer your prized VHS tapes over to DVD for that time when your VCR eventually breaks down....
This is what I've done as I have many semi valuable tapes which I wouldn't want to replace with new DVDs even if they were available.
just a thought..... and, they're not too expensive now either, I think I noticed one for about £100 recently.
Mine is a Panasonic which was about £300 a year ago.. |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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On the other hand, my wife bought a £20 DVD player from Curry's for her Horse Truck and you really can't fault it! it works fine, great picture etc.
I believe today's cheap products are a pretty good quality anyway. |
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:16 pm Post subject: Re: DVD player advice |
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| iknewdavidjacobsmum wrote: | | I seem to recall the cheap ones from the large supermarkets are a waste of time. |
Not necessarily. We bought a cheap DVD player from Carrefour here in Spain for £35 Euros about 18 months ago and it plays everything - even dodgy DVDs that are made using dodgy software on your home computer - which is more that many high-value branded ones do.
We sold it on ebay back in the UK 6 months ago for £25! How about that!
Ella
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| Many thanks for your advice. Saved me quite a lot of time (and money) |
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Cherskiy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 3701
Location: near Amble, Northumberland
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, you'll find that even some the basic £20 jobs are actually multi-region so you can get imported discs from the States, etc., particularly useful if you're wanting to obtain material that hasn't been given a Region2 release.
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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| What's a region 2 release? Please tell |
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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| iknewdavidjacobsmum wrote: | | What's a region 2 release? Please tell |
Pretty much everywhere outside the USA, which is (surprise, surprise) Region 1.
Ella
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Barkingbiker
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 2313
Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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| iknewdavidjacobsmum wrote: | | What's a region 2 release? Please tell |
DVD's in different regions of the world have different regional restriction codes, known as region numbers, they are:- 1 - USA & Canada, 2 - Europe, Japan & South Africa, 3 - Indonesia, 4 - South America, Australia & New Zealand, 5 - Asia & Russia, 6 - China. Unles you have a multi - region player you can only play the region discs that your player is. On the DVD it will have the region number on it. Hope this helps.
BB 
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Cherskiy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 3701
Location: near Amble, Northumberland
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry, Iknew, I should have explained myself better.... 
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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(my £20 unit from Curry's (Matsui) is multi region..  ) |
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Barkingbiker
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 2313
Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| SantaFefan wrote: | | (my £20 unit from Curry's (Matsui) is multi region.. ) |
My Onkyo is multi region, cause when I bought it, about 6 or 7 years ago, I paid £80 to have it re-chipped to multi region, also SECAM, NTSC & PAL. Trouble is that it has software that will not allow it to play, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R etc.  So you get a real bargain now, my Pioneer plays everyfing as does my £25 job from Aldi!!!
BB
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Cherskiy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 3701
Location: near Amble, Northumberland
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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There's also a little program called DVD Shrink which lets you back-up (i.e. copy) DVDs and hack the Region encoding out of them, effectively making them multi-region. Saves on having to get your box chipped.
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks again to all. I will now be able to shop with confidence. |
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Peter de Meteor
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 50
Location: Bristol
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| Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:02 pm Post subject: "I want it all!" |
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I don't want much; just a D.V.D. / V.C.R. combo recorder , multi-region playback and with Freeview. But I can't seem to find one with all these features. Anyone know of one? 
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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I think it's the Freeview bit that's the complicated factor, because DVD/HDD combo recorders are commonplace now. We have a Panasonic something or other back at home in the UK.
Ella
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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Hooray! Looked at DVD players in Tesco today and was very authoritative about the + - points. Didn't buy one tho'. Significant Other was impressed by my remarks on Multi Region
PDM: Did see a freeview recorder for sale there, with what you are after.
Gonna get really cool and go to Currys or somewhere, blow them away with my knowledge.[size=24][/size] |
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| iknewdavidjacobsmum wrote: | | Hooray! Looked at DVD players in Tesco today and was very authoritativeGonna get really cool and go to Currys or somewhere, blow them away with my knowledge. |
That really won't be difficult - honest!!! 
Start talking about the inherent differences between NTSC and PAL and the spotty Saturday geek will be stuffed for months!
Ella
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Barkingbiker
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 2313
Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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Even my dead dog knows more about DVD players/recorders, with or without HDD record/playback facilities, than most "sales persons" at Currys. 
BB
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh all right then, I'll take a dead cat. Just feeling pleased with myself. BTW there's not a Currys within 70k from me. Being generic here, will have to go to a Euronics store, where the sales staff all look like young Mr Grace. |
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Barkingbiker wrote: | | Even my dead dog knows more about DVD players/recorders, with or without HDD record/playback facilities, than most "sales persons" at Currys. |
Talking of which........
On a recent visit to one of those stores just before we came back out to Spain, Mr. S (who has had a technical career in television systems engineering with the BBC before escaping), asked a Saturday geek the question:
"Are these TVs that have HD Ready stickers on them just big tellies with better quality LCD screens?"
Answer: "Well, basically, yes".
Give up? We did!
Ella
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Barkingbiker
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 2313
Location: Lincolnshire
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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| iknewdavidjacobsmum wrote: | | Oh all right then, I'll take a dead cat. Just feeling pleased with myself. BTW there's not a Currys within 70k from me. Being generic here, will have to go to a Euronics store, where the sales staff all look like young Mr Grace. |
In my experience, which just being a young lad is not vast, you understand, Euronics are usually much better as they are normally a private/family run business and they tend to be better informed. Besides, that's an ageism remark, which I could just resemble
BB
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:59 pm Post subject: Re: "I want it all!" |
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| Peter de Meteor wrote: | | I don't want much; just a D.V.D. / V.C.R. combo recorder , multi-region playback and with Freeview. But I can't seem to find one with all these features. Anyone know of one? |
Yes! My 18 month old Panasonic unit has all those features, including freeview! |
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry BB, sure we are all younger than Mr Grace, think, if I
knew David Jacobs Mum how old do you think I am? |
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Julia
Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 556
Location: a hillside desolate
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| Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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Check Martin's Money Tips
(there is a link from the beeb I think - or just google him - sure he had something up about good dvd players at good prices)
J
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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Martin money-wotsit is a bluffer (allegedly, m'lud). Mr.S (who has had a lifetime in broadcast systsems engineering with the BBC) was listening to him talking about camcorders recently and his conclusion was that Martin Wotsit didn't have a clue what he was talking about.
Perhaps it's because he talks loud and fast that gets him the gig every time!
Ella
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Helen May
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19382
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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Try this link for Martin Lewis www.moneysavingexpert.com
H
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I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005 |
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Cherskiy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 3701
Location: near Amble, Northumberland
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Ella Sailyour wrote: | Perhaps it's because he talks loud and fast that gets him the gig every time!
Ella |
Well, he may not know about camcorders but he has earned me a fair bit of money through the Quidco website recently.
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Helen May
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19382
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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I meant to say that he may not know the ins and outs of DVD players but he can still find a bargain buy. I've read some good tips on his site and in his email newsletter.
H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!
I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005 |
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 579
Location: Marbella, Spain
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know how he can always recommend best buys - you can only price-compare if you're evaluating exact the same specification like-for-like, yet he often talks about "best buys" where it's obvious that he doesn't know enough to properly do so. Hence the reference to camcorders - he was comparing models that were different formats and which did different things, which really is a nonsense. In situations like that I just switch over, because he has a tendancy to drive me nuts!
Ella
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