Region free RDV-1092 ?

[mlunde]

Hi,

I'm looking for some help in regards to unlocking an RDV-1092 for playing both R1 and R2 discs. I currently live in Canada, where supposedly all major brands have a licensing contract, prohibiting them from releasing anything but locked R1 players. I'm from Europe however, meaning at least half of my movie collection is R2, and after a year without, I really want to watch some of these again

Is there an easy fix, i.e. remote control unlock codes, or is there a store in the North West that can do the software modification?

I have been told that the RDV-1092 shares software with the Naim player, which can be unlocked via the remote control. Googling doesn't help me much, so I am hoping someone here might have a solution.


Thanks


M Lunde
Vancouver

[sirbogey]

You are confusing me! Rotel officials told me all their DVD players were code-free! My RDV-1060 is definitely code-free. I got code 1 and code 2 DVDs in m y collection and all run without problems....

[mjb]

I'd also like to see confirmation the the RDV-1092 is indeed code free before I buy one - can anyone confirm that it is please?

[mlunde]

My RDV-1040 sure wasn't region free, nor is the RDV-1092 when you buy the North American version.

This is the info I recieved from Rotel:

The DVD players both do have switching power supplies and thus would work in either voltage with no hardware or adjustment necessary. In order to enable them to play European discs, you would need to send the player(s) in to the European Rotel distributor who can reprogram the unit to accept these DVDs for you.

Note, "reprogram", which I think means switching regions, not unlocking it. I know of several shops back in Europe that do the software modification to unlock players, but I cant seem to find a single one of them here.

I just got an email from one of these companies with the remote control procedure for the Naim player, which might be a working fix for the RDV-1092. My dealer here in Vancouver says the software in the 2 players are identical, so any "hack" for the Naim should work. I'm not too happy about it though.



M Lunde
Vancouver

[Kevin D]

All European players are code free, all North American players are locked.

Kevin D.

[Vicente]

Kevin is right. All European Rotel DVD players are codefree but not the american ones.

I don't really understand this. I though that the codes were made to avoid distribution of DVD's in areas where
films are later exhibited, and that's always Europe!!! (see lately Superman, Pirates of the Caribean etc...)

BTW, mlunde, as you are one of the few fortunate owners of a 1092,many of us will appreciate very much if you can give us an oppinion about it.

I opened a post regarding this, but we did'nt get any individual reviews yet.

Thank you very much

[sirbogey]

In Europe it's straight forward! If you don't sell code free, people don't want it!

[mlunde]

Kevin, surely you must have a trick up the sleeve to unlock the 1092?

[sirbogey]

5 years ago, we used to be 3-6 months behind, but that has changed dramatically. These days it's only weeks in most cases...

[sirbogey]

Kevin, surely you must have a trick up the sleeve to unlock the 1092?

mlunde, I'd start here http://www.videohelp.com/

good luck

[bzrk]

5 years ago, we used to be 3-6 months behind, but that has changed dramatically. These days it's only weeks in most cases...

isn't p2p/usenet/etc great?

[fordster]

Slighly off on a tangent but why do Rotel players not do auto conversion between PAL and NTSC? My RDV-1060 has a switch on the back and I notice the 1092 does too. I play a mix of NTSC and PAL discs and don't want to have to flick a switch each time. I've left it on NTSC as it seems to convert PAL to NTSC better than NTSC to PAL. Rotel players are the only ones I've come across that don't have an automatic conversion.

[Vicente]

BTW, mlunde, as you are one of the few fortunate owners of a 1092,many of us will appreciate very much if you can give us an oppinion about it.

I opened a post regarding this, but we did'nt get any individual reviews yet.

Thank you very much

Please, mlunde can you give us your oppinion about the performance in audio and video of the 1092? I'm trying to decide if upgrading from the 1060.

Thanks.

[mlunde]

Why is it, when a man finally gets to go buy a new toy, or upgrade one, he completely runs out of time and has to work all day so he can't play with it? :M


From the tiny bit of testing, video is looking awesome on the RDV-1092. Drawer noise was an issue I was concerned about, I heard it was nasty, but that's just a dumb, evil rumor. I will post more about the player when I get some free time, working 7 a week and certification courses and what not, so no time for the next couple of weeks.

Now, about the NTSC/PAL question:

Slighly off on a tangent but why do Rotel players not do auto conversion between PAL and NTSC? My RDV-1060 has a switch on the back and I notice the 1092 does too. I play a mix of NTSC and PAL discs and don't want to have to flick a switch each time. I've left it on NTSC as it seems to convert PAL to NTSC better than NTSC to PAL. Rotel players are the only ones I've come across that don't have an automatic conversion.

That switch is there to set the output to your TV, -NOT- to select what kind of disc you are playing. You can override this switch with a configuration setting inthe player software, to Auto-select, if your TV can handle both formats.

It's on pg. 15 in the 1092 manual

As for Region Free codes, no dice, unless they physically get the player to Europe. Thats the answer from 2 Rotel Cert. Shops and Rotel in Europe.


Thanks,

M. Lunde

[Vicente]

I don't know about the 1092 but with the 1060, yes, there is a whole world of difference if you change the switch when you play an NTSC DVD.

My plasma (Pioneer Elite in the USA, 435XDE in Europe, accepts both PAL and NTSC signals, but when you watch an NTSC DVD (example Diana Krall's live at Montreal) thru the 1060, if you have the switch in PAL the images are really awful. Just when the Verve logo appears, the circle is completely toothed (like a mill saw). Move the switch to NTSC and oops, the circle gets really round with smooth definition.

This thing doesn't happen with my other three DVD players, an old Marantz DV4100, a Harman kardon 506 limited edition, or a Pioneer DVR-5100 H (hard disk), that recognize automatically when an NTSC disk is loaded and reproduce it without any problems.

If you add that the switch is located in the back of the player, every time you need to change it, you remember with loving care :M :M :M the designer of the player.

Well, mlunde thanks for your information, and please when you have time, tell us something more about the 1092.

Regards

[fordster]

Vicente, well said, that was exactly what I meant. That's why I leave my 1060 on NTSC. The only way I'd consider a 1092 was if the auto select did work.

[sirbogey]

wow! I never tried that one before. 50% of my DVDs are NTSC. I'll have to check that out. I thought the conversion worked the same way both ways.

[Vicente]

Well, I had the chance to try the new RDV1092. As soon as I check it a little bit more I'll tell you my impressions in the "RDV Reviews?" post I opened before, but now about the PAL/NTSC switch I can tell you that works exactly the same as it does in the 1060.

I used again the Diana Krall's DVD as a test disk and the differences are like night and day, even if you have selected the auto-select option in the setup menu.

Sorry for this off topic, but as mlunde mentioned this switch I wanted to test it and tell you what my findings were.

[mjb]

I think this little PAL/NTSC switch is the reason I'll probably never buy a Rotel DVD player