Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Not sure what the previous (1-star) review is about. The unit works very well but it does require a modern flat panel TV for the menu texts to be readable. It plays foreign Blu-rays and DVDs. Both PAL and NTSC DVDs are output as NTSC so you don't need any special TV to play PAL DVDs. There is also an option to output PAL DVDs in PAL if you prefer.
The region selection option has been elegantly simplified and works like this: put the player in "Standby", then:
Push "1" for Region A Blu-rays,
Push "2" for Region B or C Blu-rays.
That's it. Turn back on and play. The player will remember those settings.
The DVD playback on the other hand does not require selecting a setting: the unit will play automatically all regions (0 through 8) and all systems (NTSC and PAL), including those which are region-enforced (RCE discs). The only thing to keep in mind is:
the Blu-ray option "1" will cause all DVDs to be output in NTSC (good for TV sets in the US),
the Blu-ray option "2" will cause all DVDs to be output in PAL (theoretically useful for TV sets in Europe but practically all TV sets in Europe have been multi-system PAL-NTSC since forever (decades now) so I don't know why the bother...).
All of the above implies a quirk: IF you have a non-Region A Blu-ray WITH standard-definition PAL supplements, THEN you cannot see the video for those supplements UNLESS you also have a PAL-capable TV set. This is because you MUST first set the player's mode to "2" in order to even start the disc's playback, BUT once you are in "2", any standard-definition content will be output in PAL. So on an NTSC-only TV, as is common (sigh) in the US, you'll only get the supplements audio.
This is exactly what happens with the Region B Blu-ray of Lynch's "Mulholland Drive". The disc is not available in the US as of this writing. The movie itself of course plays beautifully.
If anyone knows of a workaround, let me know. The problem is that the Blu-ray and DVD region-switchings have been coupled together. It would be nice if this player had one code for the Blu-ray playback and a separate code for the DVD one.
Last but not least, there is an option to turn the panel LEDs off. A very useful feature which everyone should follow.
Added 13 December: according to the seller, the workaround is on its way, probably early next year. But I'd like to reiterate again that it's not the player's fault but the "Mulholland Drive"'s publisher: that Blu-ray is incorrectly authored.
Click Here to see more reviews about: 2010 SHARP BD-HP24 Multizone Blu Ray Zone A+B+C All Region Code Free DVD 012345678 PAL/NTSC Blu Ray DVD Player 100~240V 50/60Hz Built in 128Mb Converter PAL to NTSC and NTCS to PAL, works on all NTSC and PAL TVs
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