Region Free DVD Players.

The "region-free" players advertised on various websites are a scam. There is a huge selection of players on the market that will play any disc in NTSC or PAL, from any region, right out of the box without requiring hardware hacks or purchase from a grey marketer.

I've owned multi-region-capable NTSC/PAL players ranging from an off-the-shelf Philips DVD727 for $69 to higher-end players from Arcam, and several things in-between.

What capabilities are you looking for, and how much are you willing to spend?

I bought a Malata 520 (it was their top model) on the net for $240. The local video store, "Scarcrow", which has a huge foreign movie selection (and was called the world's best video store by Bernardo Bertolucci) recommends this brand and rents them out as well. I've been perfectly happy with it, but then I'm not really asking much from a DVD player....

Whatever you get make sure it has a PAL to NTSC converter or vice-versa depending on where you live or it is pretty much useless. And I don't mean one that will play PAL or NTSC. Most will play either but not many will convert from one to the other.

Help me out, does the Sony 999es play pal? I have a pal DVD from Goldfrapp I am hoping to play sometime soon. Will it output to a hi Def TV?

I don't know about the Sony. Try it and see. But just because it will play doesn't mean your TV will show it.