Universal DVD Players


Will a "universal" DVD player be able to play ALL formats (NTSC, PAL, and SECAM), or just all region codes? I'm in the USA (NTSC format).
fatparrot
Youy need a multi-regional player to play all different regions and you need one with a PAL to NTSC convertor built in for your TV to work with it. Some will play both PAL and NTSC but most will not convert the signal to NTSC so your TV can display it. Outboard convertors are usually expensive.
I have a Marantz DV8400 which plays fine with PAL or NTSC discs but will only output the signal in its native form ie PAL discs -> PAL o/p, NTSC discs -> NTSC o/p.
I didn't know this when I was in Singapore (which is PAL) as my televsion was multi-standard. However when I moved to Japan (NTSC) non of my PAL discs displayed properly.

Rwwear is correct concerning good outboard converters, these can be expensive!

I finally bought a second 'cheap' DVD player for my PAL discs with an in-built PAL/NTSC converter set up to output only NTSC. Usually the unbranded made in China products can do this. Some have a switch or the menus and others have a special sequence to be entered using the remote control (which allows the DVD player to play all zones!!)