Region 2 DVD in Canada/US

Hey, I was wondering about European DVDs. I'm a pretty big DVD geek myself, but having never done this, I want to be sure it'll work before considering it. I have an LG 16x DVD reader, which was fairly cheap. There's the option to change the DVD region on it, but only a limited number of times. I was wondering if I bought another of the same kind, and changed it permanently to region 2, if I could play back region 1 DVDs on the first drive and region 2 DVDs on the second using PowerDVD. Or will I have trouble reading them because they're PAL and not NTSC?

um....dude.....this is in the wrong place.....

I believe, and I may be wrong here (so you may want to consult some of our members with more technical skill) that the PAL/NTSC formats refer to the speed that video is played back. Having your DVD set to Region 2 automatically corrects the discrepency.

Is this not a Pink Floyd forum?

But this is Just Babbling section...

Hm. I'm not sure about that. I know that Region 2 encompasses Japan, Europe, and others. I've seen Region 2 PAL DVDs from the UK and Region 2 NTSC DVDs from Japan, so Region 2 does not necessarily assume PAL playback I don't think.

I think you'll have problems with the difference in formats. Read this

Basically, if you switch to Region 2, you'll be unable to play Region 1 DVD's until you switch back again or hack your DVD player (which voids the warranty).

Yeah, I know. If I buy another DVD-ROM drive and set it to Region 2, that won't be an issue. My question is, can my computer play both NTSC and PAL?

Your computer should be able to play anything. If not with the standard DVD player program, you can with VLC (it's free).

If you're wanting to play this on a standalone DVD player, then it depends. It seems to be hit or miss with those. I happened to get a wonderful RCA for $40 that will literally play anything (Region 1, 2, 0; VCD/SVCD; DIVX; DVD-R/+R/-+RW; etc). So you should try to test out some Region 2 DVDs before you get this DVD, if you can (but I'm guessing you can't, or you would've already ).

Another idea is to rip the DVD and change its region, then reburn it. I don't know if you have a burner, or access to one, but if you do, this would be a very good option. If you have a Mac, I can help you with the specifics, otherwise, I can't help you.

Good luck with that.

According to this link, you'll need another device to differentiate between PAL/NTSC. According to Botley, what I said was correct. Your guess is as good as mine.