03/26/06

I could get all technical about this, but won't.  But a few bits of information to know first:

DVDs have region encoding on them. They are designed to be played in only one region of the world.  For a complete listing see the bottom of this page. 

DVDs come in two basic formats: NTSC (North America) and PAL (Europe).  Yes, they are more wide spread then that, but that is the basics.

RJ-Tech: One of the most important factors of any home theatre is the DVD player.  I have come to love RJ-Tech DVD players for three reasons.
     They are affordable, most under $100.
     They are reliable.
     They will play almost anything. If it is a DVD, it will play, regardless of where it is from.
 

While this may not seem like a big deal, many movies are available only in Europe.  Please note that many DVD players sold in North America can be region free. You just need the codes to make them as such.  Doing this can void the warranty on your DVD player.  If you are interested in checking, VideoHelp.com goes into great detail on which ones are changeable.

If you want one of the RJTech DVD players, may I suggest NewEgg. They are the fastest and easiest to deal with. They also carry a large supply of tech toys and goodies.  ChiefValue also carries the RJTech line.

Internet Movie Database is probably one of the best sites for info on movies. It lists all kind of information about movies, along with links to the various Amazon's that sell it.

NicheFlix, is in my opinion, the premier on-line rental website. Yes, you read that properly, NicheFlix. But be prepared to need that multi-region DVD player if you subscribe.  You generally won't find the US blockbusters here, but you will find many great movies from all over the world. Some of which are US releases, just never released on DVD in this country.