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Although I can't play Region 1 discs on our television (it is possible to play them on the laptop) I am thinking of ordering some of the films which seem unlikely to be put out on Regions 0 or 2. What puts me off are the hidden charges in the small print. Can anyone over here in England give a rough idea of what these extras are likely to be? I am unlikely to be ordering films over £10 or £12 at present...

I've been fairly lucky with my region 1 purchases - only three sets have received custom charges and they have been high value ones (the most recent one being the Esther Williams TCM set).

I'd recommend shopping around on Amazon UK as quite a few UK sellers import region 1 sets and then post from the UK, which saves any additional charges. Avoid Movies Unlimited unless there is no other option (they are very expensive in terms of postage anyway).

If you are anywhere near London, the Cinema Bookshop has a basement with lots of region 1 stock including Warner Archive titles; the BFI shop also sells a smaller range of US titles. Neither as far as I know include these titles for mail order purchasing.

earlytalkiebuffRob wrote:Although I can't play Region 1 discs on our television

Google the model of your TV with the words "region free". There's usually some trick to change the region or put it on 0 = all regions. When I say trick I really mean a trick. Mine was to press open & close, enter a few numbers, open & close again. Only in rare cases is this not possible or does the TV not support NTSC.
Not sure if it's as easy in North American to use Region 2 but over here, the whole region system has never stopped anyone who really wanted to.

You might also be better served by keeping it in the Commonwealth, ordering from Amazon.ca instead of Amazon.com. Occasionally its prices are lower (as in the case of James Neibaur's Buster Keaton Shorts and Elvis Films books), but I suspect its shipping might be lower as well, since Amazon.com switched to a courier for international orders a year or so ago, jacking up their shipping charges considerably.

It's also a good idea to check prices on the database (Region 1 only) at dvdpricesearch.com, you can often find something at a great price that way.

There ought to be a site that'd allow you to compare the prices of all the amazon suffixes. Occasionally the English book is cheapest through say, amazon.de.

Thank you for all the advice. Though I have no doubt the tips on region switching are perfectly ok, I don't want to risk upsetting my Good Lady by making a hash of things! I have plenty to watch at the moment as it is but there are some very tempting titles out there. I can probably borrow / buy the odd title from friends as well.

I don't visit London as I used to, but your tip re shops up there is a good one as I have friends who do, provided my wish list is modest. I did ask a friend to look out once, but alas when he found one I wanted (THE MAN ON THE EIFFEL TOWER) he unfortunately selected one from the dreaded Elstree Hill as it was cheaper. A classic case of false economy. My best bet is that or to look out for inland suppliers.

Have just realised (like an idiot) that another option is to check out used copies which are already over here and on which customs, etc., will already have been paid. Very occasionally these films turn up over here and my friends are usually good enough to offer me one which they no longer use.

You don't hack the tv. It's the DVD player. What you could do is look for a cheap DVD player and make sure there's a hack for it online. Then just get that one to watch the Region 1 discs.

Jim Reid wrote:You don't hack the tv. It's the DVD player. What you could do is look for a cheap DVD player and make sure there's a hack for it online. Then just get that one to watch the Region 1 discs.

Or just hack the one you already have, and if you don't like taking risks, make extra sure it works by checking if anyone posted about encoutering trouble when hacking it. GIYF
Too cheap DVD players tend to backfire by read errors and such.

Spiny Norman wrote:Or just hack the one you already have, and if you don't like taking risks, make extra sure it works by checking if anyone posted about encoutering trouble when hacking it. GIYF
Too cheap DVD players tend to backfire by read errors and such.

If you read his post he doesn't want to upset the wife by messing with the electronics they already have. I've had very good luck with hacking cheap players.

amazon.com generally add customs charges to your order total to save on delays. I've not had to use this as yet, but it certainly seems like a sensible option.

Jim Reid wrote:

Spiny Norman wrote:Or just hack the one you already have, and if you don't like taking risks, make extra sure it works by checking if anyone posted about encoutering trouble when hacking it. GIYF
Too cheap DVD players tend to backfire by read errors and such.

If you read his post he doesn't want to upset the wife by messing with the electronics they already have. I've had very good luck with hacking cheap players.

Which is why I added the bit about checking if anyone reports back trouble about the hack. He can always run to buy a new one if the trick should fail, but regardless, a new DVD player probably still counts as "messing" in most wife's eyes.