Q about various PS2 region-free DVD playing options

I'm looking to explore one of the solutions for getting a PS2 to view
DVDs from any region, because there are some Korean titles that I want
to pick up. (My Sassy Girl being the first.) However, I've not dealt
with any of the options.

I've know about DVD Region X from Datel for a long time, so that was what I was going to look at. Then, however, I found out something I didn't know before - the US-released Pro Action Replays have the multi-region DVD feature built in.

Since both are from Datel, I'd figure that they probably work pretty much the same. But, do they?

Also, do both require that you use the included disc every time you want to switch DVD regions, or does one of them allow you to just set the console once for "no region" and then be done with it? I'd very much prefer the later, but I suppose if I have to deal with using the disc every time I want to switch, I can.

Or, is there another solution for playing any region of DVD on your PS2 that will avoid having to use a "boot" disc every time?

And no, I'm not interesting in the "buying a region-free player" option - I want as few pieces of hardware as possible.

i know the new gameshark 2 version 3's have region free ability but the fuckers cost $40 and dont even include the psone disc anymore. it appears that you have to boot the GS and select which region you want every time.

and from what i can tell none of the current modchips (ultra 2, acesser, apple and messiah 2 pro) support multiregion as far as movies go. not sure about the dms3 v2 tho. hope any of this helps.

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Originally Posted by Dragonmaster Dyne

i know the new gameshark 2 version 3's have region free ability but the fuckers cost $40 and dont even include the psone disc anymore. it appears that you have to boot the GS and select which region you want every time.

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GS2 v.3's work pretty well. haven't had any problems so far using it to play R3's on my system. to play another disc you have to reload the boot disc again. it's a pain, but i ain't complaining.

I know the dvd region free disc you can get at lik-sang plays Korean dvds.

I use a DVD Region-X, and it works very well. I'm sure the PAR works just the same, but the Region-X is cheap and I could care less about cheating.

If you can afford it, the DMS3 modchip lets you direct-boot foreign DVDs. They're a little pricy ($50 last time I checked), but the convenience is worth it if you want to play a lot of movies.

EDIT - forgot to mention, but you do need to swap every time you play a DVD if you're using the PAR or Region-X. If you want to switch movies and leave the machine turned on, you can eject the DVD and put in a new one, but you'll have to do the swap-disk thing each time you reboot the system. The DMS3 mod doesn't involve any swapping, thank goodness.

matt you sure the dms supports any region dvd MOVIES? i know it supports any dvd region game but the sites ive seen all say that none of the current chips support macrovision diable and/or region free movies.

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Originally Posted by Dragonmaster Dyne

matt you sure the dms supports any region dvd MOVIES? i know it supports any dvd region game but the sites ive seen all say that none of the current chips support macrovision diable and/or region free movies.

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Yes, I'm very sure. I've installed several of them, and while I haven't tested for macrovision (which it is supposed to remove), they've played all my Japanese DVDs, in RGB to boot.

You could have been looking at some outdated pages - the DMS3 is a relatively recent chip and until its release there weren't any DVD movie-playing mods.

Shidoshi, as a huge Asian film fan, I too wanted a region free solution...

I bought the DVD region X DVD from Lik-Sang to play any DVDs on my RGB setup, because without a boot disc, DVDs will not show up on an RGB monitor (green screen of death)...

So I tested it on a region 2-3 Japanese and Korean films, some r1s, some r0s -- but it does not do PAL conversion...but works great otherwise, you just have to insert a memory card that comes with the DVD into slot 1 and then run the disc, pick your region, and then insert your DVD...

matt.....i just reread my one post and i even specifically said i didnt know the features of the dms.....man my bad :) hard to keep all the names/features straight. thats a cool feature tho, was kinda peeved when i heard of that chip after i got my messiah 2 installed. hey do you know anything about putting the ps1 stealth clips on existing mods?

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Originally Posted by ssbomberman

So I tested it on a region 2-3 Japanese and Korean films, some r1s, some r0s -- but it does not do PAL conversion.

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SSB, what happens when you try playing a PAL DVD? I've been curious about it, but haven't had the chance to try it out. Are there any problems if you use RGB?

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hey do you know anything about putting the ps1 stealth clips on existing mods?

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If your PS1 needs a new chip, it's very straightforward - just remove your old chip and solder in a new one. Or, it's possible to just add an off-switch to your existing chip which will cost less and work just as well.