| In your quest for a regionless DVD player, you may | | | | sleep to at night, use the 'programmed play' function |
| have thought that only expensive units could have their | | | | and queue up to 16 tracks from a regular audio or |
| regions changed. Not so! Wal-Mart offers a continuing | | | | MP3 CD. An added bonus: your songs can be stored |
| lineup of region-hackable DVD players for under $100. | | | | in separate directories, rather than in one large root |
| A recent purchase caused smiles in our house! The | | | | directory. |
| Durabrand PDV705 portable player turned out to be | | | | Unfortunately, the sound is flat and metallic when using |
| exactly what we were looking for. It is compact, rich in | | | | the external speakers. Switch to earphones or |
| features, and in a few seconds with a few remote | | | | earbuds, however, and you will enjoy good stereo |
| control clicks, it transforms into a Region 0 (all-regions) | | | | sound. |
| player. | | | | * How to Make it Regionless * |
| The unit will play a number of DVD and CD formats, | | | | Switch on the power. |
| including: DVDs, audio CDs, CD-R/RWs, MP3 CDs, | | | | Open the player's lid. |
| photo CDs, DivX, XviD, and JPG. | | | | Enter the following numeric sequence via remote |
| Don't let its size fool you! The screen may be small (7 | | | | control: |
| inches) but it packs a lot of features into a tiny bit of | | | | 9 7 3 5 |
| space. Many options that are only available on | | | | Use the remote control's arrow keys to select '0' for all |
| competitors' players by going into Setup are accessible | | | | regions. |
| via buttons under the player's pop-up lid. | | | | Exit setup. |
| On-board buttons include: Power switch (right hand | | | | Now you will be able to play DVDs from all over the |
| side of player), Brightness, Color, Audio, Display, Subtitle, | | | | world on your newly-configured player. |
| Forward, Backward, Volume, Next, Previous, Stop, | | | | More region hacks for other DVD players can be |
| Play, Pause, Setup, Directional (arrow) buttons, OK | | | | found at |
| (Enter), and Open. | | | | There is a link at the end of this article to a page with |
| If you have your own S-video or coaxial cable, you | | | | hacks for two more inexpensive units sold through |
| can use the corresponding jack to connect the DVD | | | | Wal-Mart. |
| player to your home TV or entertainment system. | | | | * Disclaimer * |
| Although the Durabrand PDV-705 doesn't include | | | | Although entering numbers via a remote control is |
| earphones, it does come with several accessories - | | | | unlikely to void your warranty, the same sequence |
| including a battery that appears to be of much higher | | | | may not work on similar units manufactured on |
| quality than those in more expensive units. | | | | different dates. Use at your own risk. Remember that |
| Accessories include: AC adapter, car adapter, TV | | | | if you buy hacked chips or install non-manufacturer |
| connection cable, remote control, two AAA batteries, | | | | firmware, your warranty will be invalidated. |
| rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, user's guide, and | | | | Now - grab some foreign DVDs, prop up your feet, |
| product registration/warranty card. | | | | and relax ... |
| If you would like to set up an audio program to fall to | | | | |