...USING my Sherwood to
write about it. LOVE it. Tray on mine
sometimes doesn't shut without a nudge,
but always opens. Also, why does one
always always always have to pause blu-rays,
rather than stop and restart? Or am I
missing something? Even if you bookmark,
the whole thing seems to need to reload
afresh, which also means going yet again
through those soul-chilling 'miracle-of-blu-ray'
start-up adds on the Sonys and others.
At least it seems to spin down when on
pause. Afraid of damaging discs and
wearing out machine. Please advise if
you know something I don't.
One BEAUTIFUL thing which I don't think
anybody's mentioned is, every single DVD
from every single region has played
without my having to enter a code of any
kind. That's right, pop it in, and it
plays, even when there's just been
another disc in there (even one from a
different region,) or the machine's been
on standby or even all the way off.
Region B & C blu-rays require the code.
But just make that 5th digit a '0', and
you're all set.
BDP-899 (modified) Region FREE
Blu-ray
player
REVIEW!
Momitsu BDP-899 Region Free review by
Gary Tooze
A REGION-FREE
Blu-ray player has been sought after
at the very beginning of this new high-definition format. In case you were
unaware, the
Blu-ray
Association allowed for the division of geographic region codes for
Blu-ray
discs. You can see how the three areas (A, B + C) are divided
HERE. The coding denies the consumer the
right to purchase
Blu-ray
discs anywhere in the world for playability on his standard
Blu-ray
player. Just as with the DVD format though - hardware companies have developed
technology to overcome the disc's software coding. This essentially allows
individuals the freedom to choose the films (and specific transfers) from
anywhere - not solely based the region in which they happen to reside.
Through my ListServ I had heard
positive reviews of the Kogan
'region-free'
Blu-ray
player
HERE,
which aside from, not surprisingly,
being 'Sold Out' was only shippable
to consumers in Australia. So I was
unable to purchase one.
Momitsu
is a Taiwanese company with an excellent reputation and history of both innovative features and
satisfied customers. I have
used their modified (by HKFlix) BDP-899 for over a week now and while I continue
testing I am extremely impressed.
It plays everything I have
put in it from 'A' + 'B' coded
Blu-rays
(I don't own a 'C') to DVDs of every
region and standard (PAL + NTSC). It
also plays my son's DVD-Rs without
issue. I will discuss specifics
below - that I noted and other
functions but should state
immediately that while I consider
myself very knowledgeable on the
technology of DVD and
Blu-rays
- I am no expert on hardware.
Thankfully the Momitsu is a simple
machine and it fulfills all my
desires as a home theater devotee.
Power on:
As this unit
appears to have been a modified player,
my review only encompasses the one sold
by HKFlix
HERE
(or clicking the logo to the right).
I suggest to you
that it may be modified as the included
manual gives no mention or region-free
ability of the code to unlock the
regions. It also states that it won't
play PAL discs (which it does) even
though the website states that it can.
The 'code' to unlock via the remote is
included on a piece pf paper from HKFlix.
•
Take it out of the box - plug
it in via HDMI and the power
cord. Turn on player and my HD
TV (NOTE: It only comes with RCA
cables - no HDMI).
•
I used the remote to change the OSD
(set-up menu and display
language) from default Japanese
to English
(the bottom choice) via the
onscreen menu (this, and all
instructions, are in the manual
included in the package or
HERE).
•
Set TV aspect ratio to 16:9
(may have been default). Choices
include 16:9PB, 4:3LB and 4:3PS.
•
I changed Digital Output
(audio) - default was PCM Stereo
- to Bitstream HD (DD+,
TrueHD or DTS-HD) via the
onscreen menu.
•
NOTE: TV Type is defaulted to
NTSC but can be changed to PAL.
•
With no disc in the tray I set
the region code to
Blu-ray
B (973522) via the remote. It
works with the code 9735DB
where
D
= the desired DVD region code
and
B
= the desired Blu-ray code (1=A, 2=B,
3=C)
•
I then watched BFI's
Blu-ray
of Antonioni's
Red Desert.
•
How did it look? Excellent -
far better than when I projected
for my review (via cheap BenQ)
and colors where noticeably
brighter.
•
Next, as I had simultaneously
set the DVD region coding for 2
- I tried to play Arte (France)
DVD of
The Scent
of Green Papaya.
As this DVD is not anamorphic I
had adjust via the menu system to
4:3LB. It likewise looked better
than I ever recall seeing it
before although it was
understandably pictureboxed on
my HD TV.
•
Next I played Masters of
Cinema's
Metropolis
DVD. I had to change themenu system to 4:3PB. It
looked unbelievable. Contrast
was intense.
•
I then tested the audio
settings.
Superman
Returns on
Blu-ray
has a prominent HD track (right
in the opening credits) so I
tested this and heard the
separation I was seeking.
•
I plugged in a USB key-chain device in
the front and, after some menu
screen fiddling, watched a
slideshow of family photos on my
HD TV. It has transitions
between photos. Cool!
•
Since then I have tested
various DVDs and
Blu-rays - all looking exceptional.
Perhaps because of the 'HDMI
Deep Color' feature which some
may wish to change their TV
setting to tone down a bit.
Although this machine does
support BD-LIVE I don't connect any
of my
players to the Internet to use or test
that function.
The Remote (one remote - 2 photos)
(NOTE: I stuck the labels on the back to easily recall (more for my wife) manual region coding
adjustment)
Other advertised features:
Upconverts DVD for enhanced
picture quality
Your current DVD will look
even better than before
thanks to video upconversion.
Upconversion will increase
the resolution of standard
definition DVD to high
definition up to 1080p over
an HDMI connection. The
picture will be less jagged
and more realistic for a
near high-definition
experience.
PIP
Some BD-video have the PIP
(picture-in-picture)
function which enables you
to display the secondary
video in the primary video.
You can call up the
secondary video by pressing
[PIP] whenever the scene
contains the secondary
video.
Multi file type support
Playback Blu-Ray Disc, DVD,
VCD, CD, MP3, MP4, HD files
and JPEG Picture CD Media
formats
USB
2.0
USB2.0 port for external
devices such as Card
Readers, USB Flash Drives,
or USB Hard Disks.
WHAT I LIKED
Plays every disc I have tried - any region
Blu-ray, any region or standard (PAL or NTSC) DVD
Supports separated HD audio (PCM Stereo, PCM 5.1 Channel, PCM 7.1 channel,
Bitstream HD which can include DD+, TrueHD and DTS-HD) through HDMI
It
plays DVD-R discs (even dual-layered)
I LOVE the USB 2.0 feature of slideshows, video etc.
Appears to load noticeably faster than my Sony 300S
Simple set-up
Price seems reasonable (I paid more for my region-locked, slow-loading Sony
than I did for this)
This player is Profile 2.0 - 'Future Proof'.
POSSIBLE NEGATIVES
Some may dislike the manual region-coding input (6 digits)
but as a reviewer I don't mind as I can use it to tell me the code status of the
Blu-ray. People are frequently
requesting if I know if said
Blu-ray disc is region-free or locked -
I had no definitive way of knowing until now. I set the player for an alternate
region and if it plays it is a region free disc!
Cannot change region-coding with a disc in the tray -
it must be closed and empty.
You must be more pro-active with the remote and
onscreen player menu than I have had to utilize with past players.
INPUT
Dirk
tells us in email "I
also purchased this player and I put the DVD
region code to "0" and it played every region
coded DVD I tried (R2s from Germany, England and
Japan). This way I only have to change the code
for Blu-Rays or if I have one of the old RCE
DVDs."
Aaron
tells us via Facebook: "Hey Gary, I would
like to thank you for reviewing the Momitsu
BDP-899, I've had the machine for a few weeks
now and I like it a whole lot. The only thing
that I really hate about the player is it's
inability to display a film's total running
time, which is annoying."
David
tells us in email "Gary - I've lived with the
Momitsu for some time now and, other than that
initial bit of contrariness I reported (solved
simply by unplugging and replugging),
performance has been flawless. To watch a UK
Region 2 Blu-Ray of "Gommora", I had only to tap
in the appropriate numbers on the remote.
Everything has played without a hitch and, I
think, with visual and auditory quality the
equal of - and maybe better than - my other
Blu-Ray players. And, you're correct, it DOES
load faster than my Sony's. It has become my
primary, go-to machine."
Remote Controller, RCA-RCA
Cable, Power Cord, Instruction
Manual
Operating Temperature
5 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity
5 ~ 85%
As this unit
appears to have been a modified player,
my review only encompasses the one sold
by HKFlix
HERE
(or clicking the logo to the right).
I suggest to you
that it may be modified as the included
manual gives no mention of region-free
ability or the code to unlock the
regions. It also states that it won't
play PAL discs (which it does) even
though the website states that it can.
The 'code' to unlock via the remote is
included on a piece pf paper from HKFlix.
CLICK
LOGO TO ORDER
BOTTOM LINE:
As I determine more about this machine I will post it here, but
as it stands this has a strong recommendation - I LOVE IT! I've been looking
for something like this for a while. It does exactly what I want
with relative ease.
NOTE:
For further recommendations or possible 'negatives' see the points above under
"INPUT".
