ALL SOURCES CONFIRM THAT THE Sherwood BDP-5004 Blu-ray Disc Player AVAILABLE HERE is a clone of the Region FREE Momitsu BDP -899 Blu-ray player! |
ADDITION
May 2010: Bob tells us "The new
firmware upgrades for both the Momitsu
and Sherwood players reportedly
extinguishes the ability to change BD
regions. You might mention that fact. In
addition, my Sherwood seems to have
problems with playing 1080i/50 BDs on
the same monitor that the Momitsu can.
Although the Momitsu and Sherwood
remotes look to be identical except for
the logo, the Sherwood remote cannot be
used to change the region code on the
Momitsu and vice versa, even accounting
for the difference between the 799 and
899 codes. A second after the 6th digit
is entered with the incorrect remote, a
red "no" circle appears in the top right
corner of the screen. In all other
aspects the remotes are interchangeable."
(thanks Bob!) _______________________________________________________ ADDITION
-March 25th, 2010 -"After having
downloaded and updated the latest
firmware update for the Sherwood
DBP-5004 (and subsequently replacing it
with the original firmware), I am unable
to recommend that purchasers of the
BDP-5004 install that new firmware.
Tom says in
email: "I
am at last able to confirm that the
Sherwood 5004 is a reliable Blu-Ray
player. It performs excellently and
exactly as described by Gary in the
review of the Momitsu 899. It appears
that the previous player that I received
was defective and Jeff Hipps at Sherwood
graciously provided me with a
replacement when I contacted him.
|
Andrew L. says in email:
...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. YouTube can be a great place to find tutorials for all kinds of topics including Blu-ray disc players and also to connect with other people who may have similar interests. YouTube channels offer a way to showcase videos and to have subscribers. Some people buy YouTube subscribers to help boost their numbers and attract more views to their movies.
Momitsu BDP-799 Region
Changing Instructions |
BDP-899 (modified) Region FREE Blu-ray player
REVIEW!
Momitsu BDP-899 Region Free review by
Gary Tooze
A REGION-FREE
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.
CLICK
LOGO TO ORDER
Rear panel
FULL PDF MANUAL AVAILABLE
HERE
What I did first:
•
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 the
menu 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)
Upconverts DVD for enhanced
picture quality
PIP
Multi file type support
USB
2.0
WHAT I LIKED
Plays every disc I have tried - any region
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'.
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."
YES
- it does play PAL extras on Blu-rays (example
Black Narcissus
and
Man on Wire)
NOTE:
It re-sets back to Blu-ray 'A' after being
shut-off and turned back-on.
SPECS:
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:
NOTE:
For further recommendations or possible 'negatives' see the points above under
"INPUT".
Regards,
Gary Tooze
ALL SOURCES CONFIRM THAT THE
Sherwood
BDP-5004 Blu-ray Disc Player AVAILABLE HERE
is a clone of the Region FREE Momitsu BDP -899
Blu-ray
player!
Other advertised features:
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.
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.
Playback Blu-Ray Disc, DVD,
VCD, CD, MP3, MP4, HD files
and JPEG Picture CD Media
formats
USB2.0 port for external
devices such as Card
Readers, USB Flash Drives,
or USB Hard Disks.
Blu-ray, any region or standard (PAL or NTSC) DVD
Model
BDP-899
Support Media
Compatible with BD-R/RE, BD-ROM,
DVD, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW,
DVD+RW, VCD, SVCD, CD-R, CD-RW,
CD-DA, CDI-digital, MP3 ISO, MP4
ISO
Support Video Format
BDMV, BDAV format, Xvid, MPEG1,
MPEG2 , MPEG4(AVI), MP4 HD,
WMV9, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF,
JPEG2000, GIF
Support Audio Format
PCM, MPEG 1, LAYER 1, LAYER 2 ,
MPEG3
TV System
NTSC/PAL (or PAL-M for Brazil)
TV System selectable.
Audio System
2 Channels Dolby Digital AC-3
and dts output
Audio DAC
96KHz/24-bit
Video D/A Converter
10 bit
Maximum HDMI Resolutions
1920x1080 Progressive
Video Output Terminals
NTSC/PAL 4:3, 16:9 Progressive
Scan.
Composite RCA output x1
S-Video x1
HDMI x1, support 480p, 720p,
1080i and 1080p output
Component (Y/Pb/Pr) x1, support
480p, 720p, 1080i output
Audio Output Terminals
Coaxial output x1
Optical digital output x1
Stereo audio RCA output x1
Video Input Terminals
Composite RCA x1
S-Video x1
Component (Y/Pb/Pr) x1
Audio Input Terminals
2ch Stereo audio RCA output
Network Terminals
1x 10/100M RJ45
Support Format
Audio Features
Dolby® : Yes, & Dolby® TrueHD
bitstream out over HDMI™ (V1.3)"
Dolby® Digital plus Decoding :
Yes
Dolby® TrueHD Decoding : Yes
dts® Decoding : Yes
dts® Output : Yes, & /DTS®-HD
bitstream out over HDMI™ (V1.3)"
LPCM : Yes (multi-channel
decoding): Yes (HDMI™ bitstream
out)
Dolby® True HD bitstream output
: Yes
dts® HD bitstream output : Yes
Video Features
BD-R/RE Read Compatibility : Yes
(BDMV & BDAV format)
BD-ROM : Yes
DVD+R Read Compatibility : Yes
DVD+RW Read Compatibility : Yes
DVD-R Read Compatibility : Yes
(Video Mode and VR Mode)
DVD-RW Read Compatibility : Yes
(Video Mode and VR Mode)
JPEG Playback : Yes|
Remote
Full Remote Control function
Power Requirement
AC 100V-240V +- 10% , 50/60 Hz,
20W.
Box Size
480mm(W) x 345mm(D) x 90mm(H)
Body Size
430mm(W) x 260mm(D) x 55mm(H)
Weight
3.4 Kg
Accessories
Remote Controller, RCA-RCA
Cable, Power Cord, Instruction
Manual
Operating Temperature
5 ~ 40°C
Operating Humidity
5 ~ 85%