Customer Reviews

ALL REGION CODEFREE - PHILIPS DVP 5990 HI-DEF 1080P UPCONVERTING DVD PLAYER. PLAYS DVDS FROM ANY COUNTRY ON AMERICAN TVS. REMOTE INCLUDED.

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am writing this short "review"--let's call it a Public Service Announcement--so you can make your Philips DVP5990 DVD player Region-Free. This works with either suffix (DVP5990/F7 or DVP5990/37) and probably any other variation; perhaps these denote what retail channel the box was sold through, or maybe it is simply a firmware reference. In any case, I will not elaborate on the technical aspects of this model, other than to say it is already a great value for the fifty to sixty dollars it usually sells for. I also cannot speak to the virtues of any particular vendor here, but whatever you do, DO NOT pay a premium to some company for a "Region-Free" DVP5990, because all they will be doing is what I tell you below. (Or, as at least one person has reported, you might pay more simply to get a piece of paper with the same instructions to do it yourself!)

This unit is HDMI-compatible and even includes a USB port on the front panel. It also plays just about everything and that's even before you make it region-free. Although the manufacturer will not admit it, the hardware in these DVD players is manufactured to play all regions, and a (very flimsy) layer of protection is then added depending on where the product will be sold. USA = Region 1, Europe = Region 2, etc.

Many DVD players can be easily returned to the default Region 0 (= PLAY ALL) setting simply by entering a hidden code on the remote, and this DVP5990 is no exception. I will make it super easy for you below. Make sure the DVD tray is empty before you start. And obviously you will need a non-Region 1 DVD to actually test that it works in the end.

(Step 0: Turn on the DVD player but make sure the tray is empty, i.e., don't put a disc in.)
1. Press "Setup" on the remote.
2. Using the right arrow (">") on the remote, move over to "Preference Page". You do not need to push "OK".
(Please note that if a disc is in, you will not be allowed to access the the "Preference" menu.)
3. Press 1,3,8,9,3,1 in that exact order on remote. (Again, you do not need to push "OK".)
4. Region Code screen will be displayed. (It will almost certainly show Region 1, unless someone has already made the change for you.) Press the up arrow ("^") once to select "0".
5. Press "Setup" on the remote.

I suggest to repeat Steps 1 through 3 to confirm region setting.

Congratulations, you now have a region-free player as it was designed in the Philips factory! You can now play discs from around the world, many of which are cheaper or quite simply available for sale when other versions are not. Wouldn't it be nice if everything in life were this easy?

P.S. Same code works for many models across the Philips range.


[DISCLAIMER: Whether or not you believe the scare tactics that this may void your warranty is up to you. And don't mess about with other settings unless you feel comfortable doing so.]

this player has opened up possibilities of use I haven't had before in other players. It plays everything I put into it: foreign films bought overseas, dvd's from different regions, cd's, mp3 discs and whatever else I burn from my computer! even pictures, I just burn whatever I want onto a blank disc from computer and it plays on my tv. the clarity is rich, even on the old tv I hooked it up to, and the controller wand is so simple and basic i can use it in the dark without any thought.

This item arrived and played my PAL DVD's fine. When I put in a Region 2 DVD from Japan it gave me a region code error. With a little searching on the web and in another review posted here, I was able to get the crack to get into the sub menu to make it region 0. So far its working for all my DVD's But I still need to try a few others.

We've just returned to the US after living overseas and bought this DVD player in order to play the DVD's we acquired in Europe. Tried unsuccessfully to set it up to play non-US DVD's. When I called Philips, I was told that they do not make or sell multi-region or code-free DVD players and this one will NOT WORK AS MARKETED. DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU EXPECT TO PLAY DVD'S FIRST PLAYED IN OTHER REGIONS.

Player performed as advertised. I am now happily playing all regions, PAL/NTSC, AVIs and MP3s. A good price for the features.

Works great. However when it goes standby, and the play button is pushed the video/audio cables need to be installed again.

I have purchased other "all region" DVD players that actually were not; until you researched how to enter special codes & etc. This Phillips player is actually all region. I play DVDs from Australia on it.
The remote and features are all straight forward. The only reason I did not give it all 5 stars was it is slow to start up & load. Otherwise it is a very good machine, especially for the price.

Buy this! This is an amazing DVD player which plays all of my DVDs from France, Great Britian, Italy. It arrived so fast around Christmas that I could not believe it was actually here. I could not believe my eyes when I connected a flash drive to the usb plug in the front of the unit and my movie started playing the most clear crisp picture.

I just received the code free dvd player- super fast by the way and I live on the west coast- and it is PERFECT. I hooked it up, put in a german dvd and it worked right away. No extra coverter box needed, no resetting the code and a beautifully clear picture. The price is great also. Unfortunately I just spend a FORTUNE on the amazon marketplace for a samsung "code free" dvd player that came with a converter box, cost 5 times as much (seriously) and doesn't work as well. Yes, I was had.... Bottom line, you can't go wrong with this product and Phillips is a good brand in any case.

This DVD player was exactly what I was looking for. Plays DVDs from other countries with ease after you conclude the initial region free setup (a document with the steps was the first thing I saw when I opened the box). Absolutely no problems with this item.