Samsung Hd860 Multi Region Code Free Hdmi Pal/ntsc DVD Player
Adequate for DVDs from other regions. Mediocre for HD image
Because I was in need of a multi-region DVD player for my European DVDs, I purchased this player. My additional requirement was that it had to up-convert to 1080i to display movies on my Philips LCD TV. The player easily recognizes PAL-formatted and other region DVDs, however, unlike the Toshiba SD-K850 HDMI DVD player I also have which up-converts to 1080i via HDMI or S-Video, the Samsung HD860 only allows up-converting through the HDMI interface. The result, unfortunately, is a softer image than the Toshiba unit can produce through its S-Video interface to the LCD TV, even after attempting to sharpen and tweak the image through Samsung's setting controls. I will keep the Samsung unit to support my current and future 'rest-of-world' DVD purchases, but for those videophiles who insist on superb image quality, I would recommend a multi-region Toshiba unit. Unfortunately the Amazon page for a multi-region, HDMI Toshiba unit currently displays a JVC unit. Hopefully this can be corrected.