Your experience with JPN/USA (Region A) Blu-Rays on your Europe/PAL (Region B) PS3?

[layzee]

If you've bought Region A (Japan/America) Blu-Ray discs before and you own a UK (Region B) PS3 console, what was your success rate?

Although America and Japan share the same region, I'm particularly interested in the Japanese Blu-Rays such as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete which I'm waiting for, and according to some sources on the internet, is region free.

Apparently, even if a Blu-Ray is marked Region A, there are cases where in reality, it is really Region Free/All (can be played on all PS3s). So in this case, I think it's similar to Xbox 360 games where it is up to the developer or publisher to determine the region coding of the media.

I currently own an Australian PS3 console (Region B) but might consider swapping to a US one.

[buster_broon]

Bought the 5 full metal alchemist brotherhood blu's but the last 3 where region specific

Unsure why they changed halfway through - maybe because the last 3 arnt available on blu-ray here

[Soundwave]

I actually find some US region free Blu-Rays don't like my UK PS3 so I have to use my US player for them.

The main culprits so far have been the Dragonball Z Kai discs & Devils Rejects.
All are region free according to the packaging but none play on PS3 I keep getting told they are incorrect region.

Yet some US region free play fine...Saw / Iron Man / TF2 & ALL UK bought region free play perfectly well.

It's all very strange indeed

Neil

[Sane]

I always use this handy site for info on regions.

[layzee]

I always use this handy site for info on regions.

Alright, I plugged the data into my spreadsheet and this is what I got:

Region A (USA, Japan, etc) Sample Size: 2897

Region Free: 64.48%
Region A: 32.34%
In-Dispute: 3.18%

Region B (UK, Australia, Europe, etc) Sample Size: 2404

Region Free: 62.10%
Region B: 25.80%
In-Dispute: 12.10%

Region C was not examined because the sample size is too small (20) and more importantly, because nobody including myself cares.

Blu-Ray discs that are classed as "in-dispute" means that there is something about them worth nothing. These include:

• Multi-disc sets where one or more discs are region-free while the rest are region-coded (and vice versa).
• Discs that are marked on the box as being a specific region or regions but in fact, is 100% region-free (and vice versa).
• Movies where earlier pressings are region-free while later pressings are region-coded (and vice versa).
• Other reasons not relating to the subject of region (e.g. Japan-region discs having no English subtitles, etc) but I put them under "In-Dispute" for ease of sorting and interpreting the data.

Conclusion: Assuming the data is correct, then any time one buys a brand new Blu-Ray disc, there is a 2 in 3 chance of it being region-free. This fact applies to both Region A and Region B discs.

[koopatroopa90]

When I do buy US blus I tend to just check what planetaxel or movietyme have them listed as being compatible with. Everything they've said is region free has worked in my UK PS3(s) inc Terminator 1, Simpsons season 20, Trading Places, Requiem for a Dream and Groundhog Day.