Last week I went to Madrid's FNAC store downtown on Calle Preciados (basement level) and bought the Sunstech DVD player after the tip from member madridmadridmadrid. And thank goodness too because I'd been frustrated not being able to watch the small library (30 or so) of DVD movies I'd brought with me from the USA.

For the record, Europe and Spain operates on the PAL signal/system; a region-specific coding for DVD movies discs, VHS video tapes, and DVD and VHS players. USA, Canada, and North America, on the other hand, operates on the NTSC signal/system.


I went to FNAC last Monday and the salesperson there told me the only Multi-Region DVD player they carried was the Sunstech but they were sold out and to come back on Wednesday. I found myself downtown again on Tuesday and decided to pop in.

When I got there they had TWO multi-region Sunstech models; the DVP-MX120 (44€) & the DVP-MX260 (55€).

After inspecting the specifications for both I opted for the 55€ model simply because it had a few things the 44€ model did not; progressive scan, DTS Digital Out, and a USB input port on the front (although I'm still not sure what that's for, maybe to hook-up a digital camera or other video device).

I've had it for less than a week but am already pretty happy with it - what can you expect for 55€, right? I get it home, it had an English and Spanish instruction booklet, cables, and remote control. Frankly, I'm SHOCKED they can sell these things so cheaply! And if it's so cheap, why can't ALL brands carry this multi-region function (although, in reality, it's really only DUAL-region since it only handles PAL & NTSC regions) as standard? It's my impression that Sunstech is a lower-tier-quality name brand although this is just my impression only due to their price point and lack of major advertising campaigns.

Criticisms would include: a rather low-quality, yet functional remote control (you often have to push buttons several times before it actually does what you want it to do, like the PAUSE button), the disc tray is REALLY flimsy and almost seems to sag when the tray is ejected awaiting a disc un/load. The player's digital display is small and certainly cannot be read from the sofa. Also, there's no clock - not that I could read that from the sofa either.

Praises would include: the player's very thin, narrow, & light, making stacking ontop of other things easy. It was cheap! And it played my USA-bought DVDs without hesitation, in perfect format and color. It also plays all formats including MPEG4, DVD, CD, CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, JPEG, WMA, and MP3 (but these are all pretty standard these days for DVD players). Anyway, it all works fine and that's what's most important.

Yes, there are more criticisms than praises but what can you expect for 55€ (or 44€ for the cheaper model which probably is exactly the same). If the machine will last 3 years (like for madridmadridmadrid) I'll not only be suprised but also feel fortunate!

Now I can easily watch all my US-bought movies, Spanish movies in NTSC (USA) coding format, as well as the complete set of " Seinfeld " and nearing-to-complete set of " The Andy Griffith Show ". :jump:

See the image of my player below (model DVPO-MX260)



Saludos, MadridMan

Thank you MM, for the review of your new dual DVD player. We have been searching for years so we can bring back movies for us and now for our daughter to get an ear for Castellano. Also, we are unable to send DVD-R to my in-laws of their beautiful granddaughter because nothing was compatible to play it on.
I think 55 euros is very reasonable and the pro's (basically-playback is the best pro) would be worth it.....
Will look for this product at FNAC when we go in July......

no its chinese the same makers of cyberhome in Guanghao province. I use to distribute them in latin america!

Just so you know, I'm on my fourth Chinese DVD player in so many years. I keep buying them because, as you've experienced, they are cheap and have what I need- dual everything. The comparable European models are 4+x the price and I'm not sure how long they last. I finally broke down and bought the fourth Chinese one because I thought about it as basically the cost of two movie tickets or 2 DVDs. It does, however, kill me to throw them in the recycling. I hope your brand proves to be a longer lasting product.

laduque, (unless I misunderstood) if you plan to buy this product for your Spain-based in-laws, that's great. But if you plan to buy one for yourself and take it back with you keep in mind that the power supply is different so you won't easily be able to use this product in the United States.

Yesterday, I found two Multi-Zone DVD players on www.Amazon.com : a Pioneer DV-393-S Multi-Zone Region Free DVD Player for $78 and a Toshiba Sd-3990 Divx Multi Region Code Free Multi Zone Pal/ntsc DVD Player for $79. Both would be better options IN the USA than buyng one in Spain and taking it back home. Still, the packaging/box of the product is very small, smaller than a laptop computer bag, and has a plastic carrying handle.

nevado, is there some way to recycle such electronics other than putting them in the metals/plastics recycling bin? I had an old coffee maker which I was throwing out and wasn't sure what to do with it. Maybe this would be a good thread unto itself someday.

Anyway, I'm happy, so far, to have this dual-region DVD player. It's such a thrill popping in the DVD and having it work instantaneously. Before, I had used a "hack" on a Samsung DVD player to make it pseudo-region-free and it never really worked well most of the time on my NTSC DVDs. Let's see if this one lasts. But as nevado said above, for 55€ they can be replaced more-or-less easily and affordably. I think I'd still be happy to pay, say, 200€ for a good one and expect it last, hopefully, for 4 or 5 years.

Thanks again, madridmadridmadrid!!!!!!

Saludos, MadridMan

Glad it is working out. I bought a nice Sony DVD player a few years ago and it died a year after I bought it, so you never know. I think you can put out old appliances on those days (every six months or so) when they come around to pick up bulk stuff like furniture and they will (theoretically) be disposed of properly.

Thanks MM, I forgot about the power outlet thing. Thanks for looking on Amazon, we will definitely check that out and get back to this thread when we invest in one.

You know you can get "codes" to unlock your DVD player? I did it on mine & now I can play ALL the regions.

Vegas baby, yeah, I know you can get "codes". I did this for my Samsung and it never really worked well after that, not playing DVDs at all most of the time. I wanted something "factory made" to accept rather than something that might or might not work half of the time.

Saludos, MadridMan

If anyone is interested, I posted the recycling procedures for Madrid in the "about spain" section.