How To Watch Italian DVDs In The US
How to Watch an Italian DVD Overseas
An Italian DVD
In order to play these rare titles in a U.S. DVD player and on a U.S. television, the unit must perform two crucial functions.
First, the unit must perform a "PAL to NTSC conversion" if the disc is from a country, such as Italy, with the PAL video standard. There are many DVD players with this feature, but beware of more cheaply made players from companies such as Apex and Cyberhome that are prone to breaking down after only a few months of use. Some of the very best, durable DVD players with this feature are units manufactured by Toshiba. But PAL conversion is only half of the problem.
The DVD player or the DVD movie itself must also be region-free. There are 6 DVD regions for different parts of the world and players bought in one certain region are only supposed to play DVDs from that same region. The U.S., for example, is Region 1, whereas Italy is Region 2, and Region 2 discs will not play in a Region 1 player. Unless - ironically enought - you buy the bootlegged DVDs widely available from street vendors. These DVD movies do not have a regional code and you can find them in all the major towns in Italy. However, there is no guarantee that these DVD movies will perform correctly and lots of them do have problems therefore they are not suggested. Official (original) DVD movies are getting cheaper with time starting at 5 Euros each for old Toto movies and some special offers can be found at the news paper stand.
Region Free DVD Players:
The best solution is to buy a region-free (or code free) DVD player. These days a DVD player costs less than the average dinner at a restaurant - this should not break your bank. Region free DVD payers are somewhat more expensive, (ok dinner for two) but still quite cheap.
Big box stores like BestBuy or your local DVD store will not sell region free DVDs, try ebay for example and you will have plenty to choose from.
