I am going to Europe and need to know if my Pioneer DV-563A player, will work in Europe using 110-220V step down converter. (NTSC/PAL is not an issue, just the motor and spinning speed)
AlexKKK
Unregistered guest
Posted on
As long as the step down voltage is correct, the DVD should work. However, it may not decode DVD code from Europe region code and it may be necessary to unlock the code. Playing your US region coded DVD is no problem as it support both NTSC and PAL
The unit powers up and the on screen menu appears correctly. however, the disc does not apin. is it possible the drive motor expects 60Hz to operate ? I thought internally all HI-HI units use DC current.
Anonymous
Posted on
Hi. There can be a problem with power consumption. Do ou have any information about current supply for the DVD. Probably it has no current and thus can't turn on the motor. What type of converter you use? They should have max current or VA power limit. As far as I understand DVD may need about 1-2A current so your converter must be 200-300W
Check the owner manual. "Universal" power inputs are becoming more common, and have become almost standard with computers. The difference is both voltage and line frequency. N. America is 110-120 V, 60 Hz; Europe 220-240 V, 50 Hz. If the power input on your Denon is not universal, there are many transformers to choose from; you can buy one before you leave, or when you get there (probably better; they are heavy).
The physical shape of the mains plug and the socket also varies within Europe, and the EU wants everything to be moulded on, ostensibly to prevent people fiddling around and electrocuting themselves, but I suspect it has to do with territories, like DVD regionalisation. But it is very easy to cut off a plug, buy a replacement, and fit it. Chances are you will do a better job, anyway.
So that bit depends on which country.
There is also an established and weird European standard for analogue video out, called "SCART" or "Europlug". With modern TVs etc., however, the chances are you can connect a US player to a Euro TV by any number of other routes, from composite, through S-video, and component, up to DVI and HDMI.
Then there is the video format. PAL is the European standard, and you can usually select between that and NTSC, or select "auto detect". In practice, an NTSC disc plays OK on a PAL system, in most cases. I understand it often does not work the other way.
For DVD-V you also have this stupid business of "regions". Moving from US to Europe, you are moving from DVD "region 1" to "region 2". For some reason, recording companies do not want Europeans to be able to play DVDs purchased in N. America, so there is a piece of code on most DVD-V discs which has to be matched by a firmware/software code in the player. If you rent/buy DVD discs in Europe they may not play on your machine - check the manual. The Pioneer should be OK, and, if it is not already "universal", should be fixable at small cost. If it is new, ask you dealer. Some companies e.g. Warner are implementing new ways to block universal players from playing region 1 DVDs. So much for free trade. I think we should all make life as difficult for those guys as possible.
Apart from those considerations, I think the playback inside the machine does not know or care what the line voltage/frequency is - by the time you get into the drive mechanism, it has its own power supply, coming from the internal power supply board.
I tried a transformer rated at 100W, since the unit has a specification of 14W, so I thought that would be plenty. I also have a 500W transformer. would it make a difference ?
I do not see where you are starting from. You are presently running a N. American player on N. American line voltage. Correct? So how do you use the transformer? Or, have you already moved?
BTW How do you know the disk is not spinning? You can't see it? What does the DVD player writes on it's LCD. Do you get a picture from DVD. While disk is not inside it should provide some static picture. As for transformer I think you have the good one especially if the eject is working properly.
I figured out the disk is not spinning after I noticed the disk label comes out exactly as it was when the tray closed. Also there was no spinnig noise at all. The LCD says "Loading" for a few seconds and then "No Disc". It behaves exactly the same if I close the tray with no disc inside. The TV screen does get the setup screen, and I can go through the video setup process using the remote control.
AlexKKK
Unregistered guest
Posted on
it appears that the spin motor may be out of order. nothing to do with the transformer.
Is the spin motor related to the laser lense, or is it a part that can be replaced on its own ? Should this motor be costly to replace ? and what are my chances to find this kind of motor in Europe ? Should it be the exact Pioneer part or a generic part will do ?
Anonymous
Posted on
I just bought a pioneer dv563a and wanted to make it region free. Can I?
I sent the Pioneer DV-563A back for a refund. I had a local technician look at it and was told the laser assembly was faulty. I am now thinking of getting either Denon DVD-2200 or Marantz DV6400. any thoughts ? Does anyone think a US DVD player will not work with a step down transformer in Europe ?
Make sure it plays both PAL and NTSC video formats. If you have to choose one, choose PAL, because NTSC discs play OK on a PAL machine in most cases, but not the other way around.