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Unlike DVD's which were all region coded many US Blu Ray films do not have any such restrictions and play perfectly in any European Blu Ray players and of course PS3 consoles.
There is a sort of unwritten guide as to which studio's lock their titles and which do not.Up to now,the early supporters of the failed HD DVD format (Warner,Dreamworks,Paramount,Universal) did not lock their titles but the studios which backed Blu Ray (Fox,Walt Disney/Buena Vista) usually did.Recently though this 'rule' has been turned on its head.Paramount recently locked their first title 'CSI Season One' while Walt Disney released 'A Bugs Life' (which currently does not have a Region B release date) free of region protection.
If you only own a UK Region B player I would strongly recommend checking out the the sites below as they constantly update their information.
Movietyme's Blog
DVD World USA Blu Ray List
Blu Ray Code Info
If you are lucky enough to own a player which can play all regions this is not an issue but it is worth remembering that a US Region A locked title is much harder to sell on than a Region Free one.
Also VAT & Import duty may apply if ordering titles worth over £18 in value.For this reason I would recommend using UK based Movietyme.com,DVDWorldUSA.com and Canadian based Axelmusic.com.Although based in Canada Axelmusic ship items in bulk to Europe (with VAT pre-paid) where they are then shipped to the individuals who ordered them.
Finally there is one little thing which you may or may not be aware of.The Canadian versions of some films may not necessarily be the same as their US counterparts.There are some US discs which are listed as Region Free on the lists above but their Canadian versions are not.This is due to different studio's owning the rights to the same film.Canadian disc's are usually a couple of pounds cheaper than their US counterparts but come with half English/half French text on the disc and cover.PlayUSA (a division of play.com) sell Canadian product so be sure the disc is the same as the US version before ordering from them.Axelmusic (who are based in Canada) clearly mark US and Canadian product.
Once you have decided on a disc you would like to import check the price between the retailers I have mentioned (and any others you may wish to use) as prices can vary considerably between them.I would also recommend Movietyme's new UK3D service,this a 3 day delivery option from the US and covers most new and popular titles.Movietyme also take Paypal for payment,although they do charge a small fee for this.I have found this to be a useful option when I have spare funds on my account.
Some films are available on import much earlier than their UK releases.Some recent examples include 'Let The Right One In' and 'The Uninvited' which I had both before they had hit UK cinemas.Both titles were also very easy to sell on (as they were both Region Free) and I sold them both for around £2 less than I paid for them.I consider that in effect I only really rented them.
Hope this guide helps any members who had not considered importing US Blu Rays but may wish to consider it in the future.
There is a sort of unwritten guide as to which studio's lock their titles and which do not.Up to now,the early supporters of the failed HD DVD format (Warner,Dreamworks,Paramount,Universal) did not lock their titles but the studios which backed Blu Ray (Fox,Walt Disney/Buena Vista) usually did.Recently though this 'rule' has been turned on its head.Paramount recently locked their first title 'CSI Season One' while Walt Disney released 'A Bugs Life' (which currently does not have a Region B release date) free of region protection.
If you only own a UK Region B player I would strongly recommend checking out the the sites below as they constantly update their information.
Movietyme's Blog
DVD World USA Blu Ray List
Blu Ray Code Info
If you are lucky enough to own a player which can play all regions this is not an issue but it is worth remembering that a US Region A locked title is much harder to sell on than a Region Free one.
Also VAT & Import duty may apply if ordering titles worth over £18 in value.For this reason I would recommend using UK based Movietyme.com,DVDWorldUSA.com and Canadian based Axelmusic.com.Although based in Canada Axelmusic ship items in bulk to Europe (with VAT pre-paid) where they are then shipped to the individuals who ordered them.
Finally there is one little thing which you may or may not be aware of.The Canadian versions of some films may not necessarily be the same as their US counterparts.There are some US discs which are listed as Region Free on the lists above but their Canadian versions are not.This is due to different studio's owning the rights to the same film.Canadian disc's are usually a couple of pounds cheaper than their US counterparts but come with half English/half French text on the disc and cover.PlayUSA (a division of play.com) sell Canadian product so be sure the disc is the same as the US version before ordering from them.Axelmusic (who are based in Canada) clearly mark US and Canadian product.
Once you have decided on a disc you would like to import check the price between the retailers I have mentioned (and any others you may wish to use) as prices can vary considerably between them.I would also recommend Movietyme's new UK3D service,this a 3 day delivery option from the US and covers most new and popular titles.Movietyme also take Paypal for payment,although they do charge a small fee for this.I have found this to be a useful option when I have spare funds on my account.
Some films are available on import much earlier than their UK releases.Some recent examples include 'Let The Right One In' and 'The Uninvited' which I had both before they had hit UK cinemas.Both titles were also very easy to sell on (as they were both Region Free) and I sold them both for around £2 less than I paid for them.I consider that in effect I only really rented them.
Hope this guide helps any members who had not considered importing US Blu Rays but may wish to consider it in the future.
Just got the US version of 'A Bugs Life' and the picture is incredible,one the very best transfers I've seen.Some films are not worth the extra money to get the Blu Ray version over the DVD IMO,especially if you own a high end upscaling DVD player.But this disc is amazing and at the moment it there is no Region B release date for it.As mentioned it is region free and will play in any Blu Ray player.A totally recommended release and a great film as well.
Unlike DVD's which were all region coded many US Blu Ray films do not have any such restrictions and play perfectly in any European Blu Ray players and of course PS3 consoles.
There is a sort of unwritten guide as to which studio's lock their titles and which do not.Up to now,the early supporters of the failed HD DVD format (Warner,Dreamworks,Paramount,Universal) did not lock their titles but the studios which backed Blu Ray (Fox,Walt Disney/Buena Vista) usually did.Recently though this 'rule' has been turned on its head.Paramount recently locked their first title 'CSI Season One' while Walt Disney released 'A Bugs Life' (which currently does not have a Region B release date) free of region protection.
If you only own a UK Region B player I would strongly recommend checking out the the sites below as they constantly update their information.
Movietyme's Blog
DVD World USA Blu Ray List
Blu Ray Code Info
If you are lucky enough to own a player which can play all regions this is not an issue but it is worth remembering that a US Region A locked title is much harder to sell on than a Region Free one.
Also VAT & Import duty may apply if ordering titles worth over £18 in value.For this reason I would recommend using UK based Movietyme.com,DVDWorldUSA.com and Canadian based Axelmusic.com.Although based in Canada Axelmusic ship items in bulk to Europe (with VAT pre-paid) where they are then shipped to the individuals who ordered them.
Finally there is one little thing which you may or may not be aware of.The Canadian versions of some films may not necessarily be the same as their US counterparts.There are some US discs which are listed as Region Free on the lists above but their Canadian versions are not.This is due to different studio's owning the rights to the same film.Canadian disc's are usually a couple of pounds cheaper than their US counterparts but come with half English/half French text on the disc and cover.PlayUSA (a division of play.com) sell Canadian product so be sure the disc is the same as the US version before ordering from them.Axelmusic (who are based in Canada) clearly mark US and Canadian product.
Once you have decided on a disc you would like to import check the price between the retailers I have mentioned (and any others you may wish to use) as prices can vary considerably between them.I would also recommend Movietyme's new UK3D service,this a 3 day delivery option from the US and covers most new and popular titles.Movietyme also take Paypal for payment,although they do charge a small fee for this.I have found this to be a useful option when I have spare funds on my account.
Some films are available on import much earlier than their UK releases.Some recent examples include 'Let The Right One In' and 'The Uninvited' which I had both before they had hit UK cinemas.Both titles were also very easy to sell on (as they were both Region Free) and I sold them both for around £2 less than I paid for them.I consider that in effect I only really rented them.
Hope this guide helps any members who had not considered importing US Blu Rays but may wish to consider it in the future.
There is a sort of unwritten guide as to which studio's lock their titles and which do not.Up to now,the early supporters of the failed HD DVD format (Warner,Dreamworks,Paramount,Universal) did not lock their titles but the studios which backed Blu Ray (Fox,Walt Disney/Buena Vista) usually did.Recently though this 'rule' has been turned on its head.Paramount recently locked their first title 'CSI Season One' while Walt Disney released 'A Bugs Life' (which currently does not have a Region B release date) free of region protection.
If you only own a UK Region B player I would strongly recommend checking out the the sites below as they constantly update their information.
Movietyme's Blog
DVD World USA Blu Ray List
Blu Ray Code Info
If you are lucky enough to own a player which can play all regions this is not an issue but it is worth remembering that a US Region A locked title is much harder to sell on than a Region Free one.
Also VAT & Import duty may apply if ordering titles worth over £18 in value.For this reason I would recommend using UK based Movietyme.com,DVDWorldUSA.com and Canadian based Axelmusic.com.Although based in Canada Axelmusic ship items in bulk to Europe (with VAT pre-paid) where they are then shipped to the individuals who ordered them.
Finally there is one little thing which you may or may not be aware of.The Canadian versions of some films may not necessarily be the same as their US counterparts.There are some US discs which are listed as Region Free on the lists above but their Canadian versions are not.This is due to different studio's owning the rights to the same film.Canadian disc's are usually a couple of pounds cheaper than their US counterparts but come with half English/half French text on the disc and cover.PlayUSA (a division of play.com) sell Canadian product so be sure the disc is the same as the US version before ordering from them.Axelmusic (who are based in Canada) clearly mark US and Canadian product.
Once you have decided on a disc you would like to import check the price between the retailers I have mentioned (and any others you may wish to use) as prices can vary considerably between them.I would also recommend Movietyme's new UK3D service,this a 3 day delivery option from the US and covers most new and popular titles.Movietyme also take Paypal for payment,although they do charge a small fee for this.I have found this to be a useful option when I have spare funds on my account.
Some films are available on import much earlier than their UK releases.Some recent examples include 'Let The Right One In' and 'The Uninvited' which I had both before they had hit UK cinemas.Both titles were also very easy to sell on (as they were both Region Free) and I sold them both for around £2 less than I paid for them.I consider that in effect I only really rented them.
Hope this guide helps any members who had not considered importing US Blu Rays but may wish to consider it in the future.