I really need to get a region free DVD player and a PAL to NTSC converter.
For less than $50, you can do the same thing with a Philips model
DVP642 or
DVP5140. They both have a built-in PAL/NTSC converter and you can go to
http://videohelp.com/ to get the conversion codes for them; which is a simple 5 digit code you can enter from the remote to make the player region free. Other Philips models will work as well.