Best places to order DVDs online?

I’ve been hunting for the 1993 German war film *Stalingrad* for quite some time now, but it seems impossible to track down here in the States. I would appreciate it if someone could recommend a reliable online DVD retailer that can ship this title to me within the US at a reasonable price point. To be honest, I have never actually ordered anything online before, so any guidance or advice would be sincerely appreciated... 🙂

www.amazon.com

www.ebay.com

Chloe Patel65 said:www.amazon.com

www.ebay.com

Thanks... I'll take a look at those. 😉

By the way, has anyone here actually ordered DVDs online before? What was the total damage to your wallet, and how long did shipping actually take to arrive?

(Also, it’s a real joke that the movie is in German while most of these sites have it dubbed in English... I mean, give me a break, as if the SS is going to tell us what Americans want to hear 🙄
Looks like getting my hands on this is going to be quite the ordeal. 😁)

Wait a second... are you looking for the movie in German or with an English dub? If you're hunting for the German version, you might want to check out

www.amazon.com

I'm just not entirely sure if they take credit cards directly there...

Most newer TVs should work fine, but I only provided the EU addresses because that’s where the color standards and the codes actually line up perfectly.

But since you brought it up, you really have to watch out on eBay... those are private auctions, and sometimes people list American movies without being clear about it, though they usually mention it. Code RC 1.

Johnny said:That's exactly why any DVDs ordered from the US won't work once they get here. And then, of course, there's the whole issue of regional number...

But hey, there actually is a workaround for that! If you have a DVD playing on your computer—connected to your TV via the video output on your graphics card (you can technically do it without that, though it’s hardly worth borrowing a drive just to watch stuff on a monitor)—you can use some software to set whatever region you want, as many times as you need to...

And like Pesica mentioned, most newer devices are actually compatible with PAL, NTSC, and that third one, what was it called again? 😁

Thomas Mendoza5 said:If you’ve got a DVD player hooked up to your computer, and then run that through your graphics card to your TV—it works fine without it, but honestly, there's no point borrowing a standalone player just to watch stuff on a monitor—you can just use the software to set whatever region code you want... as many times as you need...

Have you given that a shot? I did... 😢, and you can swap the code five times, but once you hit that fifth one, it sticks. Mine locked me out at Code RC 1., so now I can only watch US or Canadian DVDs on my PC. 🙄

I guess I’m one of those weirdos who actually prefers watching movies on a computer rather than the big screen. It’s much easier on the eyes. Sure, I have a few US imports, but most of my collection is local...

Oh man, you poor thing, you're making such silly little mistakes 😁 😉

Look, when you’re switching things around using licensed software, you only get five attempts... and it actually shows you exactly how many tries you have left... For heaven's sake, didn't you notice it was telling you that you wouldn't be able to switch back to the US zone anymore? 😁

But hey, don't worry, you've still got your trusty little Ribek software 😉

The kind of software I'm talking about is designed to do things that might technically be "off-limits," but they're really intended for educational purposes 🙄 😉

Basically, we're talking about simple little hacker tools—super easy to use, and they let you change the region without any hassle at all...

For example, I personally use DVD Genie. Just look it up online and download it... I haven't fully mastered it yet since I haven't really needed to, but you just select which player you're using to watch your DVDs within the app, pick your zone, and you're good to go. No big deal!

Don't even get me started on the Genie! That was the very first thing I tried to do, and I nearly fried my player for good. I managed to limp it back to life somehow—honestly, I have no idea how I pulled it off—just enough to get the RC1 working again.
Then, being totally naive, I called up this computer repair shop to see if they could help me out. One of the techs there actually suggested that if I didn't mind risking the warranty, I should just download some Genie software from the web. Of course, I completely forgot that I'd already been through that nightmare once before.
The guy wouldn't let it go, though. He ended up testing it on his own PC at home, and he ran into the exact same disaster I did. He actually called me the next day in a total panic, telling me "don't you dare" try it.
After that, we tried to hunt down a player that came pre-decodered, but it’s like they don't even exist. At least, not around here in the States.
So, here I am, still stuck using my old American imports.
A standard player for the TV is usually decodered—it plays everything—but like I said, I'm not really a TV person. I have a massive collection of movies at home, but I haven't actually watched a single one of them yet. 😁
Only I could manage something like this...

Oh boy, 😁

But hey, there's still a glimmer of hope for you...

It’s actually pretty simple: just grab a TV tuner card, hook your TV—or even your DVD player—up to your computer, and then you can watch movies from a standard DVD player whenever the mood strikes you. 😁

And honestly, it feels like you're the only one who could make this such a struggle! 😉 😁

Once your computer’s DVD drive locks you out, you might as well accept your fate. You are essentially stuck watching only those specific titles that match the current region setting. In the old days, before you hit that five-attempt limit and found yourself permanently locked out, there was a way to bypass this—provided you were willing to hunt down what is known as "firmware" for your specific DVD-ROM drive. Let me try to break this down simply for you.
That "firmware" is actually just a modified—let's call it an unauthorized 🙂 little piece of software (which is what actually "manages" your hardware) designed to strip away those regional restrictions and make your PC completely region-free.
Whether this is even possible depends entirely on whether your specific drive—be it an LG, Samsung, Pioneer, or whatever else you have under the hood—has a compatible firmware update available; fortunately, for about 90% of models, you can find them online.
This "modification," intended to force the drive into a region-free state, usually involves deleting a specific file via a DOS prompt and replacing it with a new one. You can find step-by-step instructions for almost any model if you know where to look on the internet.
Honestly, you would have been better off calling a FRIEND who actually understands how this works rather than relying on the technicians at the big-box retailer where you bought the PC.
Personally, whenever I buy a new drive, I perform this little procedure immediately; it takes maybe ten or fifteen minutes and isn't exactly rocket science, but once it's done, the drive swallows every region without complaint.

As for ordering things online:
It seems to me that www.amazon.com remains one of the largest and most affordable options, while www.bn.com is also quite decent. For my own needs, I have frequently used www.dvd.com!
Regarding shipping speeds, my orders typically arrive within six or seven days, sometimes even as quickly as five. You can always opt for expedited services like Next Day Air if you are in a hurry, though the real bottleneck is often our domestic postal service.
In fact, it often feels like it takes twice as long for a package to reach you from a local hub than it does to arrive from across the country. Fortunately, we have companies like FedEx and UPS now, which handle these things much more efficiently when you use them. Just keep in mind that DVDs shipped from the US will be in a different region entirely! Though, why should anyone care anymore, given that Sony now manufactures DVD players with region-free capabilities built right in from the factory? 🙂

Once your PC's DVD drive locks you out, is there even any hope left? You’re essentially stuck staring at those specific titles you can actually access. Back in the day, before you hit that five-attempt limit and got locked out, you could bypass the restrictions if you had the right "firmware" for your specific drive. To put it simply,
that "firmware" is actually just a modified—let's call it an unauthorized 🙂 little bit of software that manages your hardware, designed to make your PC region-free.
Whether this works depends entirely on whether your specific drive—be it an LG, Samsung, or Pioneer, for instance—has a compatible firmware update available online; for about 90% of models, you can find it easily enough.
This "modification" usually involves deleting a specific file via a command prompt and replacing it with a new one. Most step-by-step instructions for every single model are readily available on the web.
Honestly, you would have been better off calling a FRIEND who actually understands this stuff rather than relying on the people at the big-box store where you bought the computer.
Personally, whenever I buy a new drive, I handle the modification myself in ten or fifteen minutes; it really isn't that complicated, and once it's done, it eats through every region without a fight.

As for ordering things online:
It seems to me that www.amazon.com is one of the largest and most affordable options, while www.bn.com is decent too. For my own needs, I’ve frequently used www.dvd.com!
Regarding shipping speeds, my orders usually arrive within six or seven days, sometimes even five. You can always opt for faster methods like Next Day Air if you're in a hurry, though the real bottleneck is often our local postal service.
In fact, it can sometimes take twice as long for a package to reach you from a local hub than it does to arrive from across the country. Fortunately, we have companies like FedEx and UPS now, which tend to resolve those delays quite efficiently when you use them. Just remember that DVDs shipped from the US will be in a different region! But then again, who really cares anymore, especially since Sony even manufactures players with region-free options built right in from the factory? 🙂

If you head over to Amazon.com, you can actually find a bundle
featuring both Stalingrad and Pretty Village, Pretty Flame (1996)

list Price: $49.98
Price: $44.98
You Save: $5.00 (10%)

Availability: Just a heads-up—titles sometimes go out of print or publishers simply run out of stock. If we run into any issues sourcing this particular title, we’ll be sure to let you know within 6 to 8 days.
This item is scheduled to arrive after December 24. For delivery after December 24, I’d definitely suggest opting for Free super Saver Shipping. Check the details here.

Edward Fisher3 said:It’s basically a lost cause now that your DVD drive (on the PC) is locked up... there's no fixing it. You're stuck just watching those specific DVD titles it's currently locked to! But back before you had that option to swap in a movie from any region (which then locks you out), you actually had to go out and find some special "firmware" for that specific DVD-ROM drive...

Man, if only someone had warned me... 🙄
The thing is, I ordered a pamphlet online, but what showed up was a DVD instead... and in all that shock, it never even crossed my mind to ask about a code. When I tried it out, the option to switch regions looked totally fine right there on the screen, but it never once mentioned that it would lock you out after the fifth attempt. Of course, I didn't think twice about it; I was just sitting there, naively marveling at how cool it was to be able to watch anything...
That little detail about being limited to five changes is buried way down in the "Help" menu, but who actually reads the help files when everything seems to be working perfectly? I only stumbled onto that after it already stopped working...
And just like that, I went and completely messed things up... 😁

You aren't the first to feel this way, nor will you be the last... 🙂