"Sachi Noma" <snoma01@bigfoot.com> wrote in message news:<birokt$coo9k$1@ID-149597.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> 
> I am beginining to consider buying a region 1 DVD player in the US and bring
> it to Japan. This way it is guranteed that I can view The Sopranos.
> 
> Does anyone know whether a US DVD player would work in Japan provided I
> purchase the proper voltage converter. I assume there is no problem with
> frequencies difference like that of TV.
> 

A DVD player bought in the USA (region 1) will work perfectly well in
Japan, as long as you play region 1 discs on it. A power transformer
is cheap (around 2500 yens).

Points to consider:
- cost to carry back as luggage, or ship as parcel
- your US warranty most likely won't be honoured in Japan
- parts might be hard to find in Japan, unless the same model exists
on sale domestically (as a region 2)

The first day you want to play a region 2 DVD, you'll regret having
imported this region 1 deck. You'd be better off buying a region-free
deck, though there is a slight risk with compatibilty issues (software
issuers are trying to make their discs not play at all on a region
free machine).