How to convert my Philips DVP5990 to play PAL?

maybe is the problem of format not matched.
you can use a avi to DVD video converter,that must be played on the DVD player.
i have used a DVD creator for long,you may have a try of this one.

FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTION IT WILL MAKE YOUR DVD FULLY MULTI REGIONAL
1) OPEN TRAY
2) PRESS DISPLAY
3)ENTER 9,9,9,9 AND THEN 0 FOR MULTIREGION ON THE REMOTE
4) CLOSE TRAY

JOB DONE .....

what error does it give? mine reads avis fine, as long as theyre within resolution limits. same for windows media format. couldnt get the mkv files to work though. the usb drive has to be formatted fat32, ntfs does not seem to work. burning these files to dvd as a data disc is another option. lets you fit 10+ hours of video on the disc vs your standard 2 or 4 hour max limits.

default passwd. is 136900

the DVD player wont play MP4s that the ipod uses you have to have them in an avi format in order for it to work... FYI it won't play m4a as well

You may have probably turned on Closed Caption on your TV. Unhook the DVD player to find out if it disappears. If it disappears then Closed Caption is on on your TV. Turn off Closed Caption. If cannot find how, give me the brand and model of your TV.

You might have created a data cd, dvd player normally don't support data cd. If that is not the case then you the file format is not support by your dvd player.

You would have to search for a software to convert the file to the format supported by your dvd player. and write it on the disc again.

In order to have access to the Preference screen, you need to have the CD tray closed with NO DVD/CD in it. If you have a CD or DVD loaded in the tray, the Preference menu is disabled.

Unlock procedure..

press Setup
select the Preference Tab
Press 1,3,8,9,3,1
Press up/down key to select "0"
and hit menu to exit.

Enjoy..

First I recommend that you upgrade the factory firmware to the latest version. The current version is .31 and available here. Click "I accept" to accept the license agreement and start the download. Open the zip file and burn the file named DVP5990_37.bin to a CD. Put the CD in the DVD player and it will begin the upgrade and open the DVD tray. Remove the CD but leave the DVD tray in the open position. After just under 10 minutes (6-8) the DVD player will report that the update was successful and close the DVD tray. Press the setup button, go to preferences scroll down the choices (past the bottom of the screen) and select reset to default values. The player will reboot.

Next press Setup
select the Preference menu
Press 1,3,8,9,3,1 on the remote control.
Use the up/down arrows to select region "0" which means all regions.

If you ever get a disc that won't play correctly due to a region error, just use the code above to select the correct region for the disc and you will still be able to play it.

This is not a converting unit, it will play the format of the tape inside. To convert the signal you need one of the following:

1) A converting VHS player; they are fairly expensive.
2) A separate video converter (hardware); they run for about $200-$500; just put this between your VCR and the TV.
3) Capture the PAL on your computer using a software like Movie Maker via a Firewire cable. Than convert it to NTSC on your machine using software like Nero... do a search on Google for converting software. Or just watch it on our computer in PAL format, most computers do that... For this step I use a separate camcoder that has a passthrough feature. The VCR connects to it and the camcorder connects to the computer via Firewire.
4) send the PAL tape to a specialized shop for conversion. They normally charge $30-$40 for a regular 2h VHS tape.