DVD Region

DVD (digital versatile disc) region codes are a digital rights management technique designed to allow rights holders to control the international distribution of a DVD release, including its content, release date, and price, all according to the appropriate region. This is achieved by way of region-lockedDVD players, which will play back only DVDs encoded to their region (plus those without any region code). The American DVD Copy Control Association also requires that DVD player manufacturers incorporate the regional-playback control (RPC) system. However, region-free DVD players, which ignore region coding, are also commercially available,^[1] and many DVD players can be modified to be region-free, allowing playback of all discs.^[2] DVDs may use one code, multiple codes (multi-region), or all codes (region free).

Region codes and countries[edit]

Any combination of regions can be applied to a single disc. For example, a DVD designated Region 2/4 is suitable for playback in Europe, Latin America, Oceania, and any other Region 2 or Region 4 area. So-called "Region 0" and "ALL" discs are meant to be playable worldwide. The term "Region 0" also describes the DVD players designed or modified to incorporate Regions 1–8, thereby providing compatibility with most discs, regardless of region. This apparent solution, known as "Regional Coding Enhancement" (RCE), was popular in the early days of the DVD format, but studios quickly responded by adjusting discs to refuse to play in such machines.

DVDs sold in the Baltic states use both region 2 and 5 codes, having previously been in region 5 (due to their history as part of the USSR) but EU single market law concerning the free movement of goods caused a switch to region 2. European region 2 DVDs may be sub-coded "D1" to "D4". "D1" are the UK only releases; "D2" and "D3" are not sold in the UK and Ireland; "D4" are distributed throughout Europe. Overseas territories of the United Kingdom and France (both in region 2) often have other regions (4 or 5, depending on geographical situation) than their homelands.

Most DVDs sold in Mexico and the rest of Latin America carry both region 1 and 4 codes.

Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa are in DVD region 2, while all other African countries are in region 5, but all African countries are in the same Blu-ray region code (region B).

North Korea and South Korea have different DVD region codes (North Korea: region 5, South Korea: region 3), but use the same Blu-ray region code (region A). In China, two DVD region codes are used: Mainland China uses region 6, but Hong Kong and Macau use region 3. There are also two Blu-ray regions used: Mainland China uses region C, but Hong Kong and Macau use region A. Most DVDs in India combine the region 2, region 4, and region 5 codes, or are region 0.

Region-code enhanced[edit]

Region-code enhanced, also known as just "RCE" or "REA",^[3] was a retroactive attempt to prevent the playing of one region's discs in another region, even if the disc was played in a region-free player. The scheme was deployed on only a handful of discs. The disc contained the main program material region coded as region 1. But it also contained a short video loop of a map of the world showing the regions, which was coded as region 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The intention was that when the disc was played in a non-region 1 player, the player would default to playing the material for its native region. This played the aforementioned video loop of a map, which was impossible to escape from, as the user controls were disabled.

The scheme was fundamentally flawed, as a region-free player tries to play a disc using the last region that worked with the previously inserted disc. If it cannot play the disc, then it tries another region until one is found that works. RCE could be defeated by briefly playing a "normal" region 1 disc, and then inserting the RCE protected region 1 disc, which would now play. RCE caused a few problems with genuine region 1 players.

Many "multi-region" DVD players defeated regional lockout and RCE by automatically identifying and matching a disc's region code or allowing the user to manually select a particular region.^[4][5] Some manufacturers of DVD players now freely supply information on how to disable regional lockout, and on some recent models, it appears to be disabled by default.^[6][7]Computer programs such as DVD Shrink, Digiarty WinX DVD Ripper Platinum can make copies of region-coded DVDs without RCE restriction.

Purpose[edit]

One purpose of region coding is controlling release dates. A practice of movie marketing threatened by the advent of digital home video is to release a movie to cinemas, and then for general sale, later in some countries than in others. This is common partly because releasing a movie at the same time worldwide used to be prohibitively expensive. For example, a physical film copy for a cinema is expensive and the most copies are required for the first weeks after release, so a spread release allows for reuse of some copies in other regions. Videotapes were inherently regional since formats had to match those of the encoding system used by television stations in that particular region, such as NTSC and PAL, although from early s PAL machines increasingly offered NTSC playback. DVDs are less restricted in this sense, and region coding allows movie studios to better control the global release dates of DVDs.

Also, the copyright in a title may be held by different entities in different territories. Region coding enables copyright holders to (attempt to) prevent a DVD from a region from which they do not derive royalties from being played on a DVD player inside their region. Region coding attempts to dissuade importing of DVDs from one region into another.

PAL/SECAM vs. NTSC[edit]

DVDs are also formatted for use on two conflicting regional television systems: i/60&#;Hz and i/50&#;Hz, which in analog contexts are often referred to as /60 (NTSC) and /50 (PAL/SECAM) respectively. Strictly speaking, PAL and SECAM are analog color television signal formats which have no relevance in the digital domain (as evident in the conflation of PAL and SECAM, which are actually two distinct analog color systems). However, the DVD system was originally designed to encode the information necessary to reproduce signals in these formats, and the terms continue to be used (incorrectly) as a method of identifying refresh rates and vertical resolution. However, an "NTSC", "PAL" or "SECAM" DVD player that has one or more analog composite video output (baseband or modulated) will only produce NTSC, PAL or SECAM signals, respectively, from those outputs, and may only play DVDs identified with the corresponding format.

NTSC is the analog TV format historically associated with the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, and other countries. PAL is the analog color TV format historically associated with most of Europe, most of Africa, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, North Korea, and other countries (Brazil adopted the variant PAL-M, which uses the refresh rate and resolution commonly associated with NTSC). SECAM, a format associated with French-speaking Europe, while using the same resolution and refresh rate as PAL, is a distinct format which uses a very different system of color encoding. Some DVD players can only play discs identified as NTSC, PAL or SECAM, while others can play multiple standards.^[8]

In general, it is easier for consumers in PAL/SECAM countries to view NTSC DVDs than vice versa. Almost all DVD players sold in PAL/SECAM countries are capable of playing both kinds of discs, and most modern PAL TVs can handle the converted signal. NTSC discs may be output from a PAL DVD player in three different ways:

However, most NTSC players cannot play PAL discs, and most NTSC TVs do not accept i video signals as used on PAL/SECAM DVDs. Those in NTSC countries, such as the United States, generally require both a region-free, multi-standard player and a multi-standard television to view PAL discs, or a converter box, whereas those in PAL countries generally require only a region-free player to view NTSC discs. (with the possible exception for Japan in most of European countries, since they are in the same region. That means region 2 users could import Japanese discs and play it on their players without any obstacles.) There are also differences in pixel aspect ratio ( × vs. × with the same image aspect ratio) and display frame rate ( vs. 25).

Most computer-based DVD software and hardware can play both NTSC and PAL video and both audio standards.^[8]

Implementations of region codes[edit]

Standalone DVD players[edit]

Usually a configuration flag is set in each player's firmware at the factory. This flag holds the region number that the machine is allowed to play. Region-free players are DVD players shipped without the ability to enforce regional lockout (usually by means of a chip that ignores any region coding), or without this flag set.

However, if the player is not region-free, it can often be unlocked with an unlock code entered via the remote control. This code simply allows the user to change the factory-set configuration flag to another region, or to the special region "0". Once unlocked this way, the DVD player allows the owner to watch DVDs from any region. Many websites exist on the Internet offering these codes, often known informally as hacks. Many websites provide instructions for different models of standalone DVD players, to hack, and their factory codes.

Computer DVD drives[edit]

Older DVD drives use RPC-1 (Regional Playback Control) firmware, which means the drive allows DVDs from any region to play. Newer drives use RPC-2 firmware, which enforces the DVD region coding at the hardware level. These drives can often be reflashed or hacked with RPC-1 firmware, effectively making the drive region-free. This may void the drive warranty.^[9]

Some drives may come set as region-free, so the user is expected to assign their region when they buy it. In this case, some DVD programs may prompt the user to select a region, while others may actually assign the region automatically based on the locale set in the operating system.

In most computer drives, users are allowed to change the region code up to five times.^[10] If the number of allowances reaches zero, the region last used will be permanent even if the drive is transferred to another computer. This limit is built into the drive's controller software, called firmware. Resetting the firmware count can be done with first- or third-party software tools, or by reflashing (see above) to RPC-1 firmware.

Since some software does not work correctly with RPC-1 drives, there is also the option of reflashing the drive with a so-called auto-reset firmware. This firmware appears as RPC-2 firmware to software, but will reset the region changes counter whenever power is cycled, reverting to the state of a drive that has never had its region code changed.

Software DVD players[edit]

Most freeware and open source DVD players ignore region coding. VLC, for example, does not attempt to enforce region coding; however, it requires access to the DVD's raw data to overcome CSS encryption, and such access may not be available on some drives with RPC-2 firmware when playing a disc from a different region than the region to which the drive is locked.^[11] Most commercial players are locked to a region code, but can be easily changed with software.

Other software, known as DVD region killers, transparently remove (or hide) the DVD region code from the software player. Some can also work around locked RPC-2 firmware.

Circumvention[edit]

The region coding of a DVD can be circumvented by making a copy that adds flags for all region codes, creating an all-region DVD. DVD backup software can do this, and some can also remove Macrovision, CSS, and disabled user operations (UOps).

In common region-locked DVDs (but not in RCE-DVDs), the region code is stored in the file "VIDEO_manicapital.com" (table "VMGM_MAT"), byte offsets 34 and ^[12] The eight regions each correspond to a value which is a power of 2: Region 1 corresponds to 1 (2⁰), Region 2 to 2 (2¹), Region 3 to 4 (2²), and so on through Region 8, which corresponds to (2⁷). The values of each region that the disc is not encoded for are added together to give the value in the file. For example, a disc that is encoded for Region 1 but not Regions 2–8 will have the value 2+4+8+16+32+64+= A disc encoded for Regions 1, 2 and 4 will have the value 4+16+32+64+= A region-free or RCE-protected DVD will carry the value zero, since no regions are excluded.

Video game consoles[edit]

The Xbox, Xbox , PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 consoles are all region-locked for DVD playback. The PlayStation 2^[13] can be modified to have its regional-locking disabled through the use of modchips. Although region locked on film DVDs and film Blu-ray Discs, the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are region free for video games, though add-on content on the online store is region locked and must match the region of the disc.

Blu-ray Disc region codes[edit]

Blu-ray Discs use a much simpler region-code system than DVD with only three regions, labeled A, B and C. As with DVDs, many Blu-rays are encoded region 0 (region free), making them suitable for players worldwide.

Unlike DVD regions, Blu-ray regions are verified only by the player software, not by the computer system or the drive. The region code is stored in a file or the registry, and there are hacks to reset the region counter of the player software. In stand-alone players, the region code is part of the firmware. Most Blu-Rays, however, are region-free.

For bypassing region codes, there are software and multi-regional players available.

A new form of Blu-ray region coding tests not only the region of the player/player software, but also its country code. This means, for example, while both the US and Japan are Region A, some American discs will not play on devices/software installed in Japan or vice versa, since the two countries have different country codes (the United States has or Hex ("US" in ASCII, according to ISO ), and Japan has , or Hex 4a50 ("JP"); Canada has or Hex ("CA"). Although there are only three Blu-ray regions, the country code allows much more precise control of the regional distribution of Blu-ray discs than the six (or eight) DVD regions. In Blu-ray discs, there are no "special regions" such as the regions 7 and 8 in DVDs.

UMD region codes[edit]

For the UMD, a disc type used for the PlayStation Portable, UMD movies have region codes similar to DVDs, although many PSP games are region-free.

Criticism and legal concerns[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November )

Region-code enforcement has been discussed as a possible violation of World Trade Organizationfree trade agreements or competition law.^[14] The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned that DVD players that enforce region-coding may violate their Competition and Consumer Act ^[15][16][17] Under New Zealand copyright law, DVD region codes and the mechanisms in DVD players to enforce them have no legal protection.^[18] The practice has also been criticized by the European Commission^[19] which as of 14 March is investigating whether the resulting price discrimination amounts to a violation of EU competition law.^[20]

The only entities that seem to be really benefiting from DVD Region Coding are the movie studios, the marketers of Code-Free DVD players and DVD decrypters.^{[citation needed]}The Washington Post has highlighted how DVD region-coding has been a major inconvenience for travelers who wish to legally purchase DVDs abroad and return with them to their countries of origin, students of foreign languages, immigrants who want to watch films from their homeland and foreign film enthusiasts.^[1] Another criticism is that region-coding allows for local censorship. For example, the Region 1 DVD of the drama filmEyes Wide Shut contains the digital manipulations necessary for the film to secure an MPAA R-rating, whereas these manipulations are not evident in non–region 1 discs.^[21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Please read the following information carefully as it may impact your purchase decision.

Most DVDs are "region encoded". To enforce copyright restrictions or licensing agreements, the movie studios release DVDs for sale in certain parts of the world in a format that is only meant to be playable on DVD players sold/manufactured in the same region.

For example, discs designed for playback in one region will normally play only on DVD players meant to be sold in the same region. Therefore a disc that's marked 'Region 1' (USA) is only meant to be viewable on Region 1 DVD players.

To achieve this, the manufacturers of DVD hardware and software have agreed to define regions and assign them to world territories as follows:
Region 1 - USA, Canada and US territories
Region 2 - UK, Western Europe, Japan, South Africa, Middle East, Egypt
Region 3 - Southeast Asia, East Asia, Hong Kong
Region 4 - Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Central and South America
Region 5 - Former Soviet Union, India, Africa, North Korea
Region 6 - China
Region 7 - (reserved)
Region 8 - Special international venues (airlines, cruise ships)

NOTE:
1. Not all discs are region encoded. Some DVDs are meant to be viewable on any player and are usually known as region-free (or "region 0").

2. Packaging may vary within a region though the pressing of the disc may be identical.

In some countries including the US you can easily, and very inexpensively, purchase DVD players that are designed to be "region free" and will play DVDs regardless of their regional encoding.

Video Format

Video information on DVD is usually formatted for a specific television system: NTSC (used in the United States) or PAL (Europe).

These two standards are incompatible. Even if a disc is region free, you need to make sure your TV and DVD player can handle its video format.

Normally, an American (NTSC) television will not be able to display a disc in PAL format and vice versa. However, many European TV sets are multi-standard (and can display a NTSC signal).

Also, some DVD players include features to convert a video signal from one standard to another. If you plan to buy videos or DVDs from another country, you need to make sure that your player and TV hardware can properly handle the different video standard.

Nothing has impacted home entertainment quite like DVDs. Although Blu-ray and Internet Streaming have taken a big bite out of DVD sales, millions of discs in circulation are being bought, sold, and viewed around the world.

DVD is the main reason the home theater experience has become popular, serving as a foundation for elevating video and audio quality.

However, DVD also has a dark side: Region Coding (also referred to as region lock).

DVD Region Codes, or How the World Is Divided

DVD players and DVDs are labeled for use within specific geographical regions. The DVD world is divided into six major geographical regions, with two additional regions reserved for specialized use.

DVD regions are assigned as follows:

• REGION 1 -- USA, Canada
• REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland
• REGION 3 -- manicapital.com, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia
• REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico)
• REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa
• REGION 6 -- China
• REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use
• REGION 8 -- Reserved for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc
• REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played worldwide. However, you must play PAL discs in a PAL-compatible unit, and NTSC discs in an NTSC-compatible unit.

As you can see from the listed designations, the U.S. is in region 1. All DVD players sold in the U.S. meet Region 1 specifications, and Region 1 players can only play Region 1 discs. Region code numbers are on the back of each DVD package.

DVDs encoded for regions other than Region 1 cannot be played on a region 1 DVD player, and players marketed for other regions cannot play DVDs coded for Region 1.

The Reasons for DVD Region Coding

Why does DVD region coding exist? Coding is a tool to protect copyright and film distribution rights (in other words, movie studio profits).

Movies are sometimes released in theaters in different parts of the world at various times throughout the year. That summer blockbuster in the U.S. may end up being the Christmas blockbuster overseas. If that occurs, the movie's DVD version may be out in the U.S. while it is still showing in theaters in another region.

To preserve the financial integrity of the theatrical distribution of a particular film, a friend in the U.S. cannot send a DVD copy to the country where it is in theatrical release and be able to play it on a player there.

Region Coding - the Good and the Bad

Depending on who you are, region coding is a blessing or a curse. If you are a movie studio executive, not only do you reap maximum profits from the theatrical releases, but also the DVD releases for your film. However, if you are a consumer wanting to see a movie that is available on DVD in your relative's or friend's country but not in yours, you may have to wait quite a while.

Another suspected rationale for region coding is the possible price-fixing of DVDs depending on the region. Although difficult to prove, Australian and European courts have tried to reduce or eliminate region coding as a marketing practice. New Zealand does not offer legal protection for DVD region code restrictions.

The Code Free DVD Player Solution

For those consumers in Europe, Australia, and Asia, there is an abundant market for so-called Code Free DVD players, which are modified versions of stock DVD players in which the region coding function has been disabled.

With the magic of mail-order and the Internet, these players are widely available, even if not legal. The fortunate owners of these players can purchase DVDs from any region.

The following is a list of dealers that sell modified Code-Free DVD players.

As a reaction to Code-Free DVD players' popularity, "Hollywood" has instituted another layer of coding on select Region 1 DVDs called RCE (Regional Coding Enhancement) to prevent select region 1 DVDs from playing on Code-Free DVD players. However, RCE is only implemented in some Region 1 discs, not discs from other regions.

Region Code Hacks

Another way to get around the DVD Region Code issue is to see if you can "hack" your current DVD player using a series of remote control commands to enable it to play DVD from other regions. The best online source for this information is the VideoHelp DVD Player Hack Forum.

If you type in the specific brand and model number of your DVD player in the VideoHelp DVD Hack search box, you may be able to access details on whether your DVD player can be made region code free. If you have a new player, and it is not on the list, check back periodically to see if it shows up.

Also, if you find that your DVD player is on this and there is a hack. One restriction might be that you can only change the DVD region feature a limited number of times before the player becomes permanently locked to a specific region. On the other hand, there are DVD players that can be made region code free without this restriction.

It is also important to point out that with Blu-ray Disc players, you may be able to make DVD playback region code free, but not Blu-ray disc playback, as Blu-ray follows a different region code scheme.

The NTSC/PAL Factor

There is an additional hitch in the DVD Region Code madness. Since the analog video world is also divided into the NTSC and PAL video systems, the consumer may need a multi-system T.V. to access DVDs pressed in one of these systems. Although this is difficult in the U.S. market, where all analog video is based on the NTSC system, most consumers in Europe and some other parts of the world do own T.V.s that can view DVDs pressed in either NTSC or PAL.

The Consumer Impatience Factor

It's nice to purchase the latest blockbuster's DVD version a few months after the theatrical release. However, it's an inconvenience to wait another month or so if it means the film is still in theatrical release somewhere else in the world. If the movie is worthy, fans will wait for the DVD. There is no evidence that blockbuster DVD releases' sales suffer because of a long wait to get it.

The Real Beneficiaries of DVD Region Coding

The only entities that seem to be benefiting from DVD Region Coding are the movie studios and the marketers of Code-Free DVD players. Under this system, the marketers of the Code-Free players provide a practical solution for consumers. Even the International Space Station has to play DVDs code-free (for obvious practical reasons).

Home DVD Recording

With DVD recorders,  DVD recorder/VCR combos, and DVD camcorders for consumer use, the question comes up as to how they are affected by DVD Region Coding. The good news is that since DVD Region Coding is a commercial application, any DVD recordings you make on a consumer-based DVD recorder, DVD camcorder, or even a P.C., are not Region Coded. If you record a DVD in NTSC, it will be playable on DVD players in countries that use that system, and the same for PAL; there is no further region code restriction on home-recorded DVDs.

If you choose to implement Region Coding on your DVD recordings, you need access to the software or service that implements the region code designation.

The Bottom Line

There is a need for some region coding to protect movie release dates, but if issues such as price-fixing of DVD product is also involved, Hollywood may end up being in deep trouble on this one.

With the increase in communication and travel, information and entertainment available just about anywhere at any time, and perhaps Hollywood would is best served by releasing films and videos at the same time everywhere, which is becoming more common. Not only are consumers better served, but the cost of region coding and the need for after-market Code-Free DVD players become less desirable.

Now that you know about DVD region coding, that isn't the only dark side of DVD. There is also the issue of anti-copy encoding technology, but that is another story.