I have to admit that this is the first time I am learning about DVD region. So what is this all about? DVDs have the ability to encode an option which specifies which regions in the world the discs can be played. The movie studios have collectively divided the planet earth into zones which corresponds to their distribution system.
The world is split into six regions, depending on how affluent that part of the world is. The U.S. comes in as region 1 (very expensive DVDs) whereas China is region 6 (very cheap DVDs).
The world is split into six regions, depending on how affluent that part of the world is. The U.S. comes in as region 1 (very expensive DVDs) whereas China is region 6 (very cheap DVDs).
| Region | Countries |
| 0 | No Region Coding |
| 1 | United States of America, Canada |
| 2 | Europe, including France, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Arabia, Japan and South Africa |
| 3 | Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo and Indonesia |
| 4 | Australia and New Zealand, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America |
| 5 | India, Africa, Russia and former USSR countries |
| 6 | Peoples Republic of China |
| 7 | Unused |
| 8 | Airlines/Cruise Ships |
| 9 | Expansion (often used as region free) |
Region codes were officially implemented to restrict the sale of titles to designated regions, so that, for example, a DVD could be released in the United States before the movie was released to the cinemas in Europe. However, region code enforcement has been discussed as a possible violation of World Trade Organization free trade agreements or competition law. This, supposedly, means that all DVD players sold in their territories have to be region-free.
So if you are wondering if there is a way out of this coding system, check out the DVD Unlocker software. (http://www.dvdunlocker.com/) There is a special discount when you buy before midnight, Wednesday, January 9th 2008 and save $40!
Ok, not that's information worth having. Thanks for sharing. :D
ReplyDelete