What are they and why do you hate them?
DVD Video discs contain region codes, or zones, denoting which part of the world distribution and playback are intended - or allowed.
When buying DVDs on the Internet choose a vendor who explains, or can confirm, the DVD is playable in your region. Even if the answer is ‘yes’ your DVD player still might be a problem. Sorry, but a little experimenting, self-education and finger-crossing is required.
The commercial DVD-Video player specifications restrict the playing of DVD discs to the region code in which the DVD player is sold. This allows the motion picture studios to control the release content, date and price region-by-region. Many DVD players allow playback of any disc and can be modified to do so.
- 0 - Informal term meaning "playable in all regions"
- 1 - Bermuda, Canada, United States and U.S. territories
- 2 - Most of Western Europe, the Middle East, Egypt, Greenland, Japan, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland
- 3 - Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan
- 4 - Central America, Oceania, South America, Mexico, Australia
- 5 - Central America, Oceania, South America, Mexico, Australia
- 6 - Mainland China
- 7 - Reserved for future use
- 8 - International venues such as aircraft, cruise ships, etc.
Typically, a DVD-Video disc’s outer packaging bears a symbol indicating its region code.
European Region 2 DVDs may be sub-coded "D1" through "D4." "D1" identifies a UK-only release. "D2" and "D3" identify European DVDs that are not sold in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. "D4" identifies DVDs that are distributed throughout Europe.
Any combination of regions can be applied to a single disc. For example, a DVD designated Region 2/4 is suitable for playback in Western Europe, Oceania and any other Region 2 or Region 4 area. Often labeled "all" or "all regions," a so-called "Region 0" disc (actually coded Region 1/2/3/4/5/6) is meant to be playable worldwide.
The term "Region 0" also describes DVD players that were designed or modified to incorporate Regions 1–6 simultaneously, thereby providing compatibility with virtually any disc, irrespective of region[s]. This apparent solution was popular in the early days of the DVD format, but studios quickly responded by adjusting discs to refuse to play in such machines. This system is known as "Regional Coding Enhancement" or RCE.
Nowadays, many "multi-region" DVD players defeat regional lockout and RCE by automatically identifying and matching a disc’s region code and/or allowing the user to manually select a particular region. Others simply bypass the region code check entirely. 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. Dozens of Web sites provide information on how to disable region checking in many players.
Many view region code enforcement as a violation of WTO free trade agreements or competition law. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned that DVD-Video players that enforce region coding may violate the Trade Practices Act; the government of New Zealand has ruled similarly.
