When was the DVD format introduced with region coding?
The DVD format was introduced with region coding in 1997. This mechanism was designed to control the global flow of movies and create invisible borders for distribution.
Common questions about DVD region code
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What are the eight DVD regions and which countries do they cover?
Region 1 covers the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. Region 2 includes Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. Region 3 encompasses Southeast Asia, South Korea, and Taiwan. Region 4 covers Latin America and Oceania. Region 5 includes Russia, China, and parts of Africa. Region 6 is reserved for mainland China. Region 7 is designated for MPA-related DVDs and media copies in Asia. Region 8 is for international venues like aircraft and cruise ships.
How does Region-Code Enhancement work to defeat region-free players?
Region-Code Enhancement embeds a short video loop of a world map coded as multiple regions to trap viewers in a never-ending display when played on non-Region 1 players. The user controls are disabled during this loop, preventing escape until the player cycles through regions or is reset by playing a normal disc first.
What is the difference between NTSC and PAL television standards for DVDs?
NTSC is the analog TV format historically associated with the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Philippines, and Taiwan. PAL is the analog color TV format historically associated with most of Europe, most of Africa, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and North Korea. Brazil adopted the variant PAL-M, which uses the refresh rate and resolution commonly associated with NTSC.
How many times can a computer DVD drive change its region code before it becomes permanent?
In most computer DVD drives, users are allowed to change the region code up to five times. If the number of allowances reaches zero, the region last used becomes permanent even if the drive is transferred to another computer.
Why was DVD region coding criticized by legal authorities in Australia and New Zealand?
The sale of region-coded DVDs was illegal in New Zealand, and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission warned that DVD players enforcing region-coding may violate the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Authorities investigated whether consumers were paying higher prices due to restrictions preventing competition from countries where authorized video titles were sold more cheaply.