When did the DVD Forum introduce region codes?
The DVD Forum introduced region codes in 1997. This digital rights management technique was designed to allow rights holders to control international distribution of DVD releases.
Questions about DVD region code
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Which countries are included in Region 2 for DVDs?
Region 2 includes Europe except Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine along with Greenland and Japan. The Baltic states used both Region 2 and Region 5 codes due to historical Soviet ties before switching to Region 2 under EU law.
What is the difference between NTSC and PAL DVD formats?
NTSC operates at 480i resolution and 60 Hz refresh rates while PAL and SECAM run at 576i resolution and 50 Hz refresh rates. Differences existed in pixel aspect ratios between 720 by 480 and 720 by 576 resolutions and display frame rates varied between 29.97 Hz and 25 Hz.
How many times can a user change their drive's region code before it becomes permanent?
Users could change their drive's region code up to five times before it became permanent. Resetting the counter required third-party software tools or reflashing to RPC-1 firmware.
When did the European Commission begin investigating price discrimination regarding DVD region codes?
The European Commission began investigating price discrimination as of the 14th of March 2001. They questioned if resulting price differences violated European competition law.