How Would You Know if You Dvd Player Is Multi Regional

Characteristic of DVDs

Not to be confused with the three ITU regions, for managing the global radio spectrum.

Parts of this article (those related to criticism and legal concerns) demand to be updated. Delight assistance update this article to reflect recent events or newly available data. (December 2021)

DVD region codes are a digital rights management technique introduced in 1997.^[ane] Information technology is designed to let rights holders to command the international distribution of a DVD release, including its content, release date, and price, all co-ordinate to the appropriate region.

This is achieved by mode of region-locked DVD players, which will play dorsum only DVDs encoded to their region (plus those without any region code). The American DVD Re-create Control Clan as well requires that DVD histrion manufacturers incorporate the regional-playback control (RPC) system. All the same, region-costless DVD players, which ignore region coding, are as well commercially available,^[2] and many DVD players can exist modified to be region-costless, allowing playback of all discs.^[3]

DVDs may apply one code, multiple codes (multi-region), or all codes (region free).

Region codes and countries [edit]

DVD region codes and geographic scope

Region code	Surface area
0	Global
1	Usa (incl. Puerto Rico), Canada, and Bermuda
two	Europe (without Belarus, Ukraine and Russian federation), Greenland, British Overseas Territories, Overseas France, Turkey, Eye Due east, Arab republic of egypt, Tunisia, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, and Nihon
iii	Southeast Asia, Republic of korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau
4	Latin America (except French Guiana and Puerto Rico), Caribbean area (except French Due west Indies), and Oceania (except French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and futuna, and Hawaii)
five	Africa (except Egypt, Tunisia, Kingdom of lesotho, Eswatini, S Africa, Mayotte and Réunion), Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Primal Asia, South asia, Mongolia, and North Korea
6	Mainland Prc
7	MPAA-related DVDs and "media copies" of pre-releases in Asia
8	International venues such as aircraft, cruise ships, and spacecraft
ALL	These region discs have all 1 through 8 flags set, allowing the disc to be played in any location, on whatsoever thespian

Any combination of regions tin 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" besides describes the DVD players designed or modified to contain Regions 1–8, thereby providing compatibility with about discs, regardless of region. This apparent solution was popular in the early days of the DVD format, just studios quickly responded by adjusting discs to turn down to play in such machines by implementing a system known as "Regional Coding Enhancement" (RCE).

DVDs sold in the Baltic states apply both region 2 and 5 codes, having previously been in region five (due to their history as role of the USSR) only European union single market law concerning the complimentary motility of goods caused a switch to region 2. European region 2 DVDs may be sub-coded "D1" to "D4". "D1" are the Britain only releases; "D2" and "D3" are non sold in the Great britain and Ireland; "D4" are distributed throughout Europe. Overseas territories of the U.k. and French republic (both in region 2) oftentimes have other regions (4 or 5, depending on geographical situation) than their homelands.

About DVDs sold in Mexico and the rest of Latin America carry both region 1 and 4 codes. Some are region 1 simply after 2006 to coincide with Blu-Ray region A.

Arab republic of 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 aforementioned Blu-ray region code (region B).

North Korea and South korea accept different DVD region codes (North korea: region v, Republic of korea: region 3), but use the aforementioned Blu-ray region code (region A). In China, two DVD region codes are used: Mainland People's republic of china uses region 6, but Hong Kong and Macau use region 3. At that place are also two Blu-ray regions used: Mainland Communist china uses region C, merely Hong Kong and Macau use region A. Most DVDs in India combine the region ii, region iv, and region 5 codes, or are region 0.

Region-code enhanced [edit]

Region-code enhanced, as well known as just "RCE" or "REA",^[4] was a retroactive attempt to prevent the playing of one region'due south discs in another region, fifty-fifty if the disc was played in a region-free role player. The scheme was deployed on only a scattering of discs. The disc independent the master program textile region coded every bit region 1. Simply information technology also independent a short video loop of a map of the world showing the regions, which was coded as region 2, 3, 4, 5, and half-dozen. The intention was that when the disc was played in a not-region one actor, the role player would default to playing the material for its native region. This played the aforementioned video loop of a map, which was incommunicable to escape from, every bit the user controls were disabled.

The scheme was fundamentally flawed, every bit a region-free player tries to play a disc using the terminal region that worked with the previously inserted disc. If it cannot play the disc, then it tries some other region until i is found that works. RCE could be defeated by briefly playing a "normal" region 1 disc, and and then inserting the RCE protected region 1 disc, which would now play. RCE also caused a few problems with genuine region ane 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.^{[five] [half dozen]} Some manufacturers of DVD players now freely supply information on how to disable regional lockout, and on some recent models, information technology appears to be disabled by default.^{[seven] [8]} Computer programs such as DVD Shrink, Digiarty WinX DVD Ripper Platinum tin can make copies of region-coded DVDs without RCE restriction.

Purpose [edit]

Ane purpose of region coding is decision-making release dates. One do of moving-picture show marketing which was threatened by the appearance of digital dwelling video was the tradition of releasing a picture to cinemas and and so for general rental or sale later in some countries than in others. This practise was historically common because before the advent of digital cinema, releasing a movie at the same fourth dimension worldwide used to be prohibitively expensive. Near importantly, manufacturing a release impress of a film for public exhibition in a picture palace has ever been expensive, but a large number of release prints are needed only for a narrow window of time during the outset few weeks subsequently a film's release. Spreading out release dates allows for reuse of some release prints in other regions.

Videotapes were inherently regional since formats had to match those of the encoding system used past television receiver stations in that detail region, such as NTSC and PAL, although from the early 1990s PAL machines increasingly offered NTSC playback. DVDs are less restricted in that sense. Region coding allows moving picture studios to improve control the global release dates of DVDs.

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

PAL/SECAM vs. NTSC [edit]

DVDs are also formatted for utilise on two conflicting regional television systems: 480i/lx Hz and 576i/50 Hz, which in analog contexts are often referred to every bit 525/60 (NTSC) and 625/l (PAL/SECAM) respectively. Strictly speaking, PAL and SECAM are analog color television signal formats which have no relevance in the digital domain (equally axiomatic in the conflation of PAL and SECAM, which are actually two distinct analog colour systems). However, the DVD system was originally designed to encode the information necessary to reproduce signals in these formats, and the terms keep to exist used (incorrectly) every bit a method of identifying refresh rates and vertical resolution. However, an "NTSC", "PAL" or "SECAM" DVD player that has one or more analog blended 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 Television set format historically associated with well-nigh 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 singled-out format which uses a very different system of color encoding. Some DVD players tin can merely play discs identified as NTSC, PAL or SECAM, while others can play multiple standards.^[nine]

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

• using a non-blush encoded format such as RGB SCART or YP_BP_R component video.
• using PAL 60 encoded blended video/S-Video—a "hybrid" organization which uses NTSC's 525/60 line format along with PAL'southward chroma subcarrier
• using NTSC encoded blended video/South-Video.

However, most NTSC players cannot play PAL discs, and well-nigh NTSC TVs do not accept 576i video signals equally used on PAL/SECAM DVDs. Those in NTSC countries, such as the Us, 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 mostly require but a region-gratis histrion to view NTSC discs (with the possible exception of Japanese discs in most European countries, since they are in the same region - this means European region 2 users could import Japanese discs and play them on their players without whatever obstacles.) There are too differences in pixel aspect ratio (720 × 480 vs. 720 × 576 with the same image attribute ratio) and display frame charge per unit (29.97 vs. 25).

Well-nigh reckoner-based DVD software and hardware tin play both NTSC and PAL video and both audio standards.^[9] Blu-ray players, which use upward to 1080p signals, are backwards compatible with both NTSC and PAL DVDs.

Implementations of region codes [edit]

Standalone DVD players [edit]

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

Withal, if the player is non region-free, it can often exist unlocked with an unlock code entered via the remote command. This code but allows the user to modify 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 scout DVDs from any region. Many websites be 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 manufacturing plant codes.

Computer DVD drives [edit]

Older DVD drives use RPC-one (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 tin can often be reflashed or hacked with RPC-1 firmware, effectively making the bulldoze region-free. This may void the drive warranty.^[10]

Some drives may come up 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 fix in the operating organisation.

In almost computer drives, users are allowed to modify the region code upwards to five times.^[eleven] If the number of allowances reaches zero, the region concluding used volition be permanent even if the drive is transferred to some other estimator. This limit is built into the drive's controller software, called firmware. Resetting the firmware count tin be done with starting time- or third-party software tools, or past reflashing (see above) to RPC-1 firmware.

Since some software does non work correctly with RPC-1 drives, at that place is also the choice of reflashing the drive with a so-called auto-reset firmware. This firmware appears equally RPC-2 firmware to software, but will reset the region changes counter whenever ability is cycled, reverting to the country of a drive that has never had its region code inverse.

Software DVD players [edit]

Most freeware and open source DVD players ignore region coding. VLC, for example, does not endeavor 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.^[12] About 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 hibernate) the DVD region code from the software histrion. 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 fill-in software can do this, and some can too remove Macrovision, CSS, and disabled user operations (UOps).

In mutual region-locked DVDs (but not in RCE-DVDs), the region code is stored in the file "VIDEO_TS.IFO" (tabular array "VMGM_MAT"), byte offsets 34 and 35.^[13] The eight regions each correspond to a value which is a power of ii: Region 1 corresponds to 1 (2⁰), Region 2 to ii (two¹), Region iii to 4 (2²), and so on through Region 8, which corresponds to 128 (2⁷). The values of each region that the disc is not encoded for are added together to requite the value in the file. For example, a disc that is encoded for Region 1 just not Regions 2–8 will have the value ii+4+viii+sixteen+32+64+128=254. A disc encoded for Regions 1, 2 and iv will have the value four+xvi+32+64+128=244. A region-free or RCE-protected DVD will carry the value zero, since no regions are excluded.

Video game consoles [edit]

The Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation iii consoles are all region-locked for DVD playback. The PlayStation two^[14] tin be modified to have its regional-locking disabled through the employ of modchips. Although region locked on film DVDs and film Blu-ray Discs, the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X 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 utilize a much simpler region-code organization than DVD with simply iii regions, labeled A, B and C. Every bit with DVDs, many Blu-rays are encoded region 0 (region costless), making them suitable for players worldwide.

Region code	Expanse
A /1	The Americas and their dependencies, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Nihon, Korea, and Southeast Asia
B /2	Africa, Middle East, most of Europe, Oceania, and their dependencies
C /3	Central Asia, Mainland Red china, Mongolia, South asia, Republic of belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and their dependencies
ABC/Free	Informal term meaning "worldwide". Region free is non an official setting; discs that deport the region Gratis symbol either take no flags prepare or have all iii flags set.

Unlike DVD regions, Blu-ray regions are verified merely by the player software, not by the computer system or the drive. The region lawmaking is stored in a file or the registry, and in that location are hacks to reset the region counter of the player software. In stand-lonely players, the region code is part of the firmware. Some Blu-Rays 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 land code. This means, for case, while both the Usa and Japan are Region A, some American discs will not play on devices/software installed in Nippon or vice versa, since the two countries have different country codes (the Usa has 21843 or Hex 5553 ("US" in ASCII, according to ISO 3166-1), and Japan has 19024, or Hex 4a50 ("JP"); Canada has 17217 or Hex 4341 ("CA"). Although there are just 3 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 vii and eight in DVDs.

UMD region codes [edit]

For the UMD, a disc type used for the PlayStation Portable, UMD movies take region codes like to DVDs, although many PSP games are region-costless.

Criticism and legal concerns [edit]

This section needs to be updated. Delight help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available data. (Dec 2021)

Region-code enforcement has been discussed as a possible violation of Earth Trade System costless trade agreements or competition law.^[15] Information technology is believed that the only entities benefiting from DVD Region Coding are the moving-picture show studios, the marketers of Code-Free DVD players and DVD decrypters.^{[ citation needed ]}

Oceania [edit]

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) have warned that DVD players that enforce region-coding may violate the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.^{[16] [17] [18]} A Dec 2000 report from the ACCC advised consumers to "do caution when purchasing a DVD video histrion because of the restrictions that limit their power to play imported DVDs." The report stated, "These restrictions are artificially imposed past a group of multinational picture show entertainment companies and are not acquired by the existing differences in television display formats such as PAL, NTSC and SECAM [...] The ACCC is currently investigating whether Australian consumers are paying college prices for DVDs because of the ability of copyright owners, such every bit film companies, to prevent competition by restricting imports from countries where the same (authorised) video titles are sold more than cheaply."^[17] In 2012, a report from The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that region-free DVD players were legal in Commonwealth of australia, as they were exempt from the Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) included in the Usa Gratis Trade Agreement.^[19] Under New Zealand copyright law, DVD region codes and the mechanisms in DVD players to enforce them accept no legal protection.^[xx]

Europe [edit]

The do has too been criticized by the European Committee^[21] which every bit of 14 March 2001 were investigating whether the resulting price discrimination amounts to a violation of Eu competition law.^[22]

North America [edit]

The Washington Mail service 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 movie enthusiasts.^[two] Another criticism is that region-coding allows for local censorship. For case, the Region 1 DVD of the 1999 drama picture show Optics Wide Shut contains the digital manipulations necessary for the film to secure an MPAA R-rating, whereas these manipulations are not axiomatic in non–region ane discs.^[23]

See also [edit]

• Broadcast television systems
• DVD Copy Command Clan
• Geo-blocking
• Regional lockout

References [edit]

1. ^ Ryan, Mike. "Burning Question: Why practice We Still Have Region Codes for DVDS?". Wired. Vol. 19, no. 5.
2. ^ ^{a b} Luh, James C. (June ane, 2001). "Breaking Down DVD Borders". The Washington Post.
3. ^ Jim Taylor. "DVD FAQ: DVD utilities and region-free information". Dvddemystified.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
4. ^ Regional Coding Enhancement FAQ from DVD Talk
5. ^ "RCE/REA Info". Barrel-of-monkeys.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
6. ^ Michael Demtschyna. "Regional Lawmaking Enhancement". Michaeldvd.com.au. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
7. ^ "Cheap DVD players come at a cost". The Sydney Morning Herald. May 28, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
8. ^ "The DVD Doctors". The Tribal Listen (of The Sydney Morning Herald). March 30, 2005. Retrieved Baronial 22, 2007.
9. ^ ^{a b} Taylor, Jim. "DVD FAQ: Is DVD Video a Worldwide Standard? Does it Piece of work with NTSC, PAL and SECAM?". Dvddemystified.com. Archived from the original on Baronial 22, 2009. Retrieved Dec 29, 2010.
10. ^ Doom9 on RPC1 Archived 2017-01-13 at the Wayback Machine.
11. ^ "Rulemaking hearing: Exemptions from prohibitions on circumvention of technological measures that control admission to copyrighted works" (PDF). May 15, 2003. p. 287, line 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2009. Retrieved June one, 2009.
12. ^ Does VLC support DVDs from all regions?
13. ^ DVD-Replica Media LLC. "DVD Bones Data Structure Guide". Dvd-replica.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved November xiv, 2010.
14. ^ "Sony Playstation 2 Region Code". VideoHelp.com. Retrieved November xiv, 2010.
15. ^ "Openlaw DVD FAQ". Cyber.law.harvard.edu. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
16. ^ "Restricting DVD's Illegal: ACCC" Archived 2007-06-16 at the Wayback Car. The Australian. March 27, 2001. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
17. ^ ^{a b} "Consumers in Night most DVD Imports". Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. December 21, 2000. Retrieved Dec 29, 2010.
18. ^ "Difficulties Betwixt the Pro-Competitive Community and Intellectual Holding (note: open one of the attachments and search for "RPC" to find the relevant section).
19. ^ "Are region-free DVD players legal?". 8 February 2012.
20. ^ Copyright Deed 1994 No 143 (as at 01 December 2008) section 226 part b.
21. ^ "Spoken language/01/275: Content, Competition and Consumers: Innovation and Selection" (Press release). Europa. June 11, 2000. Retrieved Dec xvi, 2011.
22. ^ Probes into Regional DVD Imperils Studio Strategy, Paul Sweeting, Diversity, June 3, 2001.
23. ^ Closed Borders and Open up Secrets: Regional Lockout, the Film Industry and Code-Free DVD Players, Brian Hu, Mediascape: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Vol. 1, Number 2

External links [edit]

• Blu-ray and DVD Region Codes and Video Standards at Brenton Movie
• DVD region information with regards to RCE from Home Theater Info
• Region Coding - Explanations & Help from The DVDCodes Source
• Amazon.co.uk DVD Regions guide

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code

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