What Are DVD Regions?
The entertainment industry, in conjunction with electronics manufacturers, developed regional DVD codes for two reasons--to control price and release date. Controlling where and when a DVD is released can provide a movie producer greater profit and generate worldwide buzz for their product. It also makes piracy more difficult, as a would-be copyright violator would have to copy DVDs across regions in order to successfully cheat the region codes.
How Are Regions Determined?
Regions are assigned geographically. For example, The United States and Canada are Region 1, while Western and Central Europe, Japan, Turkey, the Middle East and South Africa are Region 2. Region 3 countries include South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and all of Southeast Asia. Australia, New Zealand, Pacific island nations, Central and South America, Mexico and Caribbean island nations make up Region 4.
Russia, the former Soviet republics and North Korea are Region 5. China is Region 6. Region 8 is used for entertainment on cruise ships and airplanes.
How Does a Region-free DVD Player Work?
Region codes are programmed into the player's operating software. A region-free player lacks the chip or string of software code that houses this information. Therefore, when a DVD is inserted, the player is incapable for searching for the regional code and goes directly to playing the disc.
Tags: island nations, Player Work, Region Region