What are regional codes, country codes, or zone locks?
The movie industry insisted that the DVD standard include codes which would limit playback to a specified geographical region. This was done because theater and home video releases of movies do not occur simultaneously worldwide. For example, a movie may be released on video in the U.S. just as it’s first appearing in theaters in Europe. DVD players have a built-in region code lockout feature, while the DVD discs may or may not contain a code (region codes are optional on DVD software). A player will be unable to play a disc that has a different region code. Discs may contain codes for more than one region, or may not have any code, which allows them to be played on any player in any country. The region code for Indian subcontinent is “5”. There are 8 regions (also called “locales”). Players and discs are often identified by the region number superimposed on a world globe. If a disc plays in more than one region it will have more than one number on the globe. 1: U.S., Canada, U.
Motion picture studios want to control the home release of movies in different countries because theater releases aren’t simultaneous (a movie may come out on video in the U.S. when it’s just hitting screens in Europe). Also, studios sell distribution rights to different foreign distributors and would like to guarantee an exclusive market. Therefore they have required that the DVD standard include codes that can be used to prevent playback of certain discs in certain geographical regions. Each player is given a code for the region in which it’s sold. The player will refuse to play discs that are not allowed in that region. This means that discs bought in one country may not play on players bought in another country. Regional codes are entirely optional for the maker of a disc. Discs without codes will play on any player in any country. It’s not an encryption system, it’s just one byte of information on the disc that the player checks. Some studios originally announced that only their n
Motion picture studios want to control the home release of movies in different countries because theater releases aren’t simultaneous (a movie may come out on video in the U.S. when it’s just hitting screens in Europe). Also, studios sell distribution rights to different foreign distributors and would like to guarantee an exclusive market. Therefore they required that the DVD standard include codes to prevent playback of certain discs in certain geographical regions. Each player is given a code for the region in which it’s sold. The player will refuse to play discs that are not coded for its region. This means that a disc bought in one country may not play on a player bought in another country. Some people believe that region codes are an illegal restraint of trade, but no legal cases have established this. Regional codes are entirely optional for the maker of a disc. Discs without region locks will play on any player in any country. It’s not an encryption system, it’s just one byte of
Motion picture studios want to control the home release of movies in different countries because cinema releases aren’t simultaneous (a movie may come out on video in the U.S. when it’s just hitting screens in Europe). Also, studios sometimes sell distribution rights to different foreign distributors and would like to guarantee an exclusive market. Therefore, they have required that the DVD standard include codes that can be used to prevent playback of certain discs in certain geographical regions. Each player is given a code for the region in which it is sold. The player will refuse to play discs that are not allowed in that region. This means that discs bought in one country may not play on players bought in another country. Region codes are a permanent part of the disc, and won’t “unlock” after a period of time. There are 6 regions (also called “locales”). Players and discs are identified by the region number superimposed on a world globe (Click to see the Region Map Here). Region 1
Motion picture studios want to control the home release of movies in different countries because theater releases aren’t simultaneous (a movie may come out on video in the U.S. when it’s just hitting screens in Europe). Also, studios sell distribution rights to different foreign distributors and would like to guarantee an exclusive market. Therefore they required that the DVD standard include codes that can be used to prevent playback of certain discs in certain geographical regions. Each player is given a code for the region in which it’s sold. The player will refuse to play discs that are not coded for its region. This means that discs bought in one country may not play on players bought in another country. Some people believe that region codes are an illegal restraint of trade, but there have been no legal cases to establish this. Regional codes are entirely optional for the maker of a disc. Discs without region locks will play on any player in any country. It’s not an encryption sy
