What are regional codes, country codes, or zone locks?
Each player is given a code for the region in which it’s sold. The player will not 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 coding is not an encryption system, it’s just one byte of information on the disc that the player checks. Region codes are a permanent part of the disc; they don’t “unlock” after a period of time. There are 8 regions (also called “locales”). Players and discs are 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. DVD Regions: • U.S., Canada, U.S.
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. Some people believe that region codes could be considered 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 codes will play on any player in any country. It’s not
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 have announced that only their new rel
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 which 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 which 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. 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 have already announced that only their new releases will hav
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.
