When a DVD player is manufactured for a particular country or geographical region it is assigned a region code. This means that the player will only allow playback of DVD discs that are released by the distribution companies in that region. For example, a disc purchased in America will not play on a machine purchased in Europe. Certain manufacturers have put backdoor routes into their players to allow the region locking to be defeated.

The DVD 'world' is broken up into regions (see the map below). Most DVDs are hard coded with the region they are manufactured in (Ex: USA is region code 1). This coding can stop a disc from one area of the world from playing in a DVD player in another part of the world. Region coding is not mandatory or written law - media companies have adopted region codes as a way to market their releases in idividual territories and control where their DVDs are distributed to.

DVDs are encoded with a region code that denotes the area(s) of the world where distribution and playback were intended. Most DVD players are formatted to play only DVDs with the region code matching the area the player is sold. Some DVDs are coded 'Region 0' which means they will play in any DVD player.

All DVD players sold in PAL countries play both NTSC and PAL discs. These multi-standard players convert NTSC to PAL.

_As we produce our own DVDs, we have chosen not to use any Regional Coding at all. Hence you will not have any problems regarding region codes.

No, all of our videos only play on computers and we use the QuickTime format. If you need the QuickTime codec you can download it for free here.

Nearly All DVD's we sell are multiregion supported. That means they are playable in USA, UK, India, Australia..etc any part of the world.

All UK DVD players are automatically coded to region 2. If you aren't currently within the UK or are unsure, please refer to you DVD Instruction Booklet for conformation of your DVD player's regional settings. (click here to go back to the top)

There are also numerous Internet based companies that offer Region 2 and many independent stores offer good ranges.

Some drives do not have any region protection anyway, some drives require a firmware upgrade to make them region free. If you update the firmware on you drive you are taking a small risk that it might not work afterward, if your not comfortable with that then don't play with the firmware.

Please prepare region free DVD player, or region 2 player. Also, if your PC has DVD drive, it may be able to play region 2 DVD. // [back] [top]

Currently, playback of Region 1 HD DVD discs is intended for players sold within Region 1 geographical areas only. Pending developments and future revisions in HD DVD technology, this information is subject to change.

Answer: If you do not see the marathon you ran listed on our site in either the 'recent events' or 'upcoming events' area of our home page then the event is no longer available or we did not cover the event in question.

The region code is usually specified on the back of the individual DVD packages, either with a Regional Coding logo of a globe with the region number superimposed over it, or specifically spelled out. For example, while currently-released New Line and Warner DVD titles use the globe logo & number scheme, MGM/UA titles state: "This disc has been encoded for Region 1: The United States, U.S. Territories and Canada.

Yes, region codes apply to the DVD-ROM and it will not affect the DVD-ROM if it contains computer software.

You can turn your region 2 only DVD player into a multi-region player by adding a micro-chip, or with some players, can be hacked to become multi-region by pressing a combination of keys on the remote control. The former method should be done by a specialist company who will usually give you a replacement warranty as modifying your player this way will void the manufacturer’s warranty. Hacks can usually be found on the internet or newsgroups. DVD magazines are also a good source for hacks.

DVDs that you make yourself are not region encoded, however, DVD recorders are region specific with regards to playback of commerically made DVDs. See my related article on this topic - link on the right side of this page under "Related Resources".

You can only play a region 1 DVD on a region 1 or multi-region DVD player. Most DVD players sold in UK high-street shops are set to region 2. However, it is possible to modify your player to be able to player region 1 DVDs. Also, there are an increasing number of players sold that are already multi-region.

Possibly. This info thanks to Nick: "Just to let you know something else that seems to work on the XBOX. I have managed to get a PAL DVD (Region 2) and ripped the main movie VOBs, re-created IFO files and put on a DVD-R disc. The US XBOX and UX DVD Kit see it as a region-free disc and it plays perfectly. However I cannot conclude if the signal is still the PAL or changed to NTSC as all of my TVs support all formats automatically.

Economic regions do not typically correspond to political jurisdictions such as state, county, local workforce investment area or municipal boundaries. Similarly, state boundaries do not always match labor market areas as evidenced by New York City's tri-state area or the greater Kansas City area, among others. The WIRED Initiative will focus on labor market areas that are comprised of multiple jurisdictions within a state or across state borders.