Every DVD manufactured in a particular region has its own region code, which is incorporated as one byte of information on the disc that the DVD player checks before playing. DVD players and discs are coded by putting in their region number superimposed on a world globe. If a disc can play in more than one region, it will have more than one number on the globe. This implies that a disc bought in one country would not play on a DVD player bought in another country. Therefore the DVD standard includes region specific codes to prevent playback of DVDs in certain geographical regions.

Preventing Illegal Playback of Pirated DVDs

The greatest requirement for carrying out the concept of region-specific codes was to prevent the illegal playback of pirated DVDs in certain countries. Movies made in the U.S. are released in a staggered manner all over the world. The DVDs are also released a few months after the release of the movie in theaters. However, it is very easy to copy DVDs illegally and distribute these movies in the other countries even before they are formally released in their cinemas. Also, movie studios sell distribution rights to different foreign distributors and would like to guarantee an exclusive market. This piracy results in huge financial losses for the production companies.

On DVDs also, movies are released at different times around the world, typically first in America and Canada, later in Australia and Japan, and then in Europe. In some cases, DVD movies are available for purchase in America and Canada even before they are released in European cinema theaters.

Considering the high quality of movies on DVD, and the staggered movie release system, six regions were established to prevent people from watching region 1 movies before they were released in Regions 2-6. The six regions are as follows; Region 1 being U.S. and Canada, Region 2 comprising Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East. Region 3 has East and Southeast Asia, while Region 4 includes Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Region 5 comprises of Eastern Europe, Africa, North Korea, Mongolia, and the Indian Subcontinent, while Region 6 has China. An additional Region 7 for reserved category and Region 8 for special International venues like airplanes and cruise ships were also designated.

Catering to the Traveler

However, these region-coded DVDs can be very restraining in today