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 todays time with the world becoming a global village. People travel extensively around the world and like to have access to entertainment without any restrictions. To counter this problem, the regionfree and codefree DVD players were designed. These DVD players are able to play a disc manufactured in any region and having any region code, anywhere in the world. To create such a provision in the DVD player certain modifications are carried out in its reading mechanism. There are certain global converters available in the market that can convert the coded DVD player to a region free DVD player.

Modifying DVD Players

Certain DVD players can be physically modified with a chipset technology to play discs regardless of their regional codes. This procedure, however, voids the warranty provided by the manufacturer, but is not illegal in most countries. Some players have a provision for modification using special command sequences to a code free mode by using a remote control. Several retailers sell DVD players that are already modified for multiple regions, or in some cases, they provide instructions on how to install the region change features that are already built into the player.

NTSC, SECAM and PAL

Most countries have television standards that are incompatible with those of other countries. These TV standards can be broadly classified into three categories, NTSC, PAL and SECAM.

The initial TV (color) broadcast system, released in 1953 in the U.S., was based on the standard called NTSC (National Television System Committee). NTSC runs with 525 lines/frame and 30 frames per second. NTSC is the TV format used in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, United States, and other countries

In the 1960s, the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) standard was presented in many European countries, most of Africa, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, North Korea and other countries - with the exception of France. The PAL standard uses a more expanded channel bandwidth than NTSC, providing more picture quality. PAL uses 625 lines/frame and 25 frames per second.

The SECAM, also known as Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire or Sequential Color with Memory, standard came to France in the 1960s. SECAM also has identical bandwidth to PAL, but it transmits the color information sequentially.

Decoding NTSC and PAL with the Flip of a Switch

NTSC and PAL standards are incompatible with one another. With a multi-system TV, one can view both the NTSC and PAL formatted DVDs. A regionfree DVD Player with a built-in PAL to NTSC and NTSC to PAL converter enables a viewer to watch different system DVDs. A codefree DVD player is able to decode NTSC and PAL with a simple flip of a switch, enabling the user to watch imported DVDs on the same DVD player. External converter boxes are also available, such as the Emerson EVC1595. Several high-quality converters are available from companies such as Tenlab, Snell, and Wilcox.

There is a range of additional features available in a code free DVD player, such as the multi-format playback, which allows the user to playback formats other than DVDs. Most multi-format DVD players are compatible with CDs, MP3s, DVD audio, DVD-R/DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW, and WMA. However, it is always advisable to read the specifications before buying, because not all players are compatible with the same formats.

Parental Control and Other Great Features

Another useful feature is the parental control, which give parents the control in choosing movies based on the movie ratings allowed for playback. Another extra includes a zoom function that magnifies an image on the screen. The shuttle or jog function allows frame-by-frame scanning, and dual laser for better playback of audio discs.

Codefree DVD players are available online at affordable prices. The great features and the codefree benefits make it a worthwhile investment.