DVDs

[SilverHeels]

I purchased some DVDs whilst in the US last year.
Some are multi-regional, some have no identification 'region' on sleeve.
I remember buying one as a gift from Wal-Mart in
NJ. Perhaps you, John, can answer this for me.
Is it likely to be multi-regional (she asks hopefully)? There is no indication number.
As you may, or may not know, US is Region 1, Europe is Region 2. Multi-regional is obviously
'worldwide'.

Thanks, guys.

Hello Silverheels,

There should be a small globe in the back of the DVD box (or plastic cover) which contains a number correlating to the region. Please see the list below for a list of regions and their corresponding numbers. If you cannot find a region number, the DVD is problem able to be played on any region player.

I hope this information helps you in some way. I realize that your DVD's don't show which region, but I wanted to share this information with you just in case there is a small globe with that number in it. Please excuse my post if it does not help. Thank you for taking time to read my post. Have a great day and best of luck with the DvD's.

Region 1: U.S., Canada, U.S. Territories
Region 2: Japan, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East (including Egypt)
Region 3: Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong)
Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean
Region 5: Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Union), Indian subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and Mongolia
Region 6: China
Region 7: Reserved
Region 8: Special international venues (airplanes, cruise ships, etc.)

[charlene]

I didn't know any of this---very interesting stuff.....you'd think in this day and age everything like this would be 'universal'....

Sir John - could you do something abut this?....
lol
I did know about PAL....

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by charlene:
I didn't know any of this---very interesting stuff.....you'd think in this day and age everything like this would be 'universal'....

Sir John - could you do something abut this?....
lol
I did know about PAL....

No but I am researching!!
interim report
The doubtful bit is not the region but the format because it is a fact that some DVDs are compiled in PAL and others in NTSC
I recently discovered that there are such things as "pseudo-PAL and Pseudo-NTSC.
check out:-
http://www.weethet.nl/english/video_formats.php
where you can read:-
"Note: Most modern DVD players are capable of switching between PAL and NTSC. Most modern TV-sets accept the so called pseudo formats (Pseudo PAL and Pseudo NTSC) as well so you can do playback of an NTSC movie on a PAL TV-set for example"
I do know that I have here now three region free PAL DVDS
1. the great Paul Simon "how the Graceland album came about ( a DVD I purchased in the UK)
2. the Paul simon/Everly Brothers "Old Friends" 2003 concert (A DVD bought from a Dutch source)
3.A DVD made by a Dutch Nevil Shute fan from a UK PAL VHS video cassette of a UK television company made film (by Granada Television)
all three play happily and perfectly here on our American Market Toshiba DVD/VHS Combo player into a standard US bought JVC Television.
Regarding item 2 I bought an identical Old Friends DVD from the same Dutch source for my sister in the UK which plays on a UK market DVD player into a PAL television.
On the other hand I have made VCDs (Video CDs)from mpg digital video files which happily play on UK equipment and as far as I know corfidian catmanron has an American market Reno DVD that plays on his Australian set up despite being upside down!!
Right Ron??
John Fowles
However I have to admit defeat (so far ) in watching a new DVD issued last year initially in the UK only entitled "the Definitive Buddy Holly"
I had read that copies imported from the UK pending an official US launch would not play over here because some cretin for unfathomable reasons had made them region 2.My wife found a copy on line at the very American Barnes and Noble as a Chrissy Pressy for me but although clearly marked on the DVD Case "region free worldwide" it flatly refused to play on the combo unit and then tried to convert the PC DVD-ROM Drive we eventually tried to region 2 in order to play it (not recommended as computer DVD Drives can only be so-changed a silly maximum of 6 times)
This was the identical reaction that the DVD Player and my old Vaio laptop's DVD Drive had when asked to play a region 2 copy of the Riverdance DVD bought in the UK
OK that DVD was made in Ireland and close inspection of the Holly DVD revealed that it was a product of some misguided Agentinian DVD factory
I guess as a Brit I should have expected trouble from the Micks and Argies but really it is just plain stoopidity IMHO.
any one know more???
BTW On that interesting weethet site there is a listing of all countries that use PaL and of bloody coarse Argentina is one of them!We returned the offending DVD to our locsal Barnes and Noble store for a full refund no hastle.
Had there been I would likely have run amok!!

[ April 03, 2006, 17:05: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

[SilverHeels]

John,
actually, my video/dvd player plays both PAL and NTSC formats but most UK DVD players stubbornly play only Region 2.

A-Andy, thank you for your detailed explanation.
The offending DVD has a tiny globe but no number therein.

Char, if you visit Wal-Mart, could you ask them if their DVDs are multi-regional, please. The
one in question is 'Elvis by the Presleys' which came in tandem with the book (which I bought as a prezzie for my sister)
Thanks guys.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
John,
actually, my video/dvd player plays both PAL and NTSC formats but most UK DVD players stubbornly play only Region 2.

Char, if you visit Wal-Mart, could you ask them if their DVDs are multi-regional, please. The
one in question is 'Elvis by the Presleys' which came in tandem with the book (which I bought as a prezzie for my sister)
Thanks guys.

As I understand it this region business was solely to accomodate Hollywood's greed and control freak mania and was primarily designed to prevent the worldwide distribution of movie DVDs until they were ready.
Really something quite ridiculous to apply to music DVDs by long departed singers like Buddy and Elvis and dancing groups like Riverdance
Nevertheless for "Elvis by the Presleys" on amazon's site it doth declare:-
"Format: Color, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)"
See:-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...v=glance&s=dvd
John Fowles
one thought though
VHS tapes are quite a different matter.
Certainly the color coding is different between PAL and NTSC but more vitally due to the Europeans deciding that (as I recall) Edison's adoption of 60 cycles for alternating current was dangerously close to one of the human body's natural harmonic frequencies hence the switch to 50 cycles in Europe.
Unfortunately electric motors running on alternating current use the mains cycles as a means of controlling their speed. and similarly televisions and the early VCRs used this mains cycle to comntrol the display frame rate.
Although modern TVs and VCRs get over this electronically (my 3 yes 3 PAL UK sourced VCRs-one is a treasured old Betamax)and a small TV set have no problem withthe incorrect cycles here once I have converted the local 110 volts to 230 by meams of cheap basic transformers the but standard tape speed is different on PAL/50 cycle recordings and VCRs and NTSC/60cycle. See:-
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/v...deospeeds.html
for comprision
Note European blank tapes are numbered for example E180 for a 3 minute tape whereas US tapes are T120 etc althoughj either type will play/record in the other countries as per the table.
ain't life complicated
John Fowles
I mentioned Thomas Edison

picture on this "hidden cache" page at:-
http://www.geocaching.com/track/log....a-aea7f4f7f41c
Plaque by Edison's Museum at his memorial tower

not 10 miles from where I am typing this
He is very famous around here because
"On January 19, 1883 the first standardized electric lighting system employing overhead wires began service in Roselle, New Jersey."

[ April 03, 2006, 20:16: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

[SilverHeels]

Nevertheless for "Elvis by the Presleys" on amazon's site it doth declare:-
"Format: Color, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)"

Well, that is pretty conclusive! Thanks, John

[charlene]

Bru - wasn't that one of the shows i taped to video for you last May?

[SilverHeels]

Char, yes it was but Pam asked me to buy the book and the dvd if I saw it. You know how it is when one is a fanatic and a collector (not that I would know anything about that, of course
lol

[charlene]

I know nothing of what you speak.....

[SilverHeels]

me neither

[Borderstone]

I unfortunatly found out about regions the hard way. I saw a DVD on Ebay I wanted to buy,that was hard to find. A friend got it for me for $20 and it was here in about 3 weeks.

...but! I did not notice on Ebay or when it arrived that it was from Austrailia and would not play on my player! So I now have a $20 digital bookend on my shelf!

I'll know better next time!

[SilverHeels]

maybe you could return it to eBay explaining that you cannot play it. They are pretty good with refunds. Contact the seller direct.

[Janice]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
Nevertheless for "Elvis by the Presleys" on amazon's site it doth declare:-
"Format: Color, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)"

Well, that is pretty conclusive! Thanks, John

Bru, I just checked at www.amazon.co.uk and they do have this DVD. I don't know if you want to replace it or not, but thought you might want to know that it is available in Region 0, PAL format. You could always sell the NTSC version.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by charlene:
I know nothing of what you speak.....

How do you explain your Gord shrine, then?

[SilverHeels]

<<Bru, I just checked at www.amazon.co.uk and they do have this DVD. I don't know if you want to replace it or not, but thought you might want to know that it is available in Region 0, PAL format. You could always sell the NTSC version.>>

J, sorry to ask the obvious but ... is Region O
'multi-regional'?

Thanks for checking it out for me.

[Janice]

Originally posted by SilverHeels:
<<Bru, I just checked at www.amazon.co.uk J, sorry to ask the obvious but ... is Region O
'multi-regional'?
Thanks for checking it out for me.

I'm not 100% sure of that, Bru, but I think it is - in any event, I would imagine it would play in the UK since it's being sold at Amazon UK. I've purchased DVDs from them before and the recipient has never mentioned any problems with them playing in their UK DVD player

You're welcome - it was no big thing since I have Amazon UK bookmarked along with the original Amazon site

[vlmagee]

Region 0 means "region free". It will play on any equipment that plays "region free" format. It is intended to be playable worldwide; most "newer" component DVD players and probably all current PC DVD players support it.

At the time that the Reno DVD was released in the UK - in Region 0 format - all but the cheapest DVD players sold there played it (in the US at that time, fewer players supported region 0 but now I'm sure most do). So unless your friend has a very, very old player she should be fine.

[SilverHeels]

Thanks, Val
guess I better get another one for my sis.

J, might your 'friend' be someone I know also?
If so, I think he is mad at me cos he didnt
reply to my e's. :D